Pakistan name Malaysia as main rivals in quest for SoJC title

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan are targetting their first Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) title as the Under-21 tournament begins on Saturday at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor.

Making their ninth appearance in the tournament, the Green Shirts' best finish was as runners-up in 2016.

Malaysia, Japan, China and Canada are the other teams in the fray.

Pakistan coach Syed Sameer said the squad arrived in Johor with a positive mindset to win the title.

"We have retained a majority of the players who played in the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) last month," Sameer said, referring to the tournament in China where Pakistan qualified for next year's Junior World Cup after finishing third.

Pakistan will rely heavily on Rana Waleed and Sami Rana Abdul, who scored 17 goals between them at the JAC, during the tournament.

"We hope to surprise teams like Malaysia, Japan, and China. We are not sure of Canada's strength," Sameer said.

He identified Malaysia as Pakistan's main threat in their quest for the title.

"Malaysia will be our main rivals. However, we beat them twice — 5-2 in the group stage and 4-2 in the bronze-medal playoff — during the JAC, so we are confident here.

"However, I believe Malaysia will be stronger in front of their home fans. We will take it one match at a time and hope for a good start," Sameer added.

Pakistan begin their campaign against China on Saturday.

Malaysia, who are aiming for a top-three finish, open their campaign against China the following day.

FIXTURES

Saturday: Pakistan vs China (5pm), Japan vs Canada (7.30pm)

Sunday: Pakistan vs Canada (5pm), Malaysia vs China (7.35pm).