17/02/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | FEB 17, 2026

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Clear directive for Speedy Tigers No other target but World Cup qualification, says coach Sarjit T HE national men’s hockey team has been given a clear mandate to qualify for the World Cup finals, with no been working hard. Reaching the final of the qualifiers will ensure our place in the World Cup. larly in terms of fitness, however, he said progress is still needed, espe cially in defence and finishing. expected to face a tough challenge as the World Cup qualifiers will take place during the fasting month.

hydrated and energised despite play ing during the fasting month,” he said. In the World Cup qualifiers, Malaysia have been drawn into Group B alongside Pakistan, China and Austria. The national squad will open their campaign against Austria on March 1, followed by Pakistan the next day, before concluding the group stage against China on March 4. Under the competition format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. – Bernama

However, he expressed confidence that the national players, most of whom are Muslims, will be able to perform at their best despite fasting to qualify for the World Cup. “We have already discussed this matter and we acknowledge that it is not easy to compete while fasting. “That is why we have imple mented various programmes for the players to ensure they remain

“We need to improve our defence. Our defence has become tighter and we have improved a lot over the past two years. “We also need to take our chances. When we get opportunities, we must learn how to kill the game as early as possible by scoring goals,” he said. Meanwhile, national men’s team manager Datuk Ahmad Najmi Abdul Razak said the Speedy Tigers are

“When you play for third and fourth place, it becomes another pressure game. We are also at a disad vantage as matches on the other side, including the other qualifier in Chile, will be played on March 8,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. On the squad’s development and preparations, Sarjit said the team has shown steady improvement, particu

other target set for the World Cup Qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt, from March 1 to 8. National men’s hockey head coach Sarjit Singh said the team must reach the final of the tournament to secure automatic qualification for the World Cup. “We should be in the final because we have the players and they have RESULTS & STANDINGS ENGLISH FA CUP (4th round) : Arsenal 4 (Madueke 11, Martinelli 18, Hunt 23 og, Jesus 27) Wigan 0, Birmingham 1 (Roberts 89) Leeds 1 (Nmecha 49 aet - Leeds won 4-2 on pen) , Grimsby 0 Wolves 1 (Bueno 60) , Oxford 0 Sunderland 1 (Diarra 32-pen) , Stoke 1 (Bae 19) Fulham 2 (Kevin 56, Reed 84) . LA LIGA: Real Oviedo 1 (Chaira 30) Athletic Bilbao 2 (Jauregizar 58, Sancet 71-pen) , Rayo Vallecano 3 (Perez 40, Valentin 45, Mendy 76) Atletico Madrid 0, Levante 0 Valencia 2 (Ramazani 64, Sadiq 84) , Mallorca 1 (Muriqi 66) Real Betis 2 (Abde 18, Bakambu 45+2) . TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Real Madrid 24 19 3 2 53 19 60 Barcelona 23 19 1 3 63 23 58 Villarreal 23 14 3 6 44 26 45 Atleti 24 13 6 5 38 21 45 SERIE A: Udinese 1 (Solet 10) Sassu olo 2 (Lauriente 56, Pinamonti 58) , Cremonese 0 Genoa 0, Parma 2 (Bernabe 4, Pellegrino 90+3) Verona 1 (Harroui 43-pen) , Torino 1 (Vlasic 62) Bologna 2 (Vlasic-og 49, Castro 70) , Napoli 2 (Spinazzola 40, Alisson 82) Roma 2 (Malen 7, 71-pen) . TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 25 20 1 4 60 21 61 AC Milan 24 15 8 1 40 18 53 Napoli 25 15 5 5 38 25 50 Roma 25 15 2 8 31 16 47 BUNDESLIGA: RB Leipzig 2 Wolfsburg 2, Augsburg 1 Heidenheim 0. Top 4 P W D L F A Pts Bayern 22 18 3 1 82 19 57 Dortmund 22 15 6 1 47 20 51 Hoffenheim 22 14 3 5 47 28 45 Stuttgart 22 13 3 6 41 29 42 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Le Havre 2 Toulouse 1, Lorient 2 Angers 0, Metz 1 Auxerre 3, Lyon 2 Nice 0. Top 4 P W D L F A Pts Lens 22 17 1 4 42 17 52 Paris SG 22 16 3 3 49 19 51 Lyon 22 14 3 5 36 20 45 Marseille 22 12 4 6 48 29 40 JOHOR MOTORSPORTS RACING (JMR) enjoyed a strong debut with the Chevrolet Corvette after securing second place in the Pro-Am class at the Intercontinental GT Challenge season-opening, the Bathurst 12 Hour in New South Wales, Australia. Competing in the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, the No. 99 crew finished 14th overall after complet ing 261 laps of the demanding Mount Panorama Circuit in the 12 hour endurance race.

KL City stage dramatic comeback to drown Turtles

Terengganu’s Haqimi Azim (2nd right) skips past the challenge of a KL City players during the Malaysia Cup quarterfinal match at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium on Sunday. – BERNAMAPIC

KUALA LUMPUR CITY FC came from behind to defeat Terengganu FC (TFC) 2-1 in the second leg of the 2025/2026 Malaysia Cup quarterfinals on Sunday night, advancing to the semifinals on a 3 2 aggregate score. During the match at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras, KL City had a shaky start when Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid put TFC ahead in the 20th minute with a stunning strike from outside the penalty box to beat goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad. Stung by the opening goal, the home side, coached by Risto Vidakovic, ramped up the pressure but had to wait until the 78th minute to find the equaliser through import striker Victor Ruiz, who cleverly spotted an opening and darted into the box to finish a cross delivered by Mohamad Kamal Azizi Mohamad Zabri from the right flank.

The City Slickers have been dealing with off field difficulties, including a three-window transfer ban that prevented them from strengthening the squad due to unresolved salary arrears. “It’s very difficult to keep the team’s motivation up when they have to think about other problems. “But in those 90 minutes, the players changed everything. Football belongs to them, and I’m glad to have players who keep fighting,” added Vidakovic. KL City, the 2021 champions, now await the winner of the quarterfinal clash between defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Melaka FC. That second-leg decider will take place on Feb 22, with the “Southern Tigers” currently holding a comfortable 5-0 lead from the first leg. – Bernama

With the match seemingly headed for extra time, KL City captain Paulo Josue emerged as the hero for the City Boys when in the 90th minute, the 2021 Malaysia Cup champion’s talisman calmly slotted the ball home after receiving a tactical pass from Ruiz inside the box, securing a dramatic win in front of approximately 2,000 fans. Despite the dramatic turnaround, Vidakovic admitted it was far from their best performance but praised his players’ fighting spirit. “It wasn’t a good game, among the worst maybe. But despite all the challenges we’ve been facing, I am proud of the players,” he said. “From nothing, we scored twice. It’s tough psychologically to come back, but the players did it. “They keep showing up and fighting, giving everything they have. That’s the most important thing a coach can ask for,” he added.

JMR finish second in Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race

tough day, but the team and all the drivers did a great job to finish sec ond.” It was a bittersweet outing for JMR as its Pro entry as the No. 2 Corvette driven by Earl Bamber, Alexander Sims and Nicky Catsburg retired late due to mechanical failure while fight ing for outright honours. JMR will next compete in the sec ond round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Nurburgring, Germany from May 14-17. – Bernama

Hour. Kudos to all the drivers involved and everyone else. “I want to thank everyone who came and supported us at Bathurst and elsewhere. I was really touched by the belief and support of every one, and hope that we can give them a better result when we come back next time.” Tunku Abu Bakar added: “I’m hon oured to be part of the debut of Corvette at Bathurst. I’m really happy to finish on the podium. It’s been a

ble job for both cars,” said Tunku Abdul Rahman in a JMR statement on Sunday night. “We were hoping to get two cars on the podium, but unfortunately our sister car had a mechanical prob lem and had to retire. “For a debut, you couldn’t ask for more and hopefully we’ll be back next year. “I’m also super-proud of my younger brother getting on the podium at his first-ever Bathurst 12

The Pro-Am line-up of Tunku Panglima of Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim together with Ben Green and Jordan Love, climbed from mid-grid to Pro-Am P2 within the opening stages and stayed clear of incidents to secure the podium. “This was my fourth Bathurst 12 Hour and my fourth podium. It’s been a long day for us with many chal lenges, but the team did an incredi