The result sees Malaysia finish second in Group C with five points, behind Iran with seven points, securing a spot in the 2025 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Porec, Croatia, scheduled for Feb 3 to 9 next year.

The match last night saw Iran score two goals through penalty corner strikes by Shahrokhi Mahdi in the 10th minute and Mirzakhani Amirmahdi in the 16th minute.

Malaysia then fought back with a goal from Abdul Khaliq Hamirin in the 21st minute, but Shahrokhi once again scored in the 27th minute.

However, goals from Aminuddin Zaid and Abdul Khaliq in the 28th and 30th minutes levelled the score until the final whistle.

Malaysia beat Thailand 5-2 in the second round yesterday. The squad had also defeated Oman 10-2 in the first round, drew 3-3 with Kazakhstan, and won 5-4 against Indonesia in the Group B matches.

Rodzhanizam Mat Radzi’s squad will meet Iran again, this time in the final to be played at 5pm tomorrow.