Having nearly 240 international caps for Malaysia, far more than the combined experience of the Chinese squad, veteran Mohammed Fitri Saari experienced a few nervous moments as the opponents, featuring eight debutants, fought back repeatedly before narrowly losing the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) opener at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium. Malaysia opened their campaign with a 5-4 victory, though the contest could easily have ended in a draw had a late Chinese effort not struck the post. Fitri said his side had anticipated a difficult outing given the unfamiliar conditions and the growing quality of China’s attack.