25/05/2026

MONDAY | MAY 25, 2026

Read

iPaper at Malaysian Paper

www.thesun.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download

app from the App Store or Google Play TM . Malaysian Paper or download

SCAN ME

SCAN ME

Malaysian Paper

No home comfort for Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin THE aspiration of national professional duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani to clinch their first title of the season fell short after bowing out to Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard Mads Vestergaard in the Malaysia Masters men’s doubles final yesterday. In the match held at the Unifi Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin started the game on shaky ground, trailing 0-7 but bounced back to score six consecutive points and took the lead for the first time at 11-10. However, they failed to maintain that momentum, allow ing the Danish pair to secure the first set 21-16. The second set saw the world No. 9 duo sharpen their gameplay, comfortably leading 8-4 at one point. Yet, the same script repeated itself as Lundgaard Vestergaard leveled the score at 12-12 before wrapping up the match with a 21-17 victory. “I think the opponents played very well today. They really put pressure on us from the start of the game until the end,” Nur Izzuddin told reporters after the match. He admitted that their opponents had successfully read the duo’s gameplay, making it difficult for them to make tac tical adjustments. “Nothing else, I feel the opponents had definitely read our game, so we were slow to make changes,” he said. Meanwhile, Sze Fei opined that the aspects of serving and receiving need to be improved ahead of their next tourna ment. “I think in terms of service and receiving, I feel that is the part we need to do better in,” he said. Nur Izzuddin added that their main focus moving forward is to regain their physical and mental fitness levels, given that they do not have much time to prepare for the Singapore Open. “The most important thing for us right now is recovery, because we don’t have much time. So, the focus is on mental and physical (recovery),” he said. – Bernama

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard celebrate after defeating Malaysia’s Nur Izzuddin and Goh Sze Fei to win the men’s doubles title at the 2026 Perodua Malaysia Masters at Unifi Arena, Bukit Jalil yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

JDT create history Munoz hails Southern Tigers after fourth straight Malaysia Cup crown

J OHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) head coach Xisco Munoz described his side’s achievement of win ning four consecutive Malaysia Cup titles as a historic feat after they beat Kuching City FC 2-0 in the 2025-2026 final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday night. The achievement reflected the Southern Tigers’ commitment to continuously push themselves to create history and raise the team’s standards year after year, he added. “Again, it’s coming back to history. JDT is the first club in Malaysia to win four cups in a row and this is important for us because we always try to push our selves to build something stronger in history,” he told the post-match press conference. Commenting on the final, Munoz admitted Kuching City provided a tough challenge especially in the first half, however JDT managed to take control of the game after the break. “We spoke about it in the press conference before the match, nobody gives you anything for free in foot ball. We know Kuching’s style, their power and the capacity they have. “It’s true that the first half was more 50-50, but in the second half again we had more control. When the players started to run and had space, especially in the last 20 minutes, we became a dangerous team,” the 45-year-old Spaniard said. Munoz revealed that Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi assured him he could change the course of the match moments before being introduced as a substitute in

JDT’s Arif Aiman celebrates after scoring the second goal during the Malaysia Cup final against Kuching on Saturday. – BERNAMAPIC

the 65th minute, with JDT still struggling to break down Kuching City. He said Arif Aiman backed up his words with an influential display, helping shift the momentum of the match before sealing the win for the Super League champions with a late goal. “I can say a secret. When Arif was coming in, he told me, ‘Coach, easy. No problem. I can change the situation,’ and he changed the situation.” Munoz also praised his players’ mentality and commitment, saying the squad remained deter mined to continuously improve and uphold the stan dards demanded by the club. “I’m very proud of our players because everybody shares the same values. We always try to defend our jersey, our fans and give our best in every competi tion,” he said. Meanwhile, Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak refused to blame Muhammad Ramadhan Saifullah Usman following the defeat despite the for ward missing a crucial penalty that could have changed the course of the match. Aidil Sharin stressed that penalties are a gamble and even the world’s best players are not immune to missing from the spot. However, he said failing to grab such chances against a powerhouse like JDT often leads to immedi ate repercussions. “I don’t want to blame Ramadhan. A penalty is always 50/50. Even world-class players miss them. However, I believe it just my opinion if we had scored

that goal,

the game would have been dif ferent because our momentum was good at that point. “Against a team like JDT, if you don’t take your chances, you know what happens. My players are human beings, they felt a little down after the miss and that was where we got punished. That is football and it is always frustrating to lose a final,” he said. Marcos Guilherme and substi tute Arif Aiman scored a goal each late in the second half to help JDT clinch their sixth Malaysia Cup title after previously winning the com petition in 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024-2025. – Bernama

theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2625 Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: advertise@thesundaily.com