06/04/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | APR 6, 2026

31

Panthers pegged back but hopes intact

RESULTS & STANDINGS

TOUCHLINES

ENGLISH FA CUP (quarterfinals) : Chel sea 7 (Hato 2, Pedro 25, Lawrence Gabriel 43-og, Adarabioyo 57, Santos 69, Estevao 82, Garnacho 90+2-pen) Port Vale 0, Manchester City 4 (Haaland 39-pen, 45+2, 57, Semenyo 50) Liverpool 0 , Southampton 2 (Stewart 35, Charles 85) Arsenal 1 (Gyokeres 68) . LA LIGA: Real Sociedad 2 (Martin 30, Mendez 83) Levante 0 , Mallorca 2 (Morlanes 42, Muriqi 90+1) Real Madrid 1 (Militao 88) , Real Betis 0 Espanyol 0 , Atletico Madrid 1 (Sime one 39) Barcelona 2 (Rashford 42, Lewandowski 87) . 30 25 1 4 80 29 76 Real Madrid 30 22 3 5 64 28 69 Villarreal 29 18 4 7 54 34 58 Atletico 30 17 6 7 50 30 57 Real Betis 30 11 12 7 44 37 45 Sociedad 30 11 8 11 46 45 41 Celta Vigo 29 10 11 8 41 35 41 Getafe 29 11 5 13 25 31 38 Espanyol 30 10 8 12 36 44 38 Bilbao 29 11 5 13 32 41 38 Osasuna 29 10 7 12 34 35 37 Vallecano 30 8 11 11 29 35 35 Valencia 29 9 8 1232 42 35 Girona 29 8 10 11 31 44 34 Alaves 29 8 7 1430 41 31 SERIE A: Sassuolo 2 (Garcia 50, Pina monti 78) Cagliari 1 (Esposito 30-pen), Verona 0 Fiorentina 1 (Fagioli 82) , Lazio 1 (Noslin 77) Parma 1 (Delprato 15). TOP 15 P W D L F A PTS Barcelona

CHELSEA are interested in signing Argentine defender Valentin Barco, 21, from sister club Strasbourg. INTER MILAN want Tottenham’s Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, 29, as their new No. 1. LIVERPOOL will seek to add Atalanta’s 21-year-old Italian rightback Marco Palestra to their ranks this summer. MANCHESTER UNITED are one of a number of Premier League clubs tracking Blackburn’s Northern Ireland defender Tom Atcheson, 19. SUNDERLAND could make a move for Almeria’s 24-year-old attacking midfielder Sergio Arribas if sporting director Florent Ghisolfi follows up a long-standing interest. ARSENAL are set to rival Liverpool for the signing of Newcastle for ward Anthony Gordon, 25.

PENANG FC head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail refused to dwell on his team’s late setback after they were held 1-1 by Sabah FC in the first leg of the Challenge Cup final at the City Stadium on Saturday night. Although conceding a last minute equaliser was disappointing, the tie remains open ahead of the return leg in Likas, he stressed. “From the aspect of energy and commitment, I am satisfied. “But we still have the same problem in finishing,” he told reporters after the match.

Despite the result, he remained confident that his team could bounce back, especially with the return of key players. Meanwhile, Sabah FC head coach Juan Torres Garindo praised his team’s resilience and fighting spirit. “They believed until the end, and we got the equaliser,”he said, adding that the result reflected his players’ determination. Penang and Sabah will meet again for the second leg of MFL Challenge Cup at Likas Stadium, Sabah on April 19. – Bernama

Wan Rohaimi admitted that poor finishing cost his side a more comfortable lead despite dominating phases of the match. He said the defence was generally solid, but a lapse in the closing stages resulted in a penalty that allowed Sabah to level the score. “After taking the lead, we should have added another goal to kill the game, but we failed to use the chances,” he said. He added that players must now be mentally ready to face strong pressure from home supporters in Likas.

N ATIONAL squash player Whitney Isabelle Wilson marked an impres sive return to competition by cap turing the girls’ under-19 title at the SRAFTKL International Junior Open Squash Championship 2026, defeating fellow Malaysian Jinoreeka Ning in a hard-fought final yesterday. The 18-year-old, who took a three-month break to focus on her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, displayed composure and experience to secure a 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4 victory at the Jalan Duta Squash Centre. Whitney described the triumph as a refreshing comeback after stepping away from the sport, adding that the break also allowed her to recover from previous injuries fully. “I feel fresh because it’s been a while since I last played a tournament. After my SPM break, I’ve recovered well, and so far, I’m injury-free,” she told reporters yesterday. She acknowledged the challenge posed by Jinoreeka, 15, but credited her experience as the decisive factor after a closely contested opening two sets, including dropping the second. “I’ve never played her before, so I started with my usual game. But when it didn’t work, I had to change my strategy. It was a bit risky, but I knew I had to try,” she said. Whitney said the victory came at a crucial point in her career as she prepares to transi tion fully into the senior circuit, with her next assignment being a PSA event in Chennai, where she will compete starting April 14. “I’m ready for the senior level. I see myself Whitney hits back in style Sarawakian marks return with title at Junior Championship National junior squash athlete Whitney Isabelle Wilson in action against Jinoreeka Nin Manivannan (not pictured) at the International Junior Open Squash Championship yesterday. - BERNAMAPIC

350/26

05/04/2026

9089 8692 5801

TOP 15

P W D L F A PTS 30 22 3 5 66 24 69 30 18 9 3 46 23 63 30 19 5 6 46 30 62 30 16 9 5 53 22 57 30 15 9 6 52 29 54 30 17 3 10 40 23 54 30 13 11 6 41 27 50 31 11 11 9 32 29 44 30 12 6 12 38 36 42 31 12 6 13 38 41 42 30 11 6 13 35 42 39 31 8 11 12 22 39 35 30 8 9 1336 42 33 30 9 6 1534 53 33

Inter Milan AC Milan

8511 3347 9713 7470 0150

7098 0973 1750 0473 9715

5546 0525 2198 2751 0430

4849 5904 9504 4006 0462

Napoli Como

Juventus

Roma

Atalanta

Lazio

RM6,346,761.69

Bologna Sassuolo Udinese

9089 + 5801 8692 + 5801 5801 + 8692

9089 + 8692 8692 + 9089 5801 + 9089

Parma Genoa Torino

as an underdog, so I’m excited because there’s no pressure,” she said. Beyond the court, Whitney, a student of Bukit Jalil Sports School, has also excelled academically, achieving 6As and 2Bs in her SPM examination. She revealed that she has received offers from several prestigious universities, includ ing Columbia, Stanford, Harvard and Princeton, but is still weighing her options. “I’m considering staying in a local univer sity so I can balance both my studies and squash, but I haven’t made a final decision yet,” she said. Inspired by Malaysian squash legend Datuk Nicol Ann David, she has set her sights on testing herself against top senior players, including SEA Games Thailand gold medal list K. Sehveetrraa, whom she has only faced in training so far. Meanwhile, Altamis Aqhar Sallam emerged champion in the boys’ under-19 category after defeating fellow Malaysian Aqil Mirza Naim Khairil 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 12 10. Elsewhere, national squash player Aifa Azman suffered an early exit at the El Gouna International Squash Open 2026 in Egypt after going down to England’s Jasmine Hutton in the round of 32, on Saturday. Aifa lost to Hutton 6-11, 9-11, 6-11 in a 28 min utes. The Malaysian had previously defeated Hutton at the Squash On Fire Open 2022. Hutton will next face Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir for a place in the quarterfinals. – Bernama

Fiorentina 31 7 11 13 36 44 32 BUNDESLIGA: Stuttgart 0 Borussia Dortmund 2, Freiburg 2 Bayern Munich 3, Werder Bremen 1 RB Leip zig 2, Hoffenheim 1 Mainz 2, Hamburg 1 Augsburg 1, Bayer Leverkusen 6 Wolfsburg 3, Borussia Moenchengladbach 2 Heidenheim 2.

RM145,146.49

5 7 111417192330

TOP 10

P W D L F A PTS 28 23 4 1 100 27 73 28 19 7 2 60 28 64 28 16 5 7 55 36 53

15 35

B. Munich Dortmund RB Leipzig Stuttgart

28 16 5 7 56 38 53 Hoffenheim 28 15 5 8 55 41 50 Leverkusen 28 14 7 7 58 39 49 Frankfurt 27 10 8 9 50 51 38 Freiburg 28 10 7 11 41 47 37 Mainz 28 8 9 1135 43 33 Augsburg 28 9 5 1434 51 32 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Brest 3 Rennes 4, Strasbourg 3 Nice 1, Lille 3 Lens 0.

RM11,412,413.37

RM257,307.68

8 9 9 2 0 1 89920

99201

TOP 10 Paris SG

P W D L F A PTS 27 20 3 4 61 23 63 28 19 2 7 54 27 59 28 15 5 8 45 34 50 27 15 4 8 54 35 49 27 14 5 8 41 29 47 28 13 8 7 47 40 47 27 14 4 9 47 38 46 28 12 7 9 46 34 43 28 10 7 11 39 35 37 27 9 10 8 37 41 37

8992

9201

Lens Lille

899

201

89

01

Marseille

Lyon

92

Rennes Monaco

10

Strasbourg Toulouse

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