05/02/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 5, 2026

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team,” he said. Rhinos get reinforcements Sabah FC boost squad with four new foreign signings

CARABAO CUP (semifinal 2nd leg) : Arsenal 1 (Havertz 90+7) Chelsea 0 – Arsenal won 4-2 on agg . (quarterfinal) : Albacete 1 (Moreno 87) Barcelona 2 (Yamal 39, Araujo 56) . GERMAN CUP (quarterfinal) : Bayer Leverkusen 3 St Pauli 0. FRENCH CUP (Round of 16) : Reims 3 Le Mans 0, Marseille 3 Rennes 0. SERIE A: Bologna 0 AC Milan 3 (Loftus-Cheek 20, Nkunku 39-pen, Rabiot 48) . P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 23 18 1 4 52 19 55 AC Milan 23 14 8 1 38 17 50 Napoli 23 14 4 5 33 21 46 Juventus 23 13 6 4 39 18 45 Roma 23 14 1 8 27 14 43 Como 23 11 8 4 37 16 41 Atalanta 23 9 9 5 30 20 36 Lazio 23 8 8 7 24 21 32 Udinese 23 9 5 9 26 34 32 Bologna 23 8 6 9 32 30 30 Sassuolo 23 8 5 1027 29 29 Cagliari 23 7 7 9 28 31 28 Torino 23 7 5 1122 40 26 Genoa 23 5 8 1027 34 23 Cremonese 23 5 8 1020 31 23 Parma 23 5 8 1015 30 23 Lecce 23 4 6 1313 30 18 Fiorentina 23 3 8 1225 36 17 Pisa 23 1 11 11 19 40 14 Verona 23 2 8 1318 41 14 COPA DEL REY Mabella blow for Turtles FAN hoping of seeing Terengganu FC (TFC) import striker Yann Mabella in action in the first Malaysia Cup quarterfi nal match tomorrow have been dashed due to injury concerns. Despite having returned to the Turtles after more than a month under going rehabilitation treatment in France, Mabella is still unable to feature as he has not fully recovered. Mabella said he arrived in Terengganu last Saturday after a long break of nearly four months due to a knee injury. “I just came back from France last Saturday and it was a very long flight. I was in France for one month and a half for treatment and other medical matters. “I went to see our doctor and physio therapist for further check-ups. I’m still not able to train. I need to undergo reha bilitation and physiotherapy sessions maybe a couple more times,” he said when contacted in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, yesterday. The 30-year-old said he was eager to return to action and score goals for the team, while restoring supporters’ confi dence in the reputation of the Turtles. “I will do my best to improve my con dition. I really miss the pitch, the matches and the fans. For now, I will focus on my recovery process to make a comeback,” he said. – Bernama RESULTS & STANDINGS

S ABAH FC have signed four new foreign players to strengthen the squad for the remainder of the Super League 2025/26 season and the MFL Challenge Cup. The four imports are French forward Chris Marlon Ondong Mba, who can also operate as a winger; Haitian striker Belfort Kervensfils; Croatian midfielder Duje Ljubic; and Thai–Spanish defender Ernesto Amantegui Phumipha. Ondong Mba described his decision to join The Rhinos as an important step in his professional career, as well as an opportunity to

self in Asia prompted him to choose Sabah FC as his next desti nation. “I left Europe with success and for me, success in Asia is just as important. I am a player who lives for challenges every day,” he said in an interview shared by Sabah FC in Lota Kinabalu yesterday. Commenting on his role with Sabah FC, Ondong Mba described himself as a versatile player capable of playing as a striker or winger, thus providing more tactical options for the team. Meanwhile, Amantegui Phumipha said he felt comfort able and positive playing for Sabah for the first time.

With his extensive experience playing abroad, Kervensfils is expected to help strengthen the team’s frontline. Prior to joining Sabah, the Haitian featured for one season with Lalitpur City, who competed in the Nepal League during the 2024/25 season. Sabah is his second club in the Malaysian League, as Kervensfils previously played for Kelantan FC in the 2021/22 season. Meanwhile, Ljubic, a young midfielder from Croatia, previ ously played for NK Hrvace. The 21-year-old is believed to be capable of bringing youthful energy, tactical discipline and sig nificant potential for development with the team. The combination of experi enced players and young talent reflects Sabah FC management’s careful planning in building a more balanced and competitive squad. – Bernama

embark on a new foot balling challenge in Asia. He said although he had received several lucrative offers to return to Europe, his desire to continue testing him

Chris Marlon Ondong Mba

“The supporters give me a lot of motivation and although there were not many fans at the sta dium during the previ ous match, I could already feel their sup

port and it is good for me and the

Marquez leaves his Marc during Sepang testing REIGNING world champion Marc Marquez sent a clear warning to the field for the upcoming season after topping the timesheets on the open ing day of the 2026 Malaysia MotoGP Winter Test at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on Tuesday. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider, making a much-anticipated return to action following a long injury layoff, clocked a blistering 1:57.018s on his 18th lap of 23 during the evening session. Marquez’s performance was par ticularly significant as it marked his first official outing since being side lined last October. The Spaniard had suffered a bro ken shoulder following a high-speed crash during the Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika. Earlier, the champion showed steady progression throughout the day after ending the morning session in 11th place with a time of 1:58.774s. Finishing second fastest was Fabio Di Giannantonio of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, who recorded a personal best of 1:57.274s on his 20th lap. Maverick Vinales of Red Bull KTM Tech3 rounded out the top three with his fastest timing of 1:57.295s coming on his penultimate lap. Speaking after the test, Marquez expressed satisfaction with his physi

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04/02/2026

7527 0107 1981

9369 6312 4528 2289 7901

8017 3821 4371 9146 7748

7291 0552 7627 5415 7844

4706 5540 1998 8084 8566

RM12,421,735.40

7527 + 1981 0107 + 1981 1981 + 0107

7527 + 0107 0107 + 7527 1981 + 7527

RM192,604.67

Ducati Lenovo Team rider Marc Marquez in action on the first day of the 2026 MotoGP pre-season testing at Sepang International Circuit yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

cal condition and described his per formance at the SIC as a confidence booster after the long hiatus. “There are still three months to go until Buriram (Thailand GP), and yeah, I feel okay. I feel good over short runs. I’m trying to take care of my physical condition because I know that when I feel well, the speed is there. “When I don’t feel well, the speed isn’t there. This test will be the best training for Buriram, and after that, I’ll try to analyse my weak points and work on them over the next few weeks,” he told reporters. – Bernama

1 3 5 1922283335

15 34

RM11,710,024.43

RM175,050.10

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Malaysia women fail to take down China’s Great Wall MALAYSIAN women began their Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2026 cam paign in Qingdao, China, on a sour note – los ing 4-1 to the hosts in Group W yesterday. China took an early lead at the Qingdao Sports Centre Conson Gymnasium when their top singles ace, Han Qian Xi, downed K. Letshanaa 21-18, 21-10 in 40 minutes. The hosts doubled their lead when Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian cruised past Ong Xin Yee Carmen Ting 21-10, 21-8 in the first doubles. China then made it 3-0 when Xu Wen Jing took just 29 minutes to outclass Wong Ling Ching 21-14, 21-7 in the second singles. Although Malaysia salvaged a point in the second doubles when Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah

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Maisarah Ramdan fought back to defeat Luo Yi-Wang Ting Ce 13-21, 21-18, 21-17 in 65 min utes, China sealed the tie in the final match as their third singles shuttler, Yuan An Qi, proved too strong for Oo Shan Zi, winning 21-11, 21 11. The BATC 2026 runs until Sunday (Feb 8). – Bernama

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