09/03/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 9, 2026

31

READ OUR

HERE

Malaysian Paper

/thesun

‘NSFC showing signs of improvement’ NEGERI SEMBILAN FC (NSFC) interim head coach K. Rajan said his team has shown improvement in the last two matches despite missing out on a chance to win after conceding in the final minute of the match on Saturday night. He said overall the team displayed a good performance by creating many scoring opportunities, but the failure to convert those opportunities gave the opposition room to recover. “We played well and created many chances but failed to convert them into goals. Compared to the previous match, I think our game has improved. “Despite being ahead, things like this sometimes happen, we cannot anticipate the penalty kick because it depends on the referee’s decision, however we have to focus until the final whistle, that needs to be improved,” he told reporters after the match which saw “Jang Squad” earn a point after being tied with Penang FC 3-3 in the match at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium. In the match, the visiting team earned a penalty kick at the end of the game which was successfully completed by Stefano Brundo, thus extinguishing NSFC’s hopes of winning. With the result, NSFC remains in seventh place with 19 points while Penang FC is in eighth position with the same number of points. – Bernama

Harimau Malaya players recently. The MFL announced that the four players were three Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players, namely Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, as well as Palmero. Pocket Rocketman win gold NATIONAL track cyclist Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang proved that he still is a force to be reck oned with when he won the keirin gold medal at the Track Cycling World Cup in Perth, Australia on Saturday. The rider, more popularly known as “The Pocket Rocketman” beat British cyclist Matthew Richardson to the finish line, with Australian Leigh Hoffman finishing third. Meanwhile, fortune did not favour national women’s cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri when she lost in the second round of the individual sprint event. She was beaten by Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand, while fellow compatriot Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid also lost against Chinese cyclist Yuan Liying in the second round of the same event.

RESULTS & STANDINGS

SHORTS

Cats considered all risks before signing player

THE Malaysian men’s hockey team were edged 4-5 by Japan in the third-fourth placing playoff match of the 2026 World Cup Qualifier in Ismalia, Egypt, yesterday. Japan opened the scoring through Ryoma Ooka in the 15th minute before coach Sarjit Singh’s men equalised through Fitri Saari in the 30th minute. The Speedy Tigers then made it 3-1 with field goals by Marhan Jalil (30th minute) and Syed Cholan (35th minute). Undaunted, Japan hit back to ENGLISH FA CUP (5th round) : Mans field 1 (Evans 50) Arsenal 2 (Madueke 41, Eze 66) , Wrexham 2 (Smith 18, Doyle 78) Chelsea 4 (Okonkwo 40-og, Acheampong 82, Garnacho 96, Joao Pedro 120+5) aet , Newcastle 1 (Barnes 18) Manchester City 3 (Savinho 39, Marmoush 47, 65) . CHAMPIONSHIP: Blackburn 1 Ports mouth 1, Hull City 1 Millwall 3, Bristol City 0 Coventry 2, Charlton Athletic 1 Birmingham 0, Derby County 2 Shef field Wednesday 1, Ipswich 1 Leicester 1, Sheffield United 1 West Bromwich Albion 1, Swansea 2 Stoke City 0. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Coventry 36 22 8 6 74 38 74 Boro 35 19 9 7 54 35 66 Millwall 36 19 8 9 50 41 65 Ipswich 35 18 10 7 61 35 64 Hull 36 18 6 12 57 52 60 LA LIGA: Osasuna 2 (Barja 89, Budimir 90+4) Mallorca 2 (Muriqi 35, 61) , Levante 1 (Espi 50) Girona 1 (Roca 90+4) , Atletico Madrid 3 (Sorloth 5, Gonzalez 67, 81) Real Sociedad 2 (Soler 9, Oyarzabal 68) , Athletic Bilbao 0 Barcelona 1 (Yamal 68) . TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 27 22 1 4 72 26 67 Real Madrid 27 20 3 4 56 23 63 Atleti 27 16 6 5 46 25 54 Villarreal 26 16 3 7 48 31 51 Real Betis 26 11 10 5 42 32 43 SERIE A: Cagliari 1 (Esposito 56) Como 2 (Baturina 14, Da Cunha 76) , Atalanta 2 (Scamacca 75, 79) Udinese 2 (Kris tensen 40, Davis 55) , Juventus 4 (Cambiaso 54, Thuram 65, Yildiz 75, Boga 90+3) Pisa 0. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 27 22 1 4 64 21 67 AC Milan 27 16 9 2 43 20 57 Napoli 28 17 5 6 43 29 56 Roma 27 16 3 8 37 19 51 Como 28 14 9 5 46 21 51 BUNDESLIGA: Cologne 1 Borussia Dortmund 2, Heidenheim 2 Hoffen heim 4, RB Leipzig 2 Augsburg 1, Mainz 2 Stuttgart 2, Wolfsburg 1 Hamburg 2, Freiburg 3 Bayer Leverkusen 3. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Bayern 25 21 3 1 92 24 66 Dortmund 25 16 7 2 53 26 55 Hoffenheim 25 15 4 6 53 33 49 Stuttgart 25 14 5 6 50 34 47 RB Leipzig 25 14 5 6 48 34 47 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Nantes 0 Angers 1, Auxerre 0 Strasbourg 0, Toulouse 0 Marseille 1. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 25 18 3 4 54 22 57 Lens 24 17 2 5 45 21 53 Marseille 25 14 4 7 52 33 46 Lyon 24 14 3 7 39 26 45 Monaco 25 12 4 9 43 37 40

KUCHING CITY FC took into account all the risks before agreeing to bring in Gabriel Palmero to join the team. President Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said that during the initial negotiations, the club had taken into account various factors including the possibility of suspension. “We have indeed discussed the risk and when the matter (suspension) happened we discussed it with him (Gabriel) and he also understood. I also advised him to stick with training because the 12-month period is not a long time. We are also always open to receiving him when the suspension period is over,” he said. On Saturday the Malaysian Football League (MFL) announced that four players from the Malaysia League (M-League) will not be allowed to play in official matches for 12 months following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the appeal case of seven

National women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan (left) and Thinaah Muralitharan react during yesterday’s semifinal clash at the All England Open in Birmingham. – REUTERSPIC

338/26

08/03/2026

9595 0001 3320

So near, yet so far Pearly-Thinaah fall to Korean pair Ha Na-So Hee in All England semis showdown N ATIONAL women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s campaign in the All England Badminton Championships came to an end in the semifinals after losing to South Korea’s Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee in England on Saturday night.

1480 9230 6833 6319 4850

0192 5390 7109 1854 8103

1502 9899 9775 9545 4846

0175 1340 7552 3829 6783

RM11,158,119.02

Pearly admitted the Koreans handled the cru cial points better. “Ha Na-So Hee were more patient and calmer than both of us. We were rushing during the last few points and that cost us the match,” said a dejected Pearly. “There are many things we need to learn from them.” Thinaah felt they could have done better by being more aggressive but stressed that the Koreans deserved the win. “At some points we were a bit too defensive. We could have counter-attacked more, but we have to give credit to the Koreans,” said Thinaah. “They were really patient and aggressive. We have to take note of this and come back stronger.” Despite the setback, Pearly-Thinaah can take heart from becoming only the second Malaysian women’s pair since Wong Pei Tty-Chin Ee Hui in 2007 to reach the semifinals of the prestigious tournament and take home RM80,000 in prize money. – Bernama/Agencies

9595 + 3320 0001 + 3320 3320 + 0001

9595 + 0001 0001 + 9595 3320 + 9595

RM565,227.96

The world No. 2 Malaysians went down 17-21, 18-21 in 68 minutes at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. Pearly-Thinaah began the first game by taking a 2-0 lead, but the world No. 4 South Koreans slowly but surely found their touch to pull ahead at 11-9. Although Pearly-Thinaah tried to narrow the gap, Ha Na-So Hee managed to seal a 21-17 first game win. In the second game, Pearly-Thinaah switched to a more aggressive game to lead 10-7, but the Koreans bounced back to win 21-18 to march into the final. This is the Malaysian pair’s fourth defeat to the South Koreans in seven encounters since 2022.

8 15252728313335

17 34

Speedy Tigers go down fighting

RM12,491,558.12

RM100,000.00

attributing it to their relentless hard work, high discipline and extraordi nary fighting spirit, both from the players and the coaching staff. “However, I believe there is still room for The Speedy Tigers to refine their game and enhance their per formance ahead of the World Cup stage,” he said. The Prime Minister concluded by rallying the nation, saying, “All Malaysians will certainly continue to provide you with their unwavering support and encouragement.” – Bernama

after a dramatic turn of events. Malaysia’s current world No. 15 position places them above Wales (16th) and Poland (20th), both of whom were competing in the third place playoff of another qualifying round, effectively securing Malaysia’s ticket to the global tour nament. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Sarjit’s Speedy Tigers for securing the World Cup berth. In a Facebook post today, Anwar praised the team’s achievement,

level the scores at 3-3 through a Kazumasa Matsumoto field goal in the 38th minute and Raiki Fujishima in the 52nd minute. Japan then pulled away to a 5-3 lead with a Koji Yamasaki brace in the 55th and 57th minutes, and although Malaysia managed to score another goal through Faizal Saari in the 58th minute, the team from the Land of the Rising Sun held on for victory. Despite the defeat, Malaysia still qualified for the 2026 Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium

9 5 0 1 2 0 95012

50120

9501

0120

950

120

95

20

01

15

All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY