KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — The Malaysian men’s indoor hockey squad are just one step away from clinching the gold medal after defeating Singapore 4-0 at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre here, tonight.

Malaysia took the lead as early as the 8th minute through a converted penalty corner by Mohd Shafiq Yaacob followed by a field goal in the 20th minute by captain Muhammad Najib Abu Hassan.

Muhammad Najib then went on to score two more field goals, in the 24th and 27th minutes to seal victory.

The 22-year old Muhammad Najib who hails from Sri Iskandar, Perak, when met by reporters after the match said he was satisfied with his team’s overall performance and will keep the momentum going in  the final.

"We cannot be over confident. We must further analyse our weakness and strength because there must be no let-up in our quest to get the gold,” he said.

Malaysia who had whipped the Philippines 16-0, hammered Vietnam 15-0, beat Thailand 4-0 and defeated Indonesia 6-2 in their round robin fixtures will meet Indonesia again on Saturday (Aug 26) to fight for the gold.

Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Malaysia thrashed Singapore 6-0 beginning with two converted penalty corners in the 2nd and 8th minute by Nur Aisyah Yaacob as well as Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohamed, respectively.

In the second half, Qasidah Najwa Muhammad Halimi scored a field goal in the 23rd minute followed by Noorain Mohd Arshad scoring two more field goals, in the 34th and 39th minutes, before Qasidah Najwa finished off the match with a field goal in the 40th minute.

Malaysia will meet Singapore again tomorrow for the bronze playoff while Indonesia and Thailand will battle for the gold. — Bernama