03/10/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | OCTO 3, 2026

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Cheng Hoe gutted Despite emphatic victory over Singapore, Harimau Malaya miss out on final I NTERIM national head coach Tan Cheng Hoe admitted to being disap pointed after Malaysia failed to reach the final of the 2026 Fifa Asean Cup “Our players performed very well and were committed in every movement. Our ball control and finishing were also good. But in football, things like this happen. It is a case of joy amid disappointment. “We have to move forward, think posi Hanapi urged fans not to lose faith in the team and to continue supporting them ahead of the match against Vietnam.

RESULTS

NATIONS LEAGUE LEAGUE A

Group 2: Germany 2 (Bischof 39, Wirtz 61) Serbia 0, Greece 2 (Ioannidis 23, Masouras 45+2) Netherlands 2 (Van Dijk 59, Reijn ders 89) . Group 4: Denmark 2 (Damsgaard 23, Hojlund 53) Portugal 4 (Cancelo 13, Ramos 25, Vitinha 67, Felix 87) , Wales 2 (James 38, Williams 48) Norway 1 (Bobb 11) . LEAGUE B Group 3: Israel 0 Kosovo 0, Republic of Ireland 2 (Parrott 12, 45-pen) Austria 2 (Prass 71, Gregoritsch 77) . LEAGUE D Group 1: Malta 1 (Mbong 53) Gibraltar 1 (Scanlon 61) . Group 2: Azerbaijan 0 Liechtenstein 0. AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS Group D: Guinea 1 (Guirassy 32) Kenya 0. THE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will submit a for mal request to Fifa seeking an explanation regarding the change in stoppage time during the match between Indonesia and Bangladesh part of the 2026 Fifa World Cup Asean qualifiers last night. In a statement, FAM indicated that the national governing body views the situation seriously, noting that the stoppage time initially displayed as two minutes was subsequently changed to seven minutes during the match in Jakarta. “In this regard, FAM will submit a formal request to Fifa to clarify the basis, procedures, and circumstances that led to the change in the added time duration. “FAM wishes to emphasise that match time management is a crucial aspect of ensuring that every match is conducted fairly, transparently, and in accordance with established com petition regulations,”according to a statement released on its Facebook page yesterday. Meanwhile, FAM believes this matter warrants appropri ate attention, given that the match involved a contest to determine the final standings in Group A, thereby influencing which team qualified for the final. FAM also urges FIFA to review the incident and provide a detailed explanation regarding the decision made by match officials, including whether the adjustment to the added time was implemented in compliance with applicable procedures and regulations. “FAM wishes to stress that this request is not intended to question the match result or dispute the achievements of any team; rather, it seeks an official explanation regarding the offi ciating processes and procedures to resolve any confusion that has arisen,” said FAM. KBS support for esport pays off THE national esports squad’s achievement of winning one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games demonstrates that strong government support particularly from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) can elevate the nation’s esports sector to greater heights. In a statement yesterday, the Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) said that securing five medals across nine events was the result of strategic planning, meticulous preparation, and close collaboration among the MESF, KBS, National Sports Council (MSN), Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), and the National Sports Institute (ISN). According to MESF, this historic success also validates the effectiveness of the full-time Podium Programme initiative, which has enabled some national esports athletes to undergo more structured and professional preparations. “The initiative to integrate a number of esports athletes into the Podium Programme on a fulltime basis is a sound decision. “This recognition not only places esports on par with other high-performance sports but also provides assurance and peace of mind to the athletes,” the statement read. MESF said focusing on infrastructure, welfare, and the ath letes’ future allows them to concentrate fully on tournament preparations, thereby helping the national squad compete on the Asian stage. It added that the achievement in Aichi-Nagoya marks the beginning of ongoing efforts to produce more world-class esports talent and ensures that this success serves as a springboard for the development of the nation’s esports scene. SHORTS FAM questions change in stoppage time

NATIONAL forward Paulo Josue said it was hard to believe Bangladesh had conceded nine goals to Indonesia, a result that saw the hosts advance to the Fifa Asean Cup 2026 final at Harimau Malaya’s expense. Malaysia thrashed Singapore 6-0 in their final Division 1 Group A match at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on Thursday but Indonesia’s 9-2 victory over Bangladesh at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta proved deci sive. Both Malaysia and Indonesia finished on seven points with an identical goal difference of plus nine, but the Garuda emerged as Group A champions on goals scored, having netted 11 times in three matches – two more than Malaysia. “It is very tough to believe that a team could concede nine goals in a tournament like this, but it is what it is,” said Josue, who came on in the 68th minute and scored eight min utes later at the post-match press confer ence. Josue said Malaysia had achieved what they set out to do against Singapore, with the 6-0 triumph marking Harimau Malaya’s big gest win over the Causeway rivals since 1978. “Today was the match where we needed to score and win, and we scored a lot of goals but unfortunately it was not enough. “We need to keep our heads up, face the next game and try to finish as strongly as we can,” said the 37-year-old Kuala Lumpur City FC player. Despite missing out on the final, Josue said morale in the camp remained high after a group campaign in which Malaysia kept two clean sheets and scored nine goals. “So far, I think the performance has been very good. Our key players are performing well and they are the references for the team right now. “We need to be proud of what we did against Singapore. The last time Malaysia beat them like this was perhaps 40 or 50 years ago. “We know the direction we are heading in is the one we should always target. “I hope the boys understand what the coach has planned for the next match, and we keep going,” he said. – Bernama Bangladesh nine-goal defeat baffles Josue “As a supporter of the national team, there is no need to be disappointed. There is no need to criticise us or anything like that. We gave our best throughout these three matches without conceding a single goal. “We performed better than the other teams here, and this squad will likely grow even stronger in the future, God willing,” said the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player. He acknowledged that the team was also disappointed to miss out on the final but described the squad’s overall performance as very positive, having kept three clean sheets in three matches while scoring nine goals. “In my view, it was excellent. Three matches without conceding, and I believe this is a very promising team for the near future. Perhaps we need to focus match by match for the national team,” said the 24 year-old. – Bernama

despite thrashing Singapore 6-0 in their final Group A Division 1 match at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on Thursday night. The victory was not enough, however, as Indonesia defeated Bangladesh 9-2 at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta to finish as group champions on goals scored. Harimau Malaya finished their group campaign with seven points, the same as Indonesia, with both teams also recording an identical goal difference of nine. However, Indonesia scored 11 goals across the group stage, compared with Malaysia’s nine. Cheng Hoe said his players had given their all on the pitch, particularly through their high level of commitment, game con trol and clinical finishing, which produced six goals against their Causeway rivals.

tively and improve ourselves for the next match,” he said at a press conference after the match. In the final group matches on Thursday, Malaysia led Singapore 2-0 at half-time, while Indonesia were 6-1 ahead of Bangladesh. Harimau Malaya then stepped up the pressure in the second half, scoring four more goals, with naturalised striker Bergson da Silva completing a hattrick. Malaysia, who recorded two wins and a draw in the group campaign, will face Vietnam in the third-place playoff, while Indonesia will take on Thailand in the final. Both matches will be played at GBK on Monday. National winger Arif Aiman Mohd

Riley triumphs in Rembau as Lennart tightens grip on lead

Riders cool down after the 6th stage of the LTdL 2026 from Pandan Indah to Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, covering a distance of 121.3km yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

MODERN ADVENTURE Pro Cycling rider Riley Pickrell powered to victory in Stage Six of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2026 from Pandan Indah to Rembau yes terday, as Germany’s Lennart Jasch firmly maintained his grip on the overall leader’s Orange Jersey. The 25-year-old Canadian clocked two hours, 40 minutes and 06 seconds across the 121.3km route, edging out his main rival and best sprinter classification leader Matteo Malucelli of XDS Astana Team while Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Seppe Van Den Boer crossed the line in third with the same time. “I think it was because my boys did such an amazing job today, you know, like, the last two sprints, it was very clear that Malucelli and me are super close. “And the only reason I think I won today was the boys put me in better position than Malucelli’s boys. And that’s just the nature of bike racing, but I can’t thank my teammates enough,”he said to reporters here, today. The victory marked a sweet break through for Pickrell after finishing as run ner-up behind Malucelli in Stage One (Shah Alam-Kampar) and Stage Three (Sungai Petani- Kuala Kangsar). “Well, we knew we had to be in really good position and we’re hoping my teammate Scott could drop me off just before the corner, but he had really good

legs, so he was able to take me through the corner and give me a really good run to the finish and I’m really happy. “Kieran went in the early break and it meant the Astana team had to ride abso lutely full gas from 10km into the race to 15km into the race. Meanwhile, me and my teammates, we could just relax in the peloton, and that’s all because of Kieran,” he added. Meanwhile Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Lennart Jasch comfortably defended the overall leader’s Orange Jersey with a total time of 21:38:39s, maintaining a 42 second lead over Jan Castellon Ribalt of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (21:39:21s), while Burgos-Burpellet-BH’s Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego sat third (+1:20s). Lennart also kept hold of the King of the Mountain (Polka Dot Jersey) classifi cation with 45 points, ahead of Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Petr Rikunov (41 points), while Malucelli retained the Blue Jersey with 44pts, five points ahead of Riley (39pts). In the battle for the Best Asian Rider (White Jersey), Japan’s Yuhi Todome of Aisan Racing Team retained the lead with 21:46:00s, followed by Malaysian riders Tsen Ren Bao of St George Continental Cycling Team (21:49:44s) in second and Malaysia National Team’s Tsen Ren Han (21:51:25s) in third. – Bernama