28/04/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | APR 28, 2026

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Penang, Sabah clash ends in stalemate

PENANG FC’S hopes of redeeming last week’s Challenge Cup defeat were dashed after they were held to a goalless draw by Sabah FC in a Super League match at the City Stadium in George Town on Sunday night. Playing under hot conditions, both teams dis played a slow and cautious tempo, resulting in no shots on target throughout the first half, with play largely confined to the middle of the park. In the second half, the Black Panthers stepped up their attack and earned a corner in the 47th minute taken by Jose Elmer Porteria, but Muhammad Izzat Zikri Izziruddin could not hit the target. In the 60th minute, Penang FC were awarded a free kick, but Omid Musawi’s effort was easily saved

New 3x15 scoring format gets mixed reaction THE Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) decision to introduce the new 3x15 scoring system has drawn mixed reactions from players, with some welcoming the change while others remain cautious about its impact on the game. Reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 women’s singles player from South Korea, An Se Young, admitted she was initially taken aback by the announcement made by BWF on Sunday. “Well, the fact that it has changed (new scoring system) is a bit surprising, but I think I’ll have to adjust better and work through it,”she told Bernama. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s up-and-coming men’s singles player and 2025 World Junior Championships silver medallist, Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah expected the new format to pose a tougher challenge, particularly in terms of match readiness. “I have previously played in such a format at the World Junior Championships. I admit it was difficult and a bit overwhelming. “Players need to be ready from the start of the match, as the points are not so many. If compared to the current format (of 21 points), players have a lit tle more time to find their rhythm. The 18-year-old had lost to China’s Liu Yangmingyu 10-15, 11-15, in the boys’singles final of the 2025 World Junior Championships in Guwahati, India. Zaki’s teammate and top men’s doubles player, Fajar Alfian, was upbeat about the change, while Nikolaus Joaquin seemed less convinced, hinting that the shorter format could make matches end too quickly. World No. 7 women’s doubles player from Japan, Kie Nakanishi, said she and partner Rin Iwanaga were looking forward to the new scoring system, which they believed suited their fast-paced style of play. The BWF members voted to approve the adop tion of the 3x15 scoring system at the 87th BWF Annual General Meeting in Denmark, with the pro posal passing by the required two thirds majority of votes cast. The 3x15 scoring system, which will replace the current 3x21 format, will come into effect on Jan 4, 2027. BWF president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul said the new scoring system was intended to deliver more exciting and competitive badminton, improved scheduling, more consistent match dura tions and potential benefits for player welfare and recovery. – Bernama Meanwhile, Sabah FC head coach Juan Torres Garrido described the draw as a fair result based on the overall performance, with both teams display ing different styles of play over the 90 minutes. “In the first half, we performed quite consis tently and in the second half we dominated, but the opponent was better and dominated us at times. Overall, it ended as a draw and probably a fair result, as there were not many goal-scoring chances for either team,” he said. – Bernama rely solely on the Ministry of Youth and Sports or the National Sports Council and this needs to be discussed with sponsors. “If I am to go to LA, I need to have strong spon sorship because I must ensure that I have a good support system and a solid team around me. At this stage of my career, recovery is extremely impor tant,” said the 38-year-old athlete. Azizulhasni secured a silver medal in the men’s keirin at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, having earlier won bronze at the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 2017 keirin world champion, will next turn his focus to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July, followed by the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in September. – Bernama Apart from Dylan, who sustained an injury dur ing the second leg of the Challenge Cup final last week, the other three players who missed today’s match were team captain Stefan Brundo, Mohamad Adib Abdul Ra’op and Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin due to suspension.

head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail said the absence of four key players due to injuries and sus pension clearly disrupted his team’s rhythm. He admitted the loss of those key players left the team looking “disjointed”, particularly in attack, making it difficult for the Rhinos to create danger ous chances throughout the match. “The absence of these four players was defi nitely felt, especially Dylan (Wenzel-Halls). In attack, we lacked ideas to create chances and score goals. “I hope Dylan will be fit again for the next match, and the other players also need to step up their performance,” he said.

by Sabah goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat. Controversy arose in the 71st minute when Sabah player Dame James Ingham appeared to foul Douglas Coutinho in the penalty box, but no penalty was awarded by referee Muhammad Munir Mohd Izam following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. The match grew more intense towards the end when Sabah FC were reduced to 10 men after sub stitute Jafri Chew was shown a red card for a foul on Omid Musawi, but the score remained level till the final whistle. At the post-match press conference, Penang FC

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH FA CUP (Semifinals) : Chelsea 1 (Fernandez 23) Leeds 0.

LA LIGA: Rayo Vallecano 3 (Camello 30, Lejeune 84, Alemao 90+9) Real Sociedad 3 (Oyarzabal 22, 76-pen, Oskarsson 63) , Real Oviedo 1 (Chaira 76) Elche 2 (Bigas 6, Villar 16) , Osasuna 2 (García 80, Catena 90+9) Sevilla 1 (Maupay 69) , Villarreal 2 (Moreno 2-pen, Pepe 29) Celta Vigo 1 (Iglesias 73-pen). TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 33 28 1 4 87 30 85 Real Madrid 33 23 5 5 68 31 74 Villarreal 33 20 5 8 59 38 65 Atl Madrid 33 18 6 9 56 37 60 Real Betis 33 12 14 7 49 41 50 Getafe 33 13 5 15 28 34 44 SERIE A: Fiorentina 0 Sassuolo 0, Genoa 0 Como 2 (Douvikas 10, Diao 68) , AC Milan 0 Juventus 0, Torino 2 (Sime one 70, Vlasic 79-pen) Inter Milan 2 (Thuram 23, Bisseck 61) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 34 25 4 5 80 31 79 Napoli 34 21 6 7 52 33 69 AC Milan 34 19 10 5 48 27 67 Juventus 34 18 10 6 57 29 64 Como 34 17 10 7 59 28 61 Roma 34 19 4 11 48 29 61 BUNDESLIGA: Dortmund 4 Freiburg 0, Stuttgart 1 Werder Bremen 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B Munich 31 26 4 1 113 32 82 Dortmund 31 20 7 4 65 31 67 RB Leipzig 31 19 5 7 62 38 62 Stuttgart 31 17 6 8 63 43 57 Hoffenheim 31 17 6 8 61 45 57 Leverkusen 31 16 7 8 62 42 55 E Frankfurt 31 11 10 10 56 58 43 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Lorient 2 Strasbourg 3, Rennes 2 Nantes 1, Le Havre 4 Metz 4, Paris FC 0 Lille 1, Marseille 1 Nice 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 30 22 3 5 68 25 69 Lens 30 20 3 7 60 32 63 Lyon 31 17 6 8 48 32 57 Lille 31 17 6 8 50 34 57 Rennes 31 16 8 7 54 42 56 Marseille 31 16 5 10 59 41 53

Jijoe stands tall

Azizulhasni Awang in action in the men’s sprint final at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup at the

National Velodrome on Sunday. – BERNAMAPIC Azizulhasni overcomes fatigue to deliver sprint podium finish

L ACK of rest and sleep did not stop national track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang from clinching the bronze medal in the men’s individual sprint at the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Cup at the National Velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, on Sunday night. Azizulhasni, nicknamed the “Pocket Rocketman”, admitted facing challenges after being unable to sleep due to adrenaline and caf feine intake ahead of the keirin race yesterday, which affected his recovery ahead of the sprint event. The 38-year-old had to battle fatigue throughout the day, but he remained deter mined to stay focused through each round and eventually secured a podium finish. “After finishing here late last night, I went back and tried to sleep, but couldn’t. I think it was due to the adrenaline and coffee intake before the race, so it was quite difficult to fall asleep, just light sleep. “I could only lie down, turning left and right until around 6.30am before having to get ready for the warm-up session as the (sprint) qualifica tion started early in the morning,” he said when met after the race. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist said the challenge intensified after the quarterfinal stage, as the short recovery period, with only about an hour before returning to the track, vidual sprint on Sunday night. “What I saw on Saturday just proved the point that he’s not over yet. Maybe he doesn’t want to say it openly or prefers to discuss it with his family first, but my instinct tells me that he still wants to go to LA28. I cannot speak for him, but I believe he still has the legs and the power. If that is the case, we should not deprive him of the opportunity, and MNCF should give him full support,” he said when met at the National Velodrome on Sunday. Amarjit acknowledged that Malaysia’s pool of elite track cyclists remains limited with much of the focus still centred on a small group of riders, par

affected his performance. Commenting on the semifinal against Trinidad and Tobago rider Nicholas Paul, the 2017 world champion said he started well by winning the first race, but a lack of energy took its toll in the subsequent races. “In the second race, he (Paul) used a long sprint strategy, and I couldn’t match it due to a lack of energy and using a smaller gear. In the deciding race, he started the sprint earlier, and my physical condition did not allow me to respond,” he said. The Dungun, Terengganu-born athlete admitted experiencing extreme fatigue after the semifinal, but managed to bounce back in the bronze medal decider thanks to strong support from fans. “I tried to recover by focusing on my breath ing before the bronze medal race. Although I was still tired and sleepy, I wanted to give my best for the supporters who came. “I did not want to disappoint them, especially those who travelled from afar,” said Azizulhasni, who also won the gold in the keirin event yester day. World champion Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands won the gold in the sprint event on Sunday, redeeming his second-placed finish in the keirin, while Paul settled for silver. For the record, Azizulhasni also won bronze in the men’s individual sprint at the World Cup series in Perth, Australia, in March. – Bernama ticularly Azizulhasni and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom. “We have to acknowledge that our pool of Olympian riders is still limited. While efforts are ongoing to broaden that base, Azizulhasni remains a key figure, alongside Shah Firdaus (Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom),” he said. Meanwhile, Azizulhasni said his decision on whether to compete at LA28 has yet to be finalised, stressing that key considerations including fund ing, support structure and his priority of spending time with his family must be carefully weighed. “There are still many things I need to put into consideration, including funding. I don’t want to

CHAMPIONS

Amarjit backs cycling ace for LA28

MALAYSIAN National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill is keen to see national track cycling icon Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang extend his career to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28). Amarjit said Azizulhasni’s recent performances at the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup held at the National Velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, which concluded on Sunday, underlined that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medallist remains com petitive and capable of delivering at the highest level. Azizulhasni nicknamed the “Pocket Rocketman” created a sensation by winning the men’s keirin gold after defeating reigning world champion Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands in the final on Saturday before adding a bronze medal in the indi