18/03/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | MAR 18, 2025

31

Newcastle captain Guimaraes hails Carabao Cup victory Ű BY JACK RATHBORN

RESULTS & STANDINGS

CARABAO CUP (Final) : Liverpool 1 (Chiesa 90+4) Newcastle 2 (Burn 45, Isak 52) . ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Fulham 2 (Muniz 78, Sessegnon 88) Tottenham 0, Arsenal 1 (Merino 20) Chelsea 0, Leices ter 0 Manchester United 3 (Hojlund 28, Garnacho 67, Fernandes 90) . P W D L F A Pts Liverpool 29 21 7 1 69 27 70 Arsenal 29 16 10 3 53 24 58 Nottm Forest 29 16 6 7 49 35 54 Chelsea 29 14 7 8 53 37 49 Man City 29 14 6 9 55 40 48 Newcastle 28 14 5 9 47 38 47 Brighton 29 12 11 6 48 42 47 Fulham 29 12 9 8 43 38 45 Aston Villa 29 12 9 8 41 45 45 Bournemouth 29 12 8 9 48 36 44 Brentford 29 12 5 12 50 45 41 Crystal Palace 28 10 9 9 36 33 39 Man United 29 10 7 12 37 40 37 Tottenham 29 10 4 15 55 43 34 Everton 29 7 13 9 32 36 34 West Ham 29 9 7 13 33 49 34 Wolves 29 7 5 17 40 58 26 Ipswich 29 3 8 18 28 62 17 Leicester 29 4 5 20 25 65 17 Southampton 29 2 3 24 21 70 9 CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield Wednesday 0 Sheffield United 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Leeds 38 23 11 4 76 25 80 Sheff Utd 38 25 7 6 53 28 80 Burnley 38 21 15 2 52 11 78 Sunderland 38 19 12 7 55 37 69 Coventry 38 17 8 13 55 48 59 West Brom 38 13 18 7 48 34 57 LA LIGA: Leganes 2 (Raba 29, 44) Real Betis 3 (Isco 64-pen, Bakambu 78, Hernan dez 82) , Sevilla 0 Athletic Bilbao 1 (Alvarez 84) , Osasuna 1 (Budimir 45-pen) Getafe 2 (Terrats 55, 71) , Rayo Vallecano 2 (Trejo 58, Diaz 72) Real Sociedad 2 (Zubimendi 20, Mariezkurrena 80) , Atletico Madrid 2 (Alvarez 45, Sorloth 70) Barcelona 4 (Lewandowski 72, Torres 78, 90+8, Yamal 90+2) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 27 19 3 5 75 27 60 Real Madrid 28 18 6 4 59 27 60 A. Madrid 28 16 8 4 46 22 56 A. Bilbao 28 14 10 4 46 24 52 Villarreal 27 12 8 7 49 38 44 Real Betis 28 12 8 8 38 35 44 SERIE A: Atalanta 0 Inter Milan 2 (Carlo Augusto 54, Martinez 87) , Bologna 5 (Odgaard 16, Orsolini 48, Ndoye 49, Castro 74, Fabbian 84) Lazio 0, Fiorentina 3 (Gosens 15, Mandragora 18, Gudmundsson 53) Juventus 0, Roma 1 (Dovbyk 62) Cagliari 0, Venezia 0 Napoli 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 29 19 7 3 65 27 64 Napoli 29 18 7 4 45 23 61 Atalanta 29 17 7 5 63 28 58 Bologna 29 14 11 4 49 34 53 Juventus 29 13 13 3 45 28 52 Lazio 29 15 6 8 50 41 51 BUNDESLIGA: Stuttgart 3 Bayer Leverkusen 4, Heidenheim 3 Holstein Kiel 1, Bochum 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 3. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 26 19 5 2 75 24 62 B. Leverkusen 26 16 8 2 59 33 56 Mainz 26 13 6 7 44 28 45 E. Frankfurt 26 13 6 7 54 40 45 RB Leipzig 26 11 9 6 41 33 42 Freiburg 26 12 6 8 36 38 42 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Lyon 4 Le Havre 2, Strasbourg 2 Toulouse 1, Brest 0 Reims 0, Montpellier vs Saint-Etienne – aban doned due to crowd trouble , Paris Saint Germain 3 Marseille 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 26 21 5 0 73 25 68 Marseille 26 15 4 7 53 33 49 Monaco 26 14 5 7 51 32 47 Nice 26 13 8 5 50 31 47 Lyon 26 13 6 7 50 33 45 Lille 26 12 8 6 40 28 44

the club in 2022 in Lyon. “It’s all for these fans. They deserve everything. When I first came here I said I wanted to put my name in history,” Guimaraes told Sky Sports . “We can now say we are the champions again. This is one of the best days of my life. “I don’t have any words. It’s the best day of my life. For them (the fans) it’s like the World Cup. People have grown up and not seen us as champions. “My first year as captain of this club and it’s one of the best days. This is unbelievable. “This is my second home. We are making history.

Some day when I leave this club I want the fans to sing my name the way they do to Shearer. He text me before the game. I’m so emotional today.” Jamie Carragher later admitted his Liverpool were beaten comfortably, telling Sky Sports : “Newcastle didn’t just win today, they battered Liverpool. “I find it difficult to be too critical, given what Liverpool look like they will go on to achieve. “Newcastle are a great Premier League team and they have wiped the floor with them today.” – The Independent

CAPTAIN Bruno Guimaraes hailed Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final victory as “like the World Cup” after a gripping 2-1 win over Liverpool. The Brazilian lauded the club’s supporters for their dedication with Eddie Howe’s side finally delivering a piece of silverware for the first time in 70 years. Guimaraes, from Rio de Janeiro and skippering the side this season for the first time, insists Newcastle is now his “second home” since joining

Ride like the wind Time for ‘Terminator Shah’ to be country’s main cycling hope, says Yeoh T HE Youth and Sports Ministry feels that the time has come for Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom to become the country’s main hope in track cycling Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias and AIAC chief executive officer Datuk Almalena Sharmila Johan.

That’s the first gold medal won by Shah Firdaus, nicknamed the “Terminator Shah”, at a UCI event, marking the biggest achievement of his career so far. Tokyo 2020 Olympic team sprint event bronze medallist Sebastien Vigier of France bagged the silver while 2025 Asian Track Cycling Championship (ATC) keirin champion Shinji Nakano of Japan took home the bronze. Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah set a new national record in the sprint event, clocking 10.578 seconds (s) in Konya, surpassing her previous mark of 10.658s she set at ATC 2025 at the National Velodrome in Nilai last month. She sustained a knee injury during the keirin event in Turkiye on Sunday but posted a caption on Instagram that read “Nothing serious”, together with a video clip of the incident. Nurul Izzah crashed after colliding with Makaira Wallace while attempting to overtake the Trinidad and Tobago rider. – Bernama NATIONAL para badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou continued to prove that age is just a number when he retained two gold medals at the 2025 Spain Para International Level 1 Championship in Toledo, which concluded on Sunday. Liek Hou, who turned 37 on March 8, secured his first victory after defeating Taiwan’s Fang Jen-Yu 18-21, 21-17, 21-11 in the SU5 men’s singles (physical impairment) final. The two-time Paralympic gold medallist maintained his winning momentum by clinching another gold in the SU5 men’s doubles, partnering Muhammad Fareez Anuar to overcome Taiwan’s Jen Yu-Pu Gui Yu 21-13, 21-18. Liek Hou said his successful defence of the two titles was the sweetest birthday gift for himself. “Although my preparation for this tournament was very short, I managed to overcome the pressure and injuries I have been dealing with recently. I am grateful to my new sponsors and those who continue to support me,” the world No. 1 said. “To my loyal supporters, thank you for your unwavering encouragement throughout the tournament and my journey. I will continue to give my best for all of you and my beloved country, Malaysia,”he said in a Facebook post yesterday. Rafiq fails to create history NATIONAL bowling ace Muhammad Rafiq Ismail missed out on becoming the first Malaysian to win on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour in the United States on Sunday. Muhammad Rafiq had to be satisfied with a runner-up finish in the PBA Scorpion Championship after going down 172-224 to Sweden’s Rasmus Edvall in the stepladder final at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The result saw Edvall avenge his 176-228, 164-251, 183-259 loss to 2018 world champion Muhammad Rafiq in the elimination round. The runner-up finish saw the 27-year-old improving on the third placing he secured at the 2018 Greater Jonesboro Open. BRIEFS Liek Hou retains titles in Spain

and shine in future competitions. Its Minister, Hannah Yeoh is confident that Muhammad Shah, better known as Shah Firdaus, has what it takes to take over the responsibility from Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang as the country’s No. 1 track cyclist. “The time has come Shah Firdaus. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, we saw when Shah Firdaus was needed (in the keirin event) to receive the mandate from Malaysia… he did it (by qualifying for the final). “I am extremely pleased to see Shah Firdaus is now at his peak. I am confident Shah Firdaus can be the next big hope of Malaysia in track cycling,” she said after officiating the 2025 Asean Sports ADR Forum at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Hector pleased with JDT’s win over Penang

Yeoh said she is also proud of Shah Firdaus’ achievement in bagging the gold medal in the keirin event at the UCI Nations Cup in Konya, Turkiye on Sunday as well as pleased with the performance of national woman track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri. “So, I want to encourage Shah Firdaus and Izzah Izzati to continue striving because coach John Beasley has provided a positive report of their potential and these two riders are now in the Road to Gold programme,” she said. On Sunday, Shah Firdaus produced a spirited performance to break away from four other riders before overtaking his rivals just metres before the finish line at the Konya Velodrome.

Penang goalkeeper Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman (left) tries to save the ball during the match against JDT. – BERNAMA

JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM’S (JDT) head coach Hector Bidoglio is satisfied with his team’s 3-0 victory over Penang FC in a Super League match at City Stadium on Sunday night. Fielding his best starting XI, Hector said the win augured well for his team’s preparation for the Malaysia Cup final against Sri Pahang FC on April 12. “All the time we intended to be protagonists, trying to move the ball from side to side. Today, in my opinion, the players performed well. “The Malaysia Cup final is very important for us, and we need to stay focused and to continue growing,” he told a post-match press conference after the match. The Argentina-born coach praised the commitment of his team, who have already clinched the 2024/25 Super League title. He hoped that midfielder Arif Aiman’s injury was not too serious but said they would have to wait for the medical team’s assessment.

Penang head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail admitted that his players appeared nervous at the start, which led to them conceding an early goal. He said the absence of four key players due to injuries also impacted the team, but commended the young players who stepped up for giving their best in the match. “That’s a positive sign for Penang, and with three matches remaining, I hope the team’s momentum improves once our key players return,” he added. Penang are lying in ninth place in the league, level on 20 points with Sri Pahang and Kedah Darul Aman. Meanwhile, Kuching City FC secured a crucial victory after defeating Selangor FC 2-1 in a Super League match at the Sarawak Stadium in Kuching. The win propelled Kuching City to third place in the league standings, sharing 36 points with fourth placed Sabah FC, ahead of Sabah and Terengganu FC who are in fifth place with 32 points. – Bernama