30/10/2025

SPORTS THURSDAY | OCT 30, 2025

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Xisco praises JDT’s drive and consistency JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) head coach Xisco Munoz praised his players for maintaining their drive and ambition after the Southern Tigers’ con vincing 3-0 victory, securing their place in the FA Cup semifinals. to open spaces against a low defensive block. At halftime, I told them to stay calm and make better decisions in the final third.

RESULTS & STANDINGS

CARABAO CUP (4th rd) : Grimsby Town 0 Brentford 5, Wycombe Wanderers 1 Fulham 1 (Fulham win 5-4 on penalties) , Wrexham 1 Cardiff City 2. SERIE A: Atalanta 1 (Lookman 35) AC Milan 1 (Ricci 4) , Lecce 0 Napoli 1 (Anguissa 69) . P W D L F A Pts Napoli 9 7 0 2 16 8 21 Roma 8 6 0 2 8 3 18 AC Milan 9 5 3 1 14 7 18 Inter Milan 8 5 0 3 19 11 15 Bologna 8 4 2 2 13 7 14 Como 8 3 4 1 9 5 13 Atalanta 9 2 7 0 13 7 13 Juventus 8 3 3 2 9 8 12 Udinese 8 3 3 2 10 12 12 Lazio 8 3 2 3 11 7 11 Cremonese 8 2 5 1 9 10 11 Torino 8 3 2 3 8 14 11 Sassuolo 8 3 1 4 8 9 10 Cagliari 8 2 3 3 8 10 9 Parma 8 1 4 3 3 7 7 Lecce 9 1 3 5 7 14 6 Verona 8 0 5 3 4 11 5 Fiorentina 8 0 4 4 7 12 4 Pisa 8 0 4 4 5 12 4 Genoa 8 0 3 5 4 11 3 SPANISH CUP (selected) : Constancia 2 Girona 3 (aet) , SD Logrones 0 Racing Santander 4, Inter de Valdemoro 0 Getafe 11, UD Maracena 0 Valencia 5, CD Toledo Sad 1 Sevilla 4, Negreira 0 Real Sociedad 3. GERMAN CUP (2nd rd) : Wolfsburg 0 Holstein Kiel 1, Heidenheim 0 Hamburger SV 1, Hertha BSC 3 Elvers berg 0, Eintracht Frankfurt 1 Borussia Dortmund 1 – aet (Dortmund win 4-2 on penalties) , Augsburg 0 Bochum 1, Ener gie Cottbus 1 RB Leipzig 4, Borussia M'gladbach 3 Karlsruher SC 1, St. Pauli 2 Hoffenheim 2 – aet (St Pauli win 8-7 on penalties) . National men’s doubles pairs into next round GERMANY’S Hylo Open 2025 kicked off with a strong showing from Malaysia’s top men’s doubles pairs, as both Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani cruised into the second round with commanding victo ries in Saarbrucken. Playing at the Saarlandhalle, the top seeded pair of Aaron-Wooi Yik secured a straightforward win against England’s Alex Green and Zach Russ, with a score line of 25-23, 21-14. The victory books them a second round match against the Czech pairing of Jiri Kral and Ondrej Kral. They were joined by the second seeded duo, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, who saw off a challenge from Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle, seal ing their place in the next round with a 21-17, 22-20 win.

Meanwhile, Penang FC Coach, Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail, expressed his satisfaction with his play ers’ fighting spirit and discipline, despite their 0-3 defeat to JDT on Tuesday night. “Up to the 30th minute, we played well before we lost a bit of focus and were punished with three goals in about five minutes. Alhamdulillah , in the second half, the players remained focused, put the three-goal deficit behind them. They played with more composure and were able to compete with JDT,” he said. Wan Rohaimi acknowledged that JDT are on a different level and that it is not easy for any team to defeat them at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, which has been their fortress for years. He said that while disappointed with the result, the team’s overall performance has shown improvement over the last few matches. – Bernama

“I’m very happy that all three goals came from set pieces. We spoke about different phases of play to open the game and create chances. We still have to work on some areas to be stronger,” he said at the post-match press conference. On the team’s improved performance in the second half, the Spanish coach said it was not part of a deliberate plan but rather a reflection of the squad’s depth. Looking ahead to their FA Cup semifinal clash against Kuching FC, Munoz expects a tough chal lenge, saying it would be a difficult match as the other side has a strong defence. Munoz also noted JDT’s next Super League fix ture against Terengganu FC on Oct 31, acknowl edging the tight turnaround.

Munoz said the team’s consistency in displaying character and determination despite a hectic schedule reflected their commitment to the club’s objectives. He admitted it was not easy to break down the opponent’s defensive line, with their first goal only coming after 38 minutes. “After a lot of games, we continue with the same ambition, the same character. We are hun gry for what we need to do to take on big chal lenges. It’s one more game, one more step forward. “One of the things we spoke about before the match was how difficult it would be when the play ers get tired. In the last third, it’s sometimes harder

‘Boring golf is good golf’ Confident Liyana stays grounded

278/25

29/10/2025

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“B ORING golf is good golf,” said national golfer Liyana Durisic (pic) who aims to take a calm and patient approach as she tees off for her second appearance at the Maybank Championship 2025 held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC), starting today. Reflecting on her preparation these year, Liyana said she had learned from her past expe rience and focused on maintaining composure throughout the tournament as she realised she was trying to do too much previously. “And (for) this year, it was more just like, staying patient, knowing that I don’t have to do too much to play well, because I know how to play, and just focusing on the mental side of the game this week and go out there and have fun,” she told Bernama yesterday. The 24-year-old who recently clinched vic tory at The Mines for overall champion of The Ladies’ Golf Tournament 2025 said her mindset remains consistent. focusing on each shot and day rather than the outcome. “I think it’s still the same thing. One shot at a time and also one day at a time, trying not to ernance and structure. “As I have said before, let’s wait for the deci sion first. Then, we can act. We must remember that the national team is not just about these seven heritage players, but we have many other footballers who rely on good leadership and administration for the sport to continue to grow. “This is also for the sake of the career of ath letes like Faisal (Halim), Arif Aiman (Hanapi), whose stars are still shining bright. “If we give up, what will be their fate? It’s not

think too much about the result instead of like focusing on just the journey and the process. “I (just) won at The Mines and it was just a completely different course, different turf and everything, but I think it does give me some sort of like a boost of confidence like, ‘Hey, you played well last week, you can also play well this week,” she said. Liyana, who will be paired with Japanese golfer Ayaka Furue, said she looks forward to the opportunity. “I’ve heard so much about her and like, she’s a really good player, so I’m really excited to play with her tomorrow,” she said. With unpredictable weather conditions expected, the Malaysian golfer remains ready to adapt. “I know it’s gonna be hot tomorrow ‘cause I’m teeing off at 9.30am, so I think it’s more important to just hydrate myself. And if it does rain halfway through, I’ll have my rain jacket, I’ll have my umbrella, and just push through. “Still focus, everyone’s in the same position, everyone’s handling the rain, and just go out there and still have fun,” she added. – Bernama fair for them,” she said. Fifa had earlier fined FAM and suspended the seven players for 12 months from all football related activities after finding irregularities in the players’ original registration documents. According to an official Fifa report titled Notification of the Grounds of the Decision dated Oct 6, 2025, the punishment was imposed following the violation of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC) related to document fal sification. – Bernama

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Goh and Izzuddin will now face Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard for a spot in the quarter finals. – Bernama KBS to decide next steps after Fifa’s decision, says Sports minister

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THE Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will take the next steps once the official result of the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal over the eligibility of its seven heritage players is announced by the world governing body, Fifa, today. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the ministry will collaborate with the national governing body and the Sports Commissioner to identify measures that need to be imple mented to improve the country’s football gov

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