Kuala Lumpur (15 January, 2017): TNB Thunderbolts refused to give up after suffering a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in their TNBMHL 2017 Premier League match at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium today.

KLHC dominated their match against the young boys as they stormed to an early lead in the first quarter of the match. Meor Muhamad Azuan Hasan opened the scoring for his team in the 14th minute with a goal from the edge of the box and just within a space of 30 seconds the match resumed, Muhammad Azri Hasan doubled the lead.

Just before the half-time break, Muhammad Rashid Baharom (28th minute) secured the victory for KHLC after seeing his shot from inside the penalty area went pass the helpless Hairi Abdul Rahman who was in goal for Thunderbolts.

Dedy Aryadi Jumaidi got himself on the scoresheet went he scored KLHC’s fourth in the 39th minute through a swerving shot from inside the penalty area before Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute.

However, Thunderbolts managed to pull one goal back just before the end through Muhammad Akhimullah Anuar Esook, seconds before Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof slotted the ball in the opposite end for KLHC’s sixth goal of the night.

Today’s defeat signals the second successive defeat for the junior boys after falling down to TNB on Friday in a repeat of today’s score line, however, Thunderbolts coach refused to press the pressure button on his players.

“My boys are of the age group of 16 to 17 and being part of the project team for the 2020 Olympics, this is a learning performance for them especially when coming up against big teams like TNB and KLHC. I am not going to signal the warning bells on my players as I believe the past two matches have exposed them to a different competitive level of hockey,” said the 51-year-old.

He added, that they will put up the same approach when they take on UniKL on Wednesday, however, with the experience from their previous two matches, they will head into the match hoping for a positive result.

UNIKL moved to the top of the leaderboard after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) at the KLHA Stadium.

With six points from two wins so far, UniKL pipped Maybank to second place as a result of superior goal difference thanks to their 5-0 win over Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) last Friday.

Faridzul Afiq bin Mohd scored the solitary goal at the 49th minute with a striker from the edge of the semi-circle after TNB failed to take advantage of their chances which saw them squandering two penalty corners during the first half of the match.

In the fourth quarter, TNB came close to scoring the equalizer through another penalty corner, however, they were again denied by the impressive Argentine international goalkeeper, Tomas Matias Santiago.

UNIKL coach, Arul Selvaraj was impressed with the way his team played choosing to highlight on the team’s mental strength and fighting spirit as they register their second successive victory.

“I am happy with my players’ performance today as they showcased fluidity within their game play especially when going forward. However, I am slightly disappointed as we failed to convert our chances, especially in the first half,” said the former national player.

Meanwhile, Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) overcame their recent disappointment in the TNBMHL 2017 Charity Shield Cup when they hammered UITM-KPT 9-0 at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu earlier today while SSTMI suffered another heavy defeat when they were swept aside 4-0 by Maybank at the MBMB Hockey Stadium.

TNBMHL 2017 PREMIER LEAGUE (15 January 2017):

THT 9-0 UITM
Firhan Ashaari 5th minute (FG), 59 (FG)
Nicolas Enrique 12th minute (FG), 23 (FG)
Faizal Ashaari 26th minute (FG), 34 (FG), 43 (FG)
Ismail Abu 37th minute (FG), 54 (FG)

Maybank 4-0 SSTMI
Jang Yoon Hyuk 9th minute (PC)
Hafifihafiz Hanafi 22th minute (FG)
Nam Hyun Woo 37th , 53rd minute (PC)

UniKL 1-0 TNB
Faridzul Afiq 49th minute (FG)

KLHC 6-1 TNB THUNDERBOLTS
Meor Muhamad Azuan 14th minute (FG)
Muhammad Azri Hassan 14th minute (FG)
Muhammad Rashid Baharom 28th minute (FG)
Dedy Aryadi Jumaidi 39th minute (FG)
Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin 52nd minute (PC)
Muhammad Akhimullah pada 60th minute (FG) (TNB THUNDERBOLTS)
Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof pada 60th minute (FG)