MALAYSIA dug deep to score in the last minute through Faizal Saari and salvage a 1-1 draw with highly fancied Australia in their third Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match in Ipoh.
It was a great start in the first half for the home side who came close on a couple of occasions but lacked the sharpness to make headway.
Australia, currently ranked second in the world, were however the more dangerous side, and came close to scoring each time they had the ball, attacking relentlessly from the flanks.
Malaysian custodian S. Kumar who had kept the Kookaburras at bay for most of the half, failed to prevent Trent Mitton from scoring in the 34th minute. Mitton found himself free on the left flank and flicked the ball in to give the Australians a 1-0 lead at the interval.
It was a different game in the second half as Australia stepped on the pedal, pushing the Malaysians to sit deep in their half, but Kumar stood strong to prevent them from increasing their lead.
When all was thought to be lost, a last minute penalty corner proved fruitful for Malaysia as hitman Faizal slotted home to send the crowd into a frenzy.
Australia remain on top with seven points, followed by Malaysia also on seven points.
The home side take on Pakistan while Australia will meet South Korea on Thursday.
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SOURCE : SPORTS247
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