KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — It has been a good and memorable year for Malaysia despite finishing runner-up at the Asia Cup which ended on Sunday in Dhaka. The fighting Malaysians lost 2-1 to India in the final.

All in all, Malaysia defended its SEA Games gold as expected, qualified for the 2018 World Cup and then achieved this recent best ever finish in the Asia Cup.

The odds were stacked against Malaysia as the team has been missing several key players in Meor Azuan Hasan, Firhan Ashari and Izad Hakimi Jamaludin through injuries this year.

Youngster Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi has played all the junior tournaments since 2016 and he is now involved with the Sultan of Johor Cup.

Despite that, stalwarts like Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, captain Syukri Mutalib, Faizal Saari and his younger brother Fitri produced some sparkling performances in Dhaka.

The heaviest casualty was forward Faizal, who lost four teeth after being elbowed in the 3-2 win over Pakistan in the preliminary round, also won Player of the Tournament award in the process. He also ended joint-top scorer with India’s Harmanpreet

Midfielder and playmaker Fitri, who rushed home over his critically ill son and dashed back to Dhaka within two days, sacrificed much for his country’s sake. "The inexperience of many players having not played in a final, compared to India, showed in the first half (on Sunday),” said coach Stephen van Huizen.

"We’re disappointed we didn’t get an equaliser in the last few minutes. Our players were focused and disciplined in the second half and were determined to fight till the end.

"As a team we have learnt a lot from this trip. In future, if we get another opportunity like this we will do better.

"Overall. I’m happy with the attitude and fighting spirit shown. We worked very hard to get into the final and deservedly.”

Many were carrying injuries but continued playing in the elite Asian tournament, namely Nabil Fiqri Noor (hamstring), Tengku (fractured finger), Syukri (calf), Haziq Shamsul and Syed Mohamad among others determined to win the title despite having qualified for the World Cup. It was for pride.

Failure to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics has been forgotten. Hockey deserves to be in the Podium Programme, especially after this Dhaka revelation.