07/04/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | APR 7, 2026

31

TALKING POINTS ASIAN FOOTBALL

Selangor’s Jose Vitor in action with KCFC’s player in the Malaysia Cup semifinal, 1st leg match on Sunday. – BERNAMAPIC

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH FA CUP (quarterfinals) : West Ham 2 (Fernandes 90+3, Disasi 90+6) Leeds 2 (Tanaka 26, Calvert-Lewin 75 pen) aet – Leeds won 4-2 on penal ties. LA LIGA: Getafe 2 (Vazquez 14, Satri ano 90) Athletic Bilbao 0 , Valencia 2 (Rodriguez 12, 90+3) Celta Vigo (Moriba 56, Lopez 60, Swedberg 81) , Real Oviedo 1 (Vinas 32) Sevilla 0, Alaves 2 (Martinez 44, Boye 90+1-pen) Osasuna 2 (Rosier 4, Budimir 80-pen). P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 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 Celta Vigo 30 11 11 8 44 37 44 Sociedad 30 11 8 11 46 45 41 Getafe 30 12 5 13 27 31 41 Osasuna 30 10 8 12 36 37 38 Espanyol 30 10 8 12 36 44 38 Bilbao 30 11 5 14 32 43 38 Vallecano 30 8 11 11 29 35 35 Valencia 30 9 8 1334 45 35 Girona 29 8 10 11 31 44 34 Alaves 30 8 8 1432 43 32 Mallorca 30 8 7 1536 48 31 Sevilla 30 8 7 1537 50 31 Elche 30 6 11 13 38 47 29 Levante 30 6 8 1634 50 26 Real Oviedo 30 5 9 16 21 48 24 SERIE A: Cremonese 1 (Bonazzoli 90+1-pen) Bologna 2 (Joao Mario 3, Rowe 16) , Inter Milan 5 (Martinez 2, 52, Calhanoglu 45+1, Thuram 55, Barella 63) Roma 2 (Mancini 40, Pellegrini 70) , Pisa 0 Torino 1 (Adams 80) . P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 31 23 3 5 71 26 72 AC Milan 30 18 9 3 46 23 63 Napoli 30 19 5 6 46 30 62 Como 30 16 9 5 53 22 57 Juventus 30 15 9 6 52 29 54 Roma 31 17 3 11 42 28 54 Atalanta 30 13 11 6 41 27 50 Bologna 31 13 6 12 40 37 45 Lazio 31 11 11 9 32 29 44 Sassuolo 31 12 6 13 38 41 42 Udinese 30 11 6 13 35 42 39 Torino 31 10 6 15 35 53 36 Parma 31 8 11 12 22 39 35 Genoa 30 8 9 1336 42 33 Fiorentina 31 7 11 13 36 44 32 Cagliari 31 7 9 1532 44 30 Lecce 30 7 6 1721 40 27 Cremonese 31 6 9 1626 46 27 Verona 31 3 9 1922 53 18 Pisa 31 2 12 17 23 55 18 BUNDESLIGA: Eintracht Frankfurt 2 Cologne 2, Union Berlin 1 St Pauli 1. 28 16 5 7 56 38 53 Hoffenheim 28 15 5 8 55 41 50 Leverkusen 28 14 7 7 58 39 49 Frankfurt 28 10 9 9 52 53 39 Freiburg 28 10 7 11 41 47 37 Mainz 28 8 9 1135 43 33 Union Berlin 28 8 8 12 32 47 32 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Angers 0 Lyon 0, Lorient 1 Paris FC 1, Le Havre 1 Auxerre 1, Metz 0 Nantes 0, Monaco 2 Marseille 1. 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 B. Munich Dortmund RB Leipzig Stuttgart

TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) will be called TNB ThunderStars as part of their rebranding ahead of the 2026 TNB Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) campaign. It described the squad’s new identity as an evo lution of TNB’s hockey rebranding, differentiating the main team from the development squad, the Thunderbolts. “For the 2026 season, TNB will field two teams: TNB ThunderStars as the main team and TNB Thunderbolts as the development squad. “The ThunderStars will comprise elite players as well as the best talents groomed through the Thunderbolts programme, reflecting a continuity in TNB’s development path,” it said in a statement today. Tenaga Nasional said the name “Thunder” sym bolises power and energy, while “Stars” reflects excellence and the elite status of the TNB team, add ing that the rebranding also signifies TNB’s aspira tions to maintain its high standards and competi tiveness in the MHL. TNB ThunderStars will begin their campaign by taking on MHL champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) in the Charity Shield match at the Kuala Terengganu City Council Hockey Stadium on Saturday (April 11), while TNB Thunderbolts will face UiTM HA-KPT in their opening league match. – Bernama Marcos salvages point for Al-Hilal AL-HILAL needed a 77th minute strike from Marcos Leonardo to salvage a 2-2 draw with Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday as Simone Inzaghi’s side slipped five points behind leaders Al-Nassr. Mohamed Meite had given Al Hilal the lead two minutes before the interval but a second half double from Andrei Girotto put the visi tors in front before Leonardo’s late leveller. Al-Nassr notched up a 5-2 win over Al-Najma on Saturday, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. Newcastle’s A-League lead trimmed NEWCASTLE JETS saw their A-League lead cut to three points after a 3-2 loss to Macarthur FC as sec ond-placed Auckland FC drew 1-1 with Adelaide United. Australia international striker Mitch Duke scored the 68th minute winner to keep Macarthur in the sixth and final place in the end-of-season playoffs. Adelaide moved up to third ahead of Melbourne Victory, who slumped to a 1-0 loss against Wellington Phoenix. Kashima retain lead in Japan KASHIMA ANTLERS remain in first place in the eastern conference of the J League 100 Year Vision tournament despite losing in a penalty shootout against Mito Hollyhock on Saturday. Second placed FC Tokyo lost on penalties to Machida Zelvia to ensure Kashima continue to hold a three-point lead. In the western conference, Vissel Kobe won 4 1 against Fagiano Okayama to pick up their third victory in a row and stay five points clear of Gamba Osaka. Jeonbuk close in onleaders Seoul FC SEOUL’S K League lead was cut to two points by defending champions Jeonbuk Motors after they were held 1-1 by Anyang FC on Sunday. Patryk Klimala had given the visitors a 45th minute lead but Airton Moises levelled for Anyang with 12 min utes remaining, ending FC Seoul’s perfect start to the season. Jeonbuk picked up their third win in a row with a 2-0 victory over Ulsan HD. Chengdu stay unbeaten CHENGDU RONGCHENG thrashed Qingdao West Coast 5-1 on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten start to the Chinese Super League campaign. Chengdu have a two-point lead over Chongqing Tonglianglong, who secured their second win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Zhejiang FC on Sunday. TNB rebrands as Thunderstars

Advantage Selangor Selangor

Red Giants upbeat after dominant display as coach Pan Gon eyes second-leg advantage

S ELANGOR FC head coach Kim Pan Gon believes his team holds the advantage heading into the second leg of their 2025/26 Malaysia Cup semifinal against Kuching City FC, following a dominant display in Petaling Jaya on Sunday night. The Red Giants were held to a 1-1 draw by Kuching City at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium. Still, Pan Gon said their strong perform ance offered plenty of encouragement ahead of the return leg on April 18. Despite falling short of a home win, the South Korean tactician stressed that Selangor will stick to their attacking style in Kuching. “We have a higher chance than Kuching because I think our performance was better. We dominated and controlled the game. If they want to attack us in their home game, we are happy. “It will be a good game because we will not just defend, we will also go on the attack. We want to make it a very exciting game for the fans in the second leg,” he said after the match. Selangor looked in control for much of the

contest last night, but were left stunned when Ronald Ngah Wanja converted a 42nd-minute penalty to put Kuching City ahead against the run of play. The hosts had earlier thought they had taken the lead, only for Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili’s 21st minute strike to be ruled out following a VAR review. Just when it seemed Selangor would be pun ished for wasting their chances, Moraes struck deep into stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 draw, a late reprieve that preserved Pan Gon’s unbeaten run since taking charge in early January. “We controlled the game, but we couldn’t score or create clear chances. That was the prob lem. There was a bit of hard luck as well. “Generally, it was a very tough, hard game… But I don’t want to be too negative. We want to stay positive and look ahead,” said Pan Gon. Pan Gon remains unbeaten in 14 matches in charge of Selangor, with 10 wins and four draws across all competitions. They will next face Sabah FC away in the Super League on April 11. – Bernama

Aidil Sharin rally the faithful for Malaysia Cup showdown

KUCHING CITY FC head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak (pic) has called on the club’s supporters to turn up in full force for the decisive Malaysia Cup 2025/26 semifinal second leg against Selangor FC in Kuching on April 18. He said strong backing from the home crowd could provide a crucial lift as his side look to capitalise on their chances after hold ing Selangor to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium on Sunday night. Aidil Sharin expressed confidence that his players can rise to the occasion at home fol lowing a disciplined performance in the open ing encounter.

“Next game in Kuching, definitely I want all the Kuching fans to turn up. It’s time to cheer for Kuching. That will give us more boost and motivation,” he said at the post-match press conference last night. He said the team would shift focus to their Super League clash against PDRM FC on April 12 before preparing for the return leg. Aidil Sharin said his side deserved more from the first leg but must now regroup and focus on finishing the job at home. “I think definitely we deserved to win but like I said, this is football. We have to accept it. We have to learn and move forward,”he added – Bernama

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 28 15 4 9 55 37 49 28 15 4 9 49 39 49 28 14 6 8 41 29 48 28 13 8 7 47 40 47 28 12 7 9 46 34 43 28 9 11 8 38 42 38 28 10 7 11 39 35 37

Lens Lille

Marseille Monaco

Lyon

Rennes

Strasbourg Lorient Toulouse