HEAD coach Mike Delaney expressed satisfaction with his team’s
performance after guiding New Zealand to their first victory of the Sultan of
Johor Cup (SOJC) 2025, edging Pakistan 3-2 in an intense encounter on
Wednesday.
He reminded his players to stay grounded as they prepare to face
defending champions Great Britain on Friday — a clash he described as “a
tough battle ahead.”
“We’ll be up against Great Britain next. They’ll come hard at us, and we’ll be
ready for it,” he said confidently.
Delaney insisted that the job is far from done, stressing that there is still
plenty of work to be done — particularly in sharpening the attacking line to
become more clinical in front of goal.
He admitted that New Zealand had a poor start to the tournament after
losing their first three matches, but credited his players for responding
positively with a renewed mindset that eventually delivered the
breakthrough win.
“We need to assess ourselves more closely to become better. It’s a process,
and we must go through it properly. There are still areas to refine — we’re
not at our best yet, but it will come.” said Delaney.
At the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, the Black Sticks’ goals came through
Rocco Ludolph, Jakarta Klebert, and Jordan Whittleston, while Pakistan’s
young sensation Sufyan Khan scored a brace for his team.
“It was a great performance. The boys played well and worked hard as a
unit,” Delaney added.
New Zealand currently sits at the bottom of the standings with four points,
having earlier suffered defeats to Australia (0–4), India (2–4), and Malaysia
(2–4).
Pakistan, meanwhile, are in fourth place — also with four points —
following a 7–2 win over Malaysia, a 3–3 draw against arch-rivals India,
and a 1–5 loss to Great Britain.