26/08/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | AUG 26, 2025

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Penang still winless KL City take advantage of poor defending to cage Panthers P ENANG FC head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail admitted that the players’ negligence was the reason his squad lost 2-1 to Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC unleash a long-range shot from about 30m without any challenge. “Goals like this could actually have been avoided if the players were more focused,” he said at the post-match press conference at the City Stadium after the match. Although disappointed with two

Champs JDT struggle to tame Kuching FC JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) coach Xesco Munoz admitted that his squad had to fight hard before successfully defeating Kuching City FC 1-0 in a Super League match at the Sarawak Stadium in Kuching on Sunday. Munoz said the match was intense and playing away from home was not easy for the Southern Tigers. “It was a tough match. Every time we play away, we know we’ll face a big challenge, especially with some new faces playing away for the first time,” Munoz he said at a press conference after the match. “Kuching City FC seemed to give 100% and played with great enthusiasm, so we needed to really focus on finding opportunities in this match. “Even though it was difficult, the players still tried hard and the three points are very important for the team.” JDT’s winning goal was scored by import striker Jairo Da Silva in the 62nd minute. Munoz admitted that Kuching FC is a team that has its own qualities with the ability to carry out quick counterattacks. He said that this ability often caused problems and made it difficult for his team throughout the match. “Tthey are a good team… they have the ability to put pressure on opponents and make quick tran sitions. “This made us adapt quickly and fortunately all the players remained positive throughout the match and helped the team bring home three valu able points,” he said. – Agencies ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Crystal Palace 1 (Sarr 37) Nottingham Forest 1 (Hudson-Odoi 57) , Everton 2 (Ndiaye 23, Garner 52) Brighton 0, Fulham 1 (Smith-Rowe 73) Manchester United 1 (Muniz 58-og) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 Tottenham 2 2 0 0 5 0 6 Chelsea 2 1 1 0 5 1 4 Nottm Forest 2 1 1 0 4 2 4 Liverpool 1 1 0 0 4 2 3 Man City 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 Sunderland 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 Everton 2 1 0 1 2 1 3 Bournemouth 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 Brentford 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Burnley 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Leeds 2 1 0 1 1 5 3 Fulham 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 Crystal Palace 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 Newcastle 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Man Utd 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 Aston Villa 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 Brighton 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 Wolves 2 0 0 2 0 5 0 West Ham 2 0 0 2 1 8 0 LA LIGA: Osasuna 1 (Budimir 9) Valencia 0, Villarreal 5 (Pepe 7, Buchanan 16, 28, 64, Marin 25) Girona 0, Real Sociedad 2 (Barrenetxea 61, Oskarsson 69) Espanyol 2 (Milla 10, Puado 45+1 pen) , Real Oviedo 0 Real Madrid 3 (Mbappe 37, 83, Vinicius 90+3) . TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Villarreal 2 2 0 0 7 0 6 Barcelona 2 2 0 0 6 2 6 Real Madrid 2 2 0 0 4 0 6 Espanyol 2 1 1 0 4 3 4 Betis 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 SERIE A: Atalanta 1 (Scamacca 50) Pisa 1 (Hien 26 og) , Cagliari 1 (Luperto 90+4) Fiorentina 1 (Mandragora 68) , Como 2 (Douvikas 47, Paz 73) Lazio 0, Juventus 2 (David 59, Vlahovic 84) Parma 0. BUNDESLIGA: Borussia Moenchengladbach 0 Hamburg 0, Mainz 0 Cologne 1. FRENCH LIGUE 1: Lorient 4 Rennes 0, Strasbourg 1 Nantes 0, Toulouse 2 Brest 0, Le Havre 1 Lens 2, Lille 1 Monaco 0. TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Lyon 2 2 0 0 4 0 6 Toulouse 2 2 0 0 3 0 6 Paris SG 2 2 0 0 2 0 6 Strasbourg 2 2 0 0 2 0 6 Lille 2 1 1 0 4 3 4 RESULTS & STANDINGS

important to restore the players’ confidence after the defeat to Kelantan TRW in the first round of the FA Cup last week. He said his team is still in the process of building because pre-season started late and many new players were brought in, but they have shown positive development. “We also dropped two points against Sabah after conceding in the final minutes, but this is something we need to look at again because we will face PDRM FC in two days. I hope all the players will recover before that match,” he said. Sunday night’s match saw Penang FC continue to struggle in search of their first win. The home side’s only goal was scored by team captain Stefano Brundo in the 48th minute, while KL City’s goals were contributed by Muhammad Safawi Rasid and Mohamad Kamal Azizi in the 34th and 77th minutes respectively. – Bernama

in their Super League match on Sunday. He said although the players had displayed an energetic performance throughout the match, lapses in defence caused his team to be punished with two easy goals. He said the second goal, which came from a set-piece situation, should have been prevented if the players had been more focused and quicker in closing down the opponent. “Perhaps there was a collision when the goalkeeper made the clearance, but the referee did not consider it a foul and my players stopped as if waiting for the whistle, when they should have continued playing. “As a result, the opponent managed to

consecutive home defeats, Wan Rohaimi remained satisfied with the fighting spirit shown by his players throughout the match and is confident the Panthers can bounce back when facing Kelantan The Real Warriors (TRW) FC on Saturday. At the same time, Wan Rohaimi also praised the solid performance of young defender Mohammad Khairul Akmal Rukisham before he was stretchered off following an injury due to a clash with an opposing player. Meanwhile, KL City FC head coach Risto Vidakovic described Sunday’s victory as

Negeri Sembilan players celebrate after the match against Selangor on Sunday night. – BERNAMAPIC

NSFC coach hails players, fans after downing Red Giants players, fans after downing Red Giants NEGERI SEMBILAN FC head coach Mohd Nidzam Jamil praised his players’ fighting spirit after they edged Selangor FC 2-1 in a Super League clash at Stadium Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Paroi, on Sunday. only nine weeks. “I’m proud of how the players responded in the second half, pressing hard and finding the goals we needed. stressed that NSFC’s victory came down to player discipline. “Selangor is a strong side. Even though I once coached them, that doesn’t guarantee a win. NSFC’s success came from discipline and players executing their roles well,” he said.

“Facing a quality side like Selangor is never easy, and there’s still plenty to improve, but this first home victory is a big boost,” he told report ers after the match. He said the leadership of senior players has been crucial in guiding new teammates and pro viding balance on the pitch. Commenting on his advantage of having pre viously coached Selangor, Mohd Nidzam admit ted he was familiar with their style of play but

Mohd Nidzam said the strong support of about 25,000 fans at the stadium fired up his team to dominate the match, even as they had to dig deep in the final 10 minutes to secure the win. He said the showdown against the Red Giants, regarded as one of the league’s top teams, showed that NSFC is becoming more mature despite being under his leadership for

In last night’s match, NSFC came from behind to defeat Selangor 2-1, thanks to two late goals from Japanese forward Mio Tsuneyasu in the 82nd and 90+2 minutes. NSFC now sits sixth in the standings with three points, followed by Selangor in seventh on the same points, while Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) remains at the top with nine points. – Bernama

National juniors settle for three bronze medals

THE national junior squad once seen as having the potential to deliver at least two gold medals today had to settle for three bronze at the 22nd Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships at Sunway Mega Lanes, Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya. Malaysia bagged the bronze medals in the boys and girls’ team events and boys’ all-events categories, respectively. In the boys’ team event, the Malaysian quartet of Muhammad Danial Abu Samah, Wan Muhammad Zarif Ikram, Ethan Damien Goh and Muhammad Aiman Syahin, who led after the first block yesterday, had to settle for third place behind Kuwait and South Korea. Kuwait amassed 5,194 pinfalls, followed by South Korea with 5,187 while Malaysia collected 5,172.

“Overall I’m quite happy because Singapore was very near at fourth and we managed to strike up in the last frame and get the bronze.” Meanwhile, Muhammad Aiman, who was also disappointed at failing to bring home gold for the national camp, is determined to bounce back in the Masters event scheduled to begin today. “Maybe I was too overconfident because I was ahead, this is a good lesson and experience for me to become more mature and for tomorrow’s Masters I will go all out, I am targeting a gold medal,” said the 18-year-old athlete. Alongside Muhammad Aiman, Muhammad Danial also earned a spot in the Masters event. For the record, Malaysia won gold through Muhammad Aiman and Ethan Damien in the boys’doubles while Qurratu’ain clinched bronze in the girls’ singles event earlier. – Bernama

Muhammad Aiman also had to settle for bronze in the boys’ all-events, finishing with 4,063 pinfalls after briefly leading, behind South Korea’s Bae Jung Hung (4,071) and Kuwait’s Hassan Qasem who took gold with 4,123. Malaysia’s third bronze came in the girls’ team event, with Qurratu’ain Izdihar Mohd Pozi, Nurul Anis Nabila, Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Adania Mohd Redzwan tallying 4,796 pinfalls to finish behind South Korea (4,988) and champions Singapore (5,017). National junior boys’ head coach Alex Liew admitted his disappointment at failing to achieve the gold target but was still satisfied with the per formance shown by his charges. “My target for the team is gold medal but unfortunately we didn’t but we will work on this,” he told reporters when met after the competition.