IPOH: National goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman is fast proving that he can be a worthy successor to the legendary S. Kumar who retired in 2020.
Hafizuddin, who now trains under Kumar, bagged the Man of the Match award for his heroics in the 6-4 win over Olympics-bound and world No. 10 New Zealand in their Sultan Azlan Shah (SAS) Cup on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old proved that he can handle the heat, as he made crucial saves to deny the Black Sticks' fightback.
Though the Terengganu player could not prevent Jake Smith's field goal (19th minute) and Jonty Elmes' penalty stroke (28th), he rose to the occasion to deny Jonty's second penalty stroke (34th).
The crucial save restored world No. 13 Malaysia's confidence, and they went on to regroup and hold on for a sensational win.
Hafizuddin said after losing their opening match 5-4 to Pakistan last week, he had worked hard in training with his mentor Kumar to bounce back.
"It was a tough match keeping New Zealand out of scoring opportunities. But it was also a team effort. The defenders played a big part. In the penalty stroke my instincts helped me make the right decision," said Hafizuddin, who has 109 international caps.
"The penalty stroke was awarded with just 18 seconds remaining at the end of the second quarter. There was a lot of pressure on me to stop New Zealand. If he had scored, we would be returning to the dressing room with the score 4-3 and I did not want that kind of situation.
"We were unlucky to lose the first game. Kumar kept motivating me and guiding me on how to bounce back in a short time.
"Our team's combination is getting better. We had played only three matches together. The defenders are doing well to intercept attacks, and if we are given more time, we can have a better understanding and perform better."
