YOUNG TIGERS' BEST SHOW NOT ENOUGH AGAINST GREAT BRITAIN.

The national under-21 squad led by I. Vikneswaran produced their best performance of the 2024 Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) against Great Britain in their third match at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium on Wednesday, but it was not enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat.

For Vikneswaran, the match was the first time his players had faced a European team with a more physical style of play, which proved difficult for the less experienced national players.

"We didn't start the game well. We gave the ball away to the opponent a lot, and when this happened, it became difficult for us.

"We did manage to get back on track and equalise, but after that, Britain continued to play a physical game and many 50-50 situations were won by their players.

"Our players should use their speed. However, this is their first match against a European opponent and I believe they will learn from this experience," said Vikneswaran during the post-match media briefing on Wednesday.

Looking ahead to the match against Australia, Vikneswaran did not have high expectations and only wanted the players to put up resistance and gain experience against a world-class team.

The country's young line-up battled hard in the first quarter to break up several early threats from their opponents.

However, just as the first quarter seemed set to end goalless, Britain were awarded a penalty stroke after the national defence made a mistake while blocking a penalty corner, and Kaden Draysey calmly converted it to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Malaysia fought back to equalise in the 17th minute through a field goal by Aqilrullah Che Nur, whose solo run unsettled the opposing defence.

The national squad continued to put up a fight, but Britain regained the lead in the 53rd minute when Monty Neave broke through the Malaysian defence and finished with a fine field goal to seal the win.

In Wednesday's earlier matches, Australia ended India's winning streak with a 4-0 victory over the Asian giants, while New Zealand beat Japan 3-1.