14/09/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | SEPT 14, 2026

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Rockets ready for LTdL ascent French ProTeam set sights on three summit finishes after stage, runner-up finish last year F RESH from a stage victory last year, French ProTeam Unibet Rose Rockets appear poised to make a significant impact in the 30th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 Christophersen, who placed fifth overall in LTdL25, and 25-year-old Dutch rider Owen Geleijn, who finished 22nd. Christophersen, who finished just 11 seconds behind LTdL25 winner Joris Delbove of TotalEnergies, appears to be in good form after recently claiming a stage victory and finishing eighth overall at the Arctic Race of Norway last month. Rory Townsend and 22-year-old French rider Ronan Auge. However, last-minute changes to the line-up remain possible, with the Zwolle-based team, known last year as Unibet Tietema Rockets, also listing accomplished 38-year-old rider Wout Poels and Czech climber Adam Toupalik on its reserve list, the NSC said.

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa 1 (Alysson 74) Nottingham Forest 2 (Delap 46, Jesus 88) , Bourne mouth 2 (Kluivert 38, Tavernier 52) Brentford 2 (Schade 34, 56) , Chelsea 2 (Rogers 7, Joao Pedro 66) Hull 2 (Belloumi 28, 34) , Crystal Palace 2 (Khalaili 34, Strand Larsen 75) Ipswich 3 (Emersonn 23, Davis 45, Flemming 90) , Liverpool 0 Fulham 0, Tottenham 0 Everton 0. P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 4 4 0 0 8 1 12 Man City 3 3 0 0 7 2 9 Hull 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 Brentford 4 1 3 0 7 4 6 Liverpool 4 1 3 0 6 4 6 Everton 4 1 3 0 5 3 6 Ipswich 4 2 0 2 7 10 6 Newcastle 3 1 2 0 6 4 5 Leeds 3 1 2 0 3 2 5 Nottm Forest 4 1 2 1 4 4 5 Brighton 3 1 1 1 8 5 4 Man Utd 3 1 1 1 7 6 4 Sunderland 4 1 1 2 3 5 4 Bournemouth 4 0 3 1 6 7 3 Palace 4 1 0 3 6 11 3 Spurs 4 0 2 2 0 5 2 Fulham 4 0 1 3 4 7 1 Villa 4 0 1 3 1 7 1 Coventry 3 0 0 3 0 5 0 CHAMPIONSHIP: Bolton 1 Cardiff 0, Derby 1 Birmingham 2, West Brom 1 QPR 1, Blackburn 3 Millwall 1, Charl ton 0 Portsmouth 0, Middlesbrough 4 Norwich 3, Preston 0 Lincoln City 1, Southampton 4 Bristol 1, Swansea 3 Burnley 1, Watford 1 Stoke 2. TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts West Ham 7 4 2 1 20 9 14 Swansea 7 4 2 1 11 5 14 West Brom 7 4 2 1 10 7 14 Boro 6 4 1 1 12 8 13 LA LIGA: Racing Santander 2 (Zabiri 38, 53) Alaves 1 (Koski 18), Osasuna 0 Espanyol 2 (Fernandez 3, 17) , Athletic Bilbao 1 (Chust 79-og) Elche 1 (Buonanotte 50-pen), Real Madrid 4 (Mbappe 14-pen, 90+1, Carreras 17, Bellingham 35) Rayo Vallecano 1 (Camello 51). TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 4 4 0 0 17 2 12 Real Madrid 5 4 0 1 14 4 12 Alaves 5 3 1 1 11 5 10 Sevilla 5 3 1 1 8 6 10 SERIE A: Genoa 1 (Vasquez 50) Frosi none 1 (Kvernadze 14), Lazio 2 (Cancel lieri 10, Noslin 39) AC Milan 2 (Moreira 65, 67) , Atalanta 1 (Scamacca 41) Cagliari 2 (Mendy 19, Maldini 61-pen) . TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Lazio 4 3 1 0 6 3 10 Roma 3 3 0 0 10 1 9 Inter Milan 3 3 0 0 8 3 9 Cagliari 4 3 0 1 4 2 9 BUNDESLIGA: Cologne 1 Werder Bremen 1, Borussia Dortmund 3 Paderborn 0, Hoffenheim 2 Stuttgart 1, Freiburg 5 Borussia Moenchenglad bach 0, Augsburg 2 Bayer Leverkusen 2, Mainz 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 3. TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Freiburg 3 3 0 0 10 1 9 Dortmund 3 3 0 0 8 2 9 Augsburg 3 2 1 0 9 3 7 Elversberg 2 2 0 0 7 5 6 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Strasbourg 1 Monaco 1, Le Havre 0 Angers 0, Paris FC 0 Lyon 0, Auxerre 1 Nice 0, Lorient 2 Toulouse 2. TOP 4 P W D L F A Pts Monaco 4 3 1 0 6 2 10 Rennes 4 3 1 0 8 5 10 Lyon 4 2 2 0 6 2 8 Paris FC 4 2 2 0 6 2 8

(LTdL26), which kicks off on Sept 27. The National Sports Council (NSC), as the LTdL secretariat, said yesterday that the six-rider squad, led by manager Joram Grootveld, comprises four climbers and two sprint specialists. The line-up suggests ambitions that go beyond the single stage victory secured by Zeb Kyffin in Stage 7 last year. Spearheading Unibet, which finished second overall last year, are 24-year-old Cedrik Bakke

LTdL26 secretariat chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said Unibet’s roster suggested the team were targeting the three summit finishes at Gunung Jerai, Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands. “The team certainly did their homework before deciding which riders to send to LTdL26, as the race profile differs significantly from last year’s single, relatively easy climb to Fraser’s Hill. “The inclusion of Wout Poels on the reserve list confirms their serious intent to make a greater impact this time. Poels is a highly respected figure on the international stage, boasting 26 career victo ries and extensive experience with WorldTeam squads, starting with Vacansoleil in 2011 before stints with Sky, Bahrain Merida and Astana,” he said. – Bernama

The experience gained during LTdL25 will be shared with 25-year-old German rider Peter Jannis and 23-year-old Norwegian Eivend Broholt Fougner, particularly on the climbing stages. The two sprint specialists capable of springing a surprise on the flat stages are 31-year-old Irishman

Penang’s Stefano Brundo (front) celebrates after scoring the winning goal against KRW FC at the City Stadium. – @ PenangFC/Facebook

‘Pressure off after first win’

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PENANG FC’S dramatic 3-2 victory over Kelantan Red Warriors (KRW) FC, their first Super League win of the season, will help ease pressure on the squad, although head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail admits their performance remains far from its best. He said individual errors made life unnecessar ily difficult for the Panthers at the City Stadium in Georgetown on Saturday, forcing them to fight until the final whistle to secure all three points. “ Alhamdulillah for the result. I am grateful, but this was a match we should have won more com fortably. “Simple mistakes gifted the opposition two goals and put us under unnecessary pressure,” he told a post-match press conference. Penang took an early lead through Gayoso Javier Augustine in the fourth minute before KRW equalised through Muhammad Mazwan Che Mat in first half injury time. Celestine Enzo Nicolas Jacques restored the hosts’ lead in the 52nd minute, but KRW levelled

again through Emmanuel’s freekick in the 62nd minute. Captain Stefano Brundo then became Penang’s saviour, heading home the winner in injury time to secure the Panthers’ first victory after two defeats and a draw. Wan Rohaimi said the eagerness to secure their maiden win of the campaign had also resulted in rushed finishing and several missed opportunities, although he praised his players for showing resilience to fight until the end. The 50-year-old coach said every department, including defence, midfield and attack, still had room for improvement before their next fixture. He added that the team had yet to replicate the impressive form they showed during their pre-season friendly tours in Thailand and Surabaya, Indonesia. “I am not asking for the impossible because they have shown better form before. I really miss seeing that level of performance,” he said. – Bernama

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Elavarasan wary of Melaka’s late goals issue MELAKA FC head coach E. Elavarasan wants his side to quickly address their lapses in the closing minutes after conceding another late goal in their 2-1 defeat to Kuching City FC in a Super League match at Hang Jebat Stadium in Krubong, Melaka, on Saturday night. minute after Yuki Tanigawa was sent off for bring ing down a Melaka player outside the penalty box. Melaka took advantage of the numerical supe riority to equalise in second half stoppage time through Do Donghyun, who converted a freekick. However, Kuching City refused to settle for a point, with Wanja Ronald Ngah scoring just before the final whistle to secure all three points for the visitors.

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He said the same problem occurred in their previous match against Selangor and must be addressed immediately if Melaka are to make fur ther progress in the league. “We are definitely disappointed because we conceded in the final minute. This is the second time it has happened,” he told a post-match press conference. “It was the same against Selangor and now against Kuching City, so this is something we need to fix as soon as possible if we want to go far in the league.” Kuching City took the lead in the 27th minute through Jerome Etame, who finished off a pass from Ramadhan Saifullah. The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 55th

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Elavarasan said the increasingly competitive nature of the league made every point important, adding that even a draw would have been a satis factory result against a Kuching City side with quality and experience after finishing runners-up last season. He said the visitors’ experience and exposure helped them handle the pressure effectively after being reduced to 10 men. Elavarasan also admitted that Melaka should have adopted a more defensive approach after drawing level, particularly with only minutes remaining. – Bernama

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