Kuala lumpur: Malaysia emerged as Group A champions of the 2025 South East Asian Games men's five-a-side hockey event with a 9-1 drubbing of Thailand at the Royal Thai Air Force Stadium today. Malaysia took control of the game with three players, Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin (3', 15'), Akhimullah Anuar Esook (9', 25') and Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee (18', 26') scoring a brace of goals each, while the remaining three goals came from Muhibuddin Moharam (10'), Syarman Mat Tee (17') and Shafiq Ikhmal Suzaini (29').

According to BERNAMA News Agency, team coach Wan Mohd Roslan Wan Abd Rahman expressed satisfaction with the team's performance. He noted that the players proved their capability against the home team and managed to score goals with every opportunity they had. He highlighted the improvement from the first and second games, emphasizing the significance of today's victory in smoothing their path to the semi-final and finals.

The men's team is set to face the Philippines in the semi-final. Meanwhile, the women's five-a-side team also emerged as Group A champions after trouncing the Philippines 13-0 in the morning match and defeating Thailand 7-2 in the afternoon.