06/03/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | MAR 6, 2026

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Speedy Tigers hold nerve to advance

RESULTS & STANDINGS

Ex-F1 driver Yoong to coach national e-Racing squad FORMER Malaysian Formula One driver Alex Yoong has been appointed coach of the national e-Racing squad. Malaysia Esports Federation president Muhammad Naim Al Amin Saharudin said the appointment is part of preparations for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and the 2027 SEA Games. “For e-Racing, we see a major advantage in Alex’s experience and expertise. “He will begin his full-time duties in April to ensure that the training programme is more structured and high-impact,” he said after attending a working committee meet ing with the National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday. Muhammad Naim also announced that for the first time esports athletes have been included in the NSC Podium Programme, marking official recognition of the athletes involved. “For the fulltime category, we have final ised several titles including eFootball, Identity V and e-Racing. “The women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad has been placed in the semi podium category, while the men’s squad is in the phased category,” he said. Commenting on preparations for the Asian Games, he explained that 11 titles will be contested, with Malaysia having already qualified automatically for Honor of Kings. “The remaining 10 titles will be decided through qualifying rounds to be held later,” he said. – Bernama ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa 1 (Luiz 2) Chelsea 4 (Joao Pedro 35, 45+6, 64, Palmer 55) , Brighton 0 Arsenal 1 (Saka 9) , Fulham 0 West Ham 1 (Summerville 65) , Manchester City 2 (Semenyo 31, Rodri 62) Nottingham Forest 2 (Gibbs-White 56, Anderson 76) , Newcastle 2 (Gordon 45+6-pen, Osula 90) Manchester United 1 (Casemiro 45+9) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 30 20 7 3 59 22 67 Man City 29 18 6 5 59 27 60 Man Utd 29 14 9 6 51 40 51 Aston Villa 29 15 6 8 39 34 51 Chelsea 29 13 9 7 53 34 48 Liverpool 29 14 6 9 48 39 48 Brentford 29 13 5 11 44 40 44 Everton 29 12 7 10 34 33 43 Bournemouth 29 9 13 7 44 46 40 Fulham 29 12 4 13 40 43 40 Sunderland 29 10 10 9 30 34 40 Newcastle 29 11 6 12 42 43 39 Brighton 29 9 10 10 38 36 37 Crystal Palace 28 9 8 11 30 34 35 Leeds 29 7 10 12 37 48 31 Tottenham 28 7 8 13 38 43 29 Nottm Forest 29 7 7 15 28 43 28 West Ham 29 7 7 15 35 54 28 Burnley 29 4 7 18 32 58 19 Wolves 30 3 7 20 22 52 16 LA LIGA: Rayo Vallecano 3 (De Frutos 44, 50-pen, Garcia 62) Real Oviedo 0. BUNDESLIGA: Hamburg 0 Bayer Leverkusen 1. SPANISH CUP (semifinals, 2nd leg) : Real Sociedad 1 (Oyarzabal 87-pen) Athletic Bilbao 0 – Sociedad win 2-0 on aggregate. ITALIAN CUP (semifinals, 1st leg) : Lazio 2 (Dele-Bashiru 47, Dia 87) Atalanta 2 (Pasalic 51, Musah 89) . FRENCH CUP (quarterfinals) : Lorient 0 Nice 0 – Nice win 6-5 on penalties.

THE national men’s hockey team booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after edging China 5-4 in their final Group B clash in Ismailia, Egypt, yesterday. The victory saw Malaysia finish the group as runners-up behind group champions, Pakistan, who had earlier defeated Austria 4-2. Sarjit Singh’s men started the

goals from Zhao Yulai and Chen Benhai, but they were not enough to deny Malaysia’s victory. Malaysia will face England on Saturday (12.45am Malaysian time) in the semifinals. The top three teams from this qualifying campaign will get automatic slots to the 2026 World Cup. – Bernama

Rozemi then equalised 2-2 for Malaysia when he scored with two minutes remaining in the second quarter of the match. In the second half, the Speedy Tigers doubled their lead with three more goals each by Faiz Helmi Jali in the 36th minute, Mohd Fitri (43’) and Faizal Saari (47’). China fought back with two late

match brilliantly when Mohd Fitri Saari opened the score as early as the fifth minute through a penalty corner. China, however, equalised a minute later through Wang Yaqi’s field goal before Zhao Yulai put his team ahead through a penalty stroke in the 16th minute. Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik

Southern Tigers roar JDT gain advantage over 10-man Hiroshima in ACLE

J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) FC secured a 3-1 first-leg win over 10-man Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) on Wednesday at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium to close in on a first appearance in the quarterfinals while Vissel Kobe picked up a 1-0 win over FC Seoul. Kim Ju-sung’s dismissal for a second bookable offence in the 26th minute in Johor left the Japanese side short-handed and the Malaysian champions took full advantage through second half goals from

of southern Malaysia. Aketxe put JDT in front with an unerring strike past Keisuke Osako in the 52nd minute as the Hiroshima defence only partially cleared Nacho Mendez’s corner. Eleven minutes later the home side doubled their lead, with Bergson finding the top corner after Eddy Israfilov’s cutback, and Guilherme added the third when he finished off a blistering counter-attack. Nene’s late own goal as the JDT defence failed to clear Shuto Nakano’s long throw gave Hiroshima a glimmer of hope ahead of the return clash in Japan next Wednesday. Southern Tigers’ head coach Xisco Munoz wants his players to keep their momentum and play with high intensity in the return leg in Hiroshima. He said the match at Edion Peace Wing Stadium, Hiroshima, on March 11 is crucial to ensure his team progresses to the quarterfinals. “We are facing a big opponent and it’s important for the players to rest and try to recover for the next game,” he said at a post-match press conference on Wednesday. “This victory is big … not only for the club but also for the country, because it’s important to deliver a top-level performance. But we need to continue the momentum,” he said. Meanwhile, Hiroshima head coach Bartosch Paul Gauli is confident his team can bounce back in the return leg. Acknowledging the intensity and quality of the opponents, he said his side knew what to expect but was confident of delivering a better performance on home ground. “I’m proud of the team and I’m happy that we scored one goal, because I think this can give us hope for the next match,” he said. Vissel Kobe, meanwhile, will take a one-goal advantage into the second leg of their last-16 meeting with FC Seoul after defender Matheus Thuler scored the only goal in South Korea. The ACLE quarterfinals, semifinals and final matches are due to be played in a centralised format in Jeddah in April although the ongoing crisis in the Middle East has thrown the schedule into doubt. Last-16 matches that were due to be played in west Asia this week and next have been postponed following the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran. – Reuters/Bernama

Ager Aketxe, Bergson da Silva and Marcos Guilherme. “We’re very happy with the result,” said Aketxe. “The red card for Hiroshima gave us an advantage but our team was very committed and worked hard. “Because of the goal we conceded, we need to keep working and be ready for the second leg.” Kim was sent off when he caught JDT midfielder Nene in the face with a flailing arm and the Japanese side succumbed in the heat and humidity

JDT’s Guilherme (right) challenges Sanfrecce’s Motoki Ohara for the ball during the AFC Champions League Elite RO16 first leg match

at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Home advantage fuels Selangor’s Sukma gold bid THE Selangor women’s rugby squad will capitalise on the advan tage of playing on home ground in their mission to retain the gold medal at the 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma), which will be hosted by the state this August. their best performance. “Playing on home ground will certainly give us some advantage, especially in terms of support from the people of Selangor, as we are sure they will provide tremendous backing. selection process will still be carried out after the pre-Sukma tourna ment in Melaka.

ing Sarawak 12-7 in the final at the Miri Stadium. In that edition, the Selangor con tingent finished third overall with a total of 181 medals comprising 56 gold, 64 silver and 61 bronze. Sukma 2026 will be held from Aug 15 to 24, with the opening ceremony taking place at the Sepang International Circuit, while the Selangor Para Sukma will run from Sept 5 to 10. A total of 474 events from 37 sports will be con tested across nine districts involving 52 competition venues, while the Para Sukma, to be held in Petaling and Klang, will feature 10 sports and 316 events. – Bernama

He said the decision is also aimed at ensuring the state squad remains strong in facing stiff com petition expected from Johor, Kedah, Terengganu, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak. “My hope is that the players will give their best while at the same time retaining the gold medal on Selangor soil,” he said. At the 2024 Sukma in Sarawak, the Selangor women’s rugby squad finished the campaign in style after winning the gold medal by defeat

“Besides physical fitness and sharpness, mental strength will play an even bigger role because when playing at home, the players will definitely face greater pressure,” he told Bernama . Mohammad Faiz said that for this Sukma edition, the team is also planning to field a large portion of the line-up from the previous edi tion, although a more detailed

Head coach Mohammad Faiz Samsukhidir said a fast and aggres sive style of play will be the team’s main focus to ensure the squad continues to dominate the compe tition and successfully defend the title. However, he noted that the fac tor could also place additional pres sure on the players, thus requiring strong mental resilience to maintain