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MALAYSIA BLAST LAOS 4-0 FOR SECOND WIN IN AFF SUZUKI CUP

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Pic credit FAM Media
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 – On a day when two more players – Akhyar Rashid and Quentin Cheng were quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19, the Harimau Malaya roared to a 4-0 win over Laos to stay unbeaten in Group B in the AFF Suzuki Cup in Singapore.
It was Malaysia’s second win at the Bishan Stadium, having beaten Cambodia 3-0 in their opening match.
Malaysia’s remaining two matches in the group are against Vietnam on Sunday (Dec 12) and Indonesia on Dec 19.
The day belonged to Safawi Rasid who notched a hattrick – with the first two doses coming in the first half and completed his booster shot with Malaysia’s fourth in the 78th minute. Defender Shahrul Saad scored the third.
Head coach Tan Cheng Hoe made several changes to his starting lineup for the Cambodia bench. Naturalized Malaysian Guilherme De Paul started from the bench. Also missing was Junior Eldstal and Akhyar Rashid.
Brazilian-born De Paula did come on in the last 10 minutes of play, replacing Safawi.
R. Kogileswaran came on for Luqman and Shahrul replaced skipper Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak.
Laos looked threatening in the first five minutes but once Safawi got his first on seven minutes it cooled the Malaysian nerves.
Safawi, was at the right place near the far post to tap in a cross from Arif Aiman on the left.
Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin was also in scoring position but the Belgium-based player missed connecting and Safawi made it count.
It was 2-0 for Malaysia in the 34th minute. Arif was again in the provider when his corner kick to the far post saw Safawi rise high to send a dipping header into the Laos net – catching goalkeeper Oudone Sovanasasangso off guard.
Laos, coached by Singapore V. Selvaraj, but their early firepower fizzled out after Malaysia’s first goal. Once the Harimau Malaya got the first goal and got into stride in their game, it also brought confidence to the team.
Shahrul, who had a long layoff due to a knee injury, was a mobbed by his teammates when he scored Malaysia’s third goal in the 78th minute when he raced up front to receive Baddrol Bakhtiar’s long ball. The former Perak player who now plays for JDT, fired a grounder into the Laos net and Oudone was outdone again.
Safawi completed his hattrick two minutes later – finishing off a long ball from Kogileswaran with a left footer. Malaysia 4-0 and now for Vietnam on Sunday.
In another Group B match played at the same venue. Indonesia defeated Cambodia 4-2.

PENG SOON-LIU YING ‘BREAK UP’

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 – The sudden break-up of Malaysia’s famed mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying sent shock waves in the badminton world – more so when they were a medal prospect at the coming World Championships in Huelva, Spain next week.
There were no signs of a split – not when the pair reached the semi-finals in the season-end BWF World Tour Finals in Bali, Indonesia.
The Malaysians lost to eventual champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai, in the semi-finals. The Thais won 21-8, 21-18.
After 13 years, the Malaysian badminton couple called quits. The bombshell from Peng Soon-Liu Ying surprised many. Many are still coming to terms with their departure. As a professional pair, Peng Soon-Liu Ying were a hit in badminton tournaments around the world.
Their decision to split spread like wild fire – many shocked over the sudden break up.
Many are still searching for the real reasons for their break up but Peng Soon wasted no time to return to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) stable.
With that came a strong message that he is not hanging up his racquet as he still has a number of years of competitive badminton at the highest level.
The Penangite, made it clear that the 2024 Paris Olympics is his target with a new partner. He has yet to announce the name of his new partner but seems to have someone in mind. For Liu Ying, she wants to take a rest but has also not given up competitive.
So the guessing game continues. Is it really overworked body that needs a longer time to recover due to age factor after playing highly competitive back to back tournaments for Liu Ying?
BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, in a statement confirmed Peng Soon’s return and the player will report for duty on Jan 1 2022.
For the record, Peng Soon and Liu Ying left the BAM on Jan 1, 2019.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying achieved a high in their badminton career when they won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The pair also won the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold, the Asian Championships title and the Japan Open, apart from reaching the final at the 2017 All-England Championships.

De PAULA ALWAYS A ‘TARGET’ WHEN IT COMES TO CRITICISM

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 – Naturalised Malaysian Guilherme De Paula is never spared the criticism – no matter what his contribution is to the team but the Brazilian remains an asset in Malaysia’s AFF Suzuki Cup campaign in Singapore.
The 35-year-old Brazilian failed to score in Malaysia’s 3-1 win over Cambodia in their opening Group B match at the Bishan Stadium on Monday and was replaced by Luqman Shamsuddin midway in the second half.
Malaysia scored through Safawi Rasid (penalty, 23rd), Akhyar Rashid (60th) and R. Kogileswaran (79th) while Sath Rosib converted a late penalty for Cambodia.
The win saw Harimau Malaya top the group after Vietnam downed Laos 2-0 in another match at the same venue.
For Cheng Hoe full points off Cambodia is ”morale boosting” considering that his team is ill-prepared for the Asean Championships.
Reports also emerged that De Paula was seen throwing a water bottle at the Malaysian bench after being replaced.
Cheng Hoe, however, said he did not see the incident but had a talk with the Brazilian-born player.
”Critics fail to realise his contribution to the team overall. Scoring is not everything when it comes to teamwork. I know how the player feels under criticism. As the coach it is my duty to acknowledge what his overall contribution for the team,” said Cheng Hoe.
”He (De Paula) may not have scored but his contribution to the team’s overall performance cannot be ignored…even if he did not score. It can be very frustrating to be criticised and it can be contribution factor.
“He is still a valuable asset to the team and he is in my match plans for the coming matches,” added Cheng Hoe after a recovery training session on Tuesday morning.
Malaysia’s next match is against Laos on Thursday (Dec 9) at the same venue. After Laos, Malaysia will take on Vietnam (Dec 12) before playing their final group match against Indonesia on Dec 19.
Cheng Hoe also revealed that Junior Eldstal, who plays for Chonburi FC in the Thai League, was substituted early (25th minute) by Mukhairi Ajmal for tactical reasons.
Vietnam are the defending champions after defeating Malaysia in the two-leg final in 2018. The first-leg in Kuala Lumpur ended in a 2-2 draw and Vietnam won 1-0 at home to take the silverware on a 3-2 aggregate.
Coming back to this year’s AFF Cup, Malaysia suffered an early blow when goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid and flanker Faisal Halim were tested positive after arriving in Singapore. Both players are currently serving a 10-day quarantine in Singapore.
The FA of Malaysia has also made an official request to have a replacement goalkeeper after Khairul Fahmi Che Mat picked a surprise yellow card in the match against Cambodia. The other keeper in the squad in Singapore is Kalamullah Al-Hafiz who plays for Petaling Jaya City FC in the Super League.

WINNING START FOR HARIMAU MALAYA IN AFF SUZUKI CUP

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 – Malaysia kickstarted their AFF Suzuki Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Cambodia in a Group B match at the Bishan Stadium in Singapore on Monday – a morale boosting win for the Harimau Malaya that had two players in quarantine after tested positive for Covid-19.
With no centralised training for the full squad, national football coach Tan Cheng Hoe, got his wish for a win as it will serve well for the team for their next match against Laos on Thursday.
Akhyar Rashid, whose selection for national duty was questioned by netizens, turned out to be the Man of the Match – having a hand in the first goal when he earned a penalty and scored Malaysia’s second.
The Kedahan, who plays for Johor Darul Takzim in the Malaysian League, was felled inside the box by defender Ken Chansopheak and referee Alhunfush Shukri Hussain of Saudi Arabia pointed to the spot.
Safawi Rasid made no mistake from the spot to give Malaysia the lead in the 23rd minute. However, the gritty Cambodians, who had better ball possession, gave the Malaysian backline built around skipper Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak a tough time.
Veteran Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat was also in is element to keep the Cambodians at bay, especially Chan Vathana and Keo Sokpheng.
In the 79th minute Malaysia were 3-0 up and it was the turn of the substitutes to add spark.
Belgium-based Luqman Shamsuddin worked his way up on the right before crossing the ball for another substitute R. Kogileswaran to put the finishing touches with a first timer.
Cambodia scored a consolation goal late in the game through Sath Rosib after Khairul Fahmi was penalised for an infringement on the Cambodian.
He was also booked for lifting his leg too high. Sath picked himself up to score in the 90th minute.
Questions were also asked why Junior Eldstal, who plays for Chonburi FC in the Thai League, was substituted after only 25 minutes and replaced by Mukhairi Ajmal. Cheng Hoe said it was more of a tactical change for the match.
”Good start to our campaign but there are several weaknesses to be ironed. Hopefully, we will progress as the tournament goes,” said Cheng Hoe.
Meanwhile, in another Group B match, defending champions Vietnam defeated Laos 2-0 at the same venue.

MALAYSIA ROCKED BY COVID POSITIVE CASES

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 – The Harimau Malaya go into the AFF Suzuki Cup fray with the squad further crippled after two players – goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid and flanker Faisal Halim tested positive for Covid 19 and are currently undergoing a 10-day quarantine in Singapore.
The news comes just hours before Malaysia open their AFF Suzuki Cup campaign with a match against Cambodia at the Bishan Stadium on Monday.
Malaysia are drawn in Group B with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia. After Cambodia, the Harimau Malaya will face Laos on Dec 9, followed by Vietnam (Dec 12) and Indonesia on Dec 19.
However, for national football coach Tan Cheng Hoe, the show must go and he will make do with the 22 players remaining in the squad. Already it by a spate of injuries from his original 28-player squad, Cheng Hoe is not pushing the panic button.
For him, whoever, gets to play in his team, will have to go into the match against with a positive attitude – knowing that the first match is always a ”difficult one” for any team, let alone Malaysia.
Lack of centralised training due to the tight Malaysia Cup schedule with the final played on Nov 30 (Tuesday) was another draw back for Cheng Hoe.
Malaysia arrived in Singapore on late Friday (Dec 3) and the players had their first workout a day later.
Cheng Hoe is set to throw in naturalised Malaysian Guilherme De Paula. The Brazilian-born striker who is now with Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) has come in for a lot of criticism from netizens but Cheng Hoe has his reasons for keeping faith in him.
”Football is game where you need the right players for your match strategies. Some players can shine in the local league but flop at a bigger stage. It takes off from here. I hope things will work for De Paula and also the team,” said Cheng Hoe from Singapore after watching the Singapore-Myanmar match in Group A.
The late inclusion of JDT’s rising star Arif Aiman after teammate Mohamadou Sumareh cried off at the last minute due to a groin injury and ”family commitments” could well turn out to be a tournament for Arif to cherish.
Originally left out of the team, Arif, who is only 19, was voted the Most Valuable Player (MPV) at the Malaysian Football Awards. He also walked away with two other awards – Best Young Player and Best Striker.
Kedah’s Baddrol Bakhtiar, also recalled to the national squad due to his impressive form with the Red Eagles, was also a winner at the National Football Awards – winning the Best Midfielder and top local striker (7 goals in the Super League).
The two could just be the stars in Singapore in Cheng Hoe’s match strategies in Singapore while Faisal and Khairul Azhan are in quarantine.

MALAYSIAN WIPED OUT IN THE SEMIS AT BWF WORLD TOUR FINALS

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 – It was a disastrous day for Malaysians when Lee Zii Jia and company flopped in the semi-finals in the season ending USD1.5 million BWF World Tour Finals in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday.
Zii Jia was the biggest disappointment when he was snuffed out of the men’s singles final in straight games by Thailand’s 20-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-18, 21-18 in 44 minutes. It was a big, big disappointment from the top national shuttler.
What hurts more is that Zii Jia had beaten the Thai in the opening Group B match 21-15, 21-16 but the reigning All_England champion crumbled when it mattered most against the three-time world junior champion.
Kunlavut went into the match as the BWF Most Promising Player and will play reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in Sundays final. The lanky Dane was too strong for India’s Lakshya Sen, winning 21-13, 21-11.
However, Kunlavut was the story of the day at the Mangupura Hall 1 at the Bali Convention Centre in Denpasar.
”I’m mentally and physically prepared this time around after my defeat in the group match. I’m more confident in the revenge match,” said Kunlavut who will go down in history as the first Thai player to reach the men’s singles in the season ender.
It was also disappointment for professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi in the men’s doubles semi-finals. The Malaysians went out wit a 18-21, 15-21 defeat to Japans Takuro oki-Yuo Kobayashi in 39 minutes.
In the mixed doubles Malaysian professionals Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying did no better – going out in 8-21, 18-21 to Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai in a 42-minute encounter.
India’s reigning world champion P.V. Sindhu will play Korean teen sensation An Seyoung in the womens singles final.
Sindhu came through a three-game 70-minute thriller against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi to prevail 21-15, 15-21, 21-19. An Seyoung defeated Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 25-23, 21-17 in the other semi-final.

ZII JIA TO PLAY KUNLAVUT IN THE SEMIS OF THE BWF WORLD TOUR FINALS

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 – The luck of the draw could favour Malaysia’s number one Lee Zii Jia when he was drawn to face Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men’s singles semifinal on Saturday after the completion of the round-robin group matches in Bali, Indonesia.
The Malaysian topped Group B when he demolished India’s K. Srikanth 21-19, 21-14 in the final group match at the Bali Convention Centre in Denpasar.
He had earlier defeated Kunlavut 21-15, 21-16 in the first match and Frenchman Toma Junior Popov 21-13, 21-19 in the second match.
Based on current form Zii Jia is good bet for a place in the final in the lucrative season ender which carries a whopping USD1.5 million in prize money.
Interestingly, it must be noted that Zii Jia lost all his matches in the 2020 World Tour Finals in Bangkok earlier this year.
It has been a season of ups and down for the Kedah-born Zii Jia who picked up a back injury in the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany.
He had to retire in the final against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the Super 500 event.
Meanwhile, Malaysian professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi will get the chance for revenge when they were drawn to meet Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the men’s doubles semifinal.
In their final Group B match on Friday, the Japanese pair defeated the Malaysians in a 54-minute thriller – prevailing in three games 21-19, 12-21, 21-10.
Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying face a stern test for a place in the mixed doubles final.
The Rio Olympics silver medal winners were drawn to play favourites Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand.
Earlier, the Malaysians completed their Group A fixtures with a 21-11, 21-12 defeat  in 33 minutes at the hands of Japan’s Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino to finish second in the group.

CHENG HOE’S AFF SUZUKI CUP DILEMMA CONTINUES

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PETALING JAYA, Dec 2 – Injuries continue to plague the team but national football head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has kept his “cool” – even making last minutes change to the final squad that leaves for Singapore on Friday afternoon.
Latest to cry off from the initial squad of 28 players are Johor Darul Takzim’s Mohamadou Sumareh and Perak goalkeeper Azri Ghani.
Gambia-born Sumareh, a naturalised Malaysian has family commitments that need to be sorted out apart from a groin injury. Azri, who is the national Under-23 goalkeeper is down with shoulder injury.
Cheng Hoe, however, was quick to bring in the replacements. Sumareh’s JDT teammate Arif Aiman Hanapi got the call-up although he is not in the reserve list, while Petaling Jaya FC custodian Kalamullah Al-Hafiz replaced Azri.
”I spoke to Arif during the Malaysia Cup final (JDT against KL City FC) at the National Stadium and he gave a very quick response that he is willing to don Malaysia colors. That made things much easier,” said Cheng Hoe.
Earlier, two players from newly crowned Malaysia Cup champions Kuala Lumpur City FC – Akram Mahinan (groin muscle tear) and Kenny Pallraj (knee ligament tear) threw a spanner in Cheng Hoe’s squad.
The 19-year-old Arif has been a regular with the Southern Tigers and has enough playing minutes to vie for a first team place in Cheng Hoe’s match strategies for the Asean meet.
Malaysia, the 2010 champions, have been drawn in Group B in this year’s tournament that will be held in Singapore from Dec 5 (2021)-Jan 1 (2022). The Harimau Malaya will play their group matches at the Bishan Stadium.
The first match is against Cambodia on Dec 6 followed by Laos (Dec 9), Vietnam(Dec 12) and Indonesia (Dec 19). Vietnam are the defending champions and Malaysia the runners-up in the last edition.
Despite the lack of centralised training due to the tight Malaysia Cup scheduled, players trickled in only after their respective teams failed to make the quarter-finals or the semi-finals, Cheng Hoe made do with the material he had.
Those who played in the Malaysia Cup final on Tuesday (Nov 30), reported only a day later. For the record KL City FC defeated defending champions JDT 2-0 in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
As for Malaysia’s chances in the AFF Suzuki Cup, Cheng Hoe is adopting a positive look and believes he has the team to achieve the initial target of making the semi-finals from the group.
“I have faith in the players. The players have faith in themselves…national dignity and pride takes priority,” added Cheng Hoe.

LIFELINE FOR PEARLY TAN-THINAAH WITH UPSET WIN OVER THAIS

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 – Malaysia’s Pearly Tan-M.Thinaah served a pleasant surprise to stay alive in the women’s doubles Group A at the BWF World Tour Finals in Bali on Thursday – snatching a straight game 23-21, 21-14 win over top seeds and World No 9 Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand.
Pearly deserves pat on the back for playing an inspiring role in the victory – reminding Thinaah to stay focused in the match and it boosted her partner’s confidence.
It worked as the Malaysian duo raised their game to rattle the Thais.
The Malaysians, however, have another tough hurdle on Friday. They have to beat Indonesia’s reigning Tokyo Olympics champions Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu in the final group match.
Pearly-Thinaah have a poor head to head count against the Indonesians, having lost all their four previous encounters.
The Indonesians slumped to a shock 15-21, 18-21 defeat to unseeded Koreans Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong in another Group A match.
With their new found confidence, Pearly-Thinaah could just pull off another winning act to beat the home favourites to advance to the last four.
In the men’s doubles Malaysian professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi came back from a one game deficit to beat Indonesia’s Pramudya Kusumawardana-Yeremia Yacob Rambitan 12-21, 21-11, 21-18 in a match that lasted 56 minutes for their win.
They next face Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi to decide the top two positions in Group B.
  In the men’s singles Lee Zii Jia defeated Frenchman Toma Junior Popov 21-13, 21-19 in 47 minutes. The Malaysian number one plays India’s K. Srikanth, who lost to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Friday.
In the mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying played a grueling 84 minutes for a 21-17, 19-21, 21-16 win over Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje and keep their unbeaten record in Group A.
The Rio Olympics silver medalists take on Japan’s Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino in their last round robin match. The Japanese knocked out another Malaysian pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing with a 21-16, 21-10 win.

WINNING START FOR ZII JIA, PENG SOON-LIU YING BUT PEARLY-THINAAH FALL

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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 –  Lee Zii Jia has cleared his first hurdle in Group B at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals which got underway in Denpasar, Bali on Wednesday when the Malaysian hope defeated Thailand’s rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
The 23-year-old Malaysian wrapped his opening match in 51 minutes with a 21-15, 21-16 but it was far from convincing overall.
The Kedah-born Zii Jia was trailing in both games but came back strong to steady himself for a winning start.
Vitidsarn, a three-world junior champion, seemed to be disturbed by a finger injury and needed medical treatment on the sidelines.
This upset his rhythm and allowed Zii Jia to come back into the picture.
In another Group B match, India’s former World No 1 K. Srikanth also made a winning start to his campaign in the lucrative World Tour Finals which carries a whopping USD1.5 million in prize money.
The Indian ace stopped Frenchman Toma Junior Popov 21-14, 21-16 in 42 minutes.
While Zii Jia made a winning start, Malaysian women’s doubles hope Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah slumped to a 14-21, 14-21 defeat to Korean pair Kim Soyeong-Kong Heeyong in a 45-minute encounter in Group A.
In the same group Indonesia’s Tokyo Olympics gold medalists Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu roared to a 21-15, 21-12 win over Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongaji in a 37-minute match.
Meanwhile, in an all-Malaysian round robin match in Group A mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying gave themselves a morale boosting win over Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in the season-ending BWF World Tours Finals in Bali on Wednesday.
The Rio Olympics silver medalists walked away with a 21-14, 21-13 win in 38 minutes and will face Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in their second match on Thursday. Kian Meng-Pei Jing will be up against Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and need a win to stay alive.
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi also got off their campaign in the men’s doubles with a straight game 21-16, 21-19 win over Popov brothers Christo-Toma Junior in 46 minutes in a Group B match. They next face Indonesians Pramudya Kusumawardana-Yeremia Yacob Rambitan.
However, it was a bizarre start to the men’s singles in Group A with World No 1 Kento Momota of Japan and Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, retiring from their respective matches against India’s Lakshya Sen and Viktor Axelsen.
Momota called it quits with the score tied 1-1 against the Indian after a minutes play while Axelsen was leading 5-1 against his compatriot in the third minute. There will be no match between Momota and Gemke on Thursday while Axelsen will face Lakshya.
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