KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 – Malaysian number one Lee Zii Jia fought tooth and nail to survive the first round and stay in contention at the Hylo Badminton Open which offers USD320,000 in prize money in Saarbrucken, Germany on Wednesday.

The reigning All-England champion, who is having a roller coaster run in Europe, was made to slog for his 21-11, 21-23, 24-22 win over unseeded Pablo Abian of Spain within 54 minutes. His second round opponent will be Nhat Nguyen of Ireland.

The Super 500 event also saw the exit of top seed and favourite Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Runners-up at last week’s Yonex French Open in Paris, the Taiwanese is also feeling the strain of fatigue and went out to Singapore’s Penang-born Loh Kean Yew in straight games 18-21, 13-21.

Newly formed Malaysian pair Tan Kian Meng-Tan Wee Kiong moved into the second round after defeating Japan’s Takuto Inoue-Kenya Mistsuhashi 21-10, 21-15. Their second round opponents are Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan.

Another newly formed professional pair Goh V Shem-Low Juan Shen failed to get past the first round – losing 21-19, 19-21, 15-21. Also losing were fifth seeds Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi who fell in straight games 12-21, 19-21 to Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin.

In the mixed doubles, Malaysia’s up and coming Chen Tang Jie-Peck Yen Wei overcame Lee Jhe Huei-Hsu Ya Ching of Chinese Taipei 16-21, 21-14, 21-14. In the second round the Malaysians face a England’s Marcus Ellis-Lauren Smith.

PETALING JAYA, Nov 2 – Safawi Rasid muffed a late penalty but Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) were still good enough to beat Sabah 3-0 in a Group D Malaysia Cup match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru on Tuesday.

With the win the defending champions booked their place in the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals with 12 points from four matches while second-placed Petaling Jaya City FC remained second in the group with five points after a scoreless draw against Kelantan FC in Kota Bharu.

The stalemate at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium left Petaling Jaya City, Kelantan FC and Sabah FC still in fight for the second spot with two more matches remaining.

Brazilian Bergson Da Silva hit a brace for the Southern Tigers on a cold and chilly night with goals in the 34th (penalty) and a header deep into injury time after international Safawi missed from the spot.

Argentine Leandro Velazquez opened scoring for the Southern Tigers as early as the sixth minute after being set up by Bergson.

Sabah escaped with a 3-0 defeat – thanks to some fine saves by goalkeeper Rozaime Rahim.

The East Malaysian outfit had some scoring opportunities but Amri Yahyah and company muffed them.

JDT’s win comes in the wake of a 2-0 win over Sabah at the Likas Stadium last week. Petaling Jaya FC who beat Kelantan 3-1 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium last week paid dearly for their poor finishing in Kota Bharu.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 – Fourth seeds Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying suffered a shock first round exit in the Hylo Badminton Open (formerly SaarLorLux Open) in Saarbrucken, Germany which offers USD320,000 in prize money on Tuesday.

The Super 500 event saw the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal winners lost to unseeded Danish pair Mikkel Mikkelsen-Rikke Soby 22-20, 15-21, 21-16 in a 53-minute encounter on a night when another mixed doubles independent pair, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie brought some cheer.

Soon Huat-Shevon marched into the second round with an easy 21-14, 21-15 win over their Dutch opponents Ruben Jille-Cheryl Seinen in only 25 minutes to earn a second round clash against Denmark’s Niclos Nohr-Amalie Margelund.

Another Malaysian professional Liew Daren also crashed out in the men’s singles when he down to Hong Kong’s seventh seed Lee Cheuk Yiu who won in straight games 21-17, 22-20 in 47 minutes.

PETALING JAYA, Nov 1 – There is no denying that off field issues was a major factor in Sarawak United’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Kuala Lumpur City FC in a Group A Malaysia Cup match at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras on Saturday.

The two teams cross path again on Wednesday – with Sarawak United still reeling from the big defeat against the City Boys – knowing that another nightmare is on the cards without key players like Taylor Regan (Australian defender) and Lee Chang Hoon (South Korean midfielder) who are still nursing injuries.

The towering Regan, who played an influential role in the backline, was sorely missed last Saturday.

So was playmaker Chang Hoon. Regan is nursing a hamstring injury while the Korean is down with an ankle injury.

However, the most pressing issue that has plagued the Golden Hornbills is late payment of salaries.

The welfare of the players need to be arrested urgently as the figures are three months overdue.

Don’t forget the players too have to take care of their families and bills to be paid during these trying times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sarawak United supremo Datuk Posa Majais left the team in a lurch and was instead busy with his national duty as the team manager of the National Under-23 for the Group J qualifiers in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup championships which ended in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Sunday.

Well done to Malaysia for making the AFC Under-23 Finals, which will be played in Uzbekistan (June 1-19) next year, with an unbeaten record.

Coach Brad Maloney and the players deserve a pat on the back for the achievement despite being the last team to arrive in cold and chilly weather conditions in Ulaanbaatar. The matches were played on an artificial turf.

Nobody questions his role as the National Under-23 team manager but he should have also paid attention to his team Sarawak United.

For the record, the Golden Hornbills despite the salary issues with unsettled payments related to EPF and the Inland Revenue Board, showed loyalty to the team with pride and passion.

Coming back to Sarawak United, the East Malaysian outfit gained promotion to the elite Super League for the season after finishing runners-up to Negeri Sembilan in the Premier League.

That “promotion” is now in jeopardy if Sarawak United FC fail to settle the dues and has already received a warning from the Malaysian Football League.

How do you motivate the players and team officials with these nagging issues? Self motivation alone is not good enough when their livelihood is affected.

Let’s see what happens next. It starts with the return match against KL City on Wednesday. There is only so much head coach E. Elavarasan can do in training.

PETALING JAYA, Oct 31 – It was a night of big scores on Saturday in the Malaysia Cup competition with Kuala Lumpur City FC, Sri Pahang (Group A), Terengganu FC and Selangor FC (Group B) celebrating victories.

KL City remained unbeaten in the competition with an impressive 4-0 win over previously unbeaten Sarawak United at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras which has become a happy hunting ground for Bojan Hodak’s team.

Colombian midfielder turned hit man continued with his scoring abilities with a brace in the ninth and 12th minutes that set the tone for KL City.

The City Boys got their other goals through former international J. Partiban and Australian Ryan Lambert in the 55th and 59th minutes respectively.

Sarawak United coach E. Elavarasan, who had to make do without his key imports – Australian defender Taylor Regan and South Korean midfielder Lee Chang Hoon – due to injuries, said: “KL were the better side and deserved to win. Nothing went right after we let in two early soft goals. Our defense was in bad shape.”

In another Group A match played at the Darulmakmur Stadium in Kuantan, Sri Pahang registered a thumping 4-0 win over Penang FC to rekindle their hopes of a place in the knockout stage. It is Sri Pahang’s first win in the competition.

Abdul Malik Mat Ariff was the toast of the Elephants with a brace in the 13th and 53rd minutes. Argentine Manuel Hidalgo (46th) and Ghanaian Abubakar Yakubu (74th) scored the other two.

At the Perak Stadium in Ipoh, Terengganu FC romped to a 4-1 win over Perak FC to keep their unbeaten record in Group B. The win saw the Turtles keep their place at the top with nine points.

English-born Lee Tuck struck twice in the 53rd and 83rd minutes for a grand double on heavy and soggy pitch. Lee was the livewire in the Terengganu FC side and had a hand in his team’s third goal when his cross into the Perak goal saw Danish Haziq turn the ball into his own net past goalkeeper Hafizul Hakimin the 47th minute.

International Faisal Halim opened the flood gates for the Turtles with an unstoppable shot in the ninth minute. Perak never really recovered from the early setback although Argentine Sergio Aguero scored from the spot for Perak to equalize on 24 minutes.

Danial Asri (pic left) scored a double for Selangor FC at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in their 5-1 win over Premier League outfit Kuching City FC.  Singaporean international Safuwan Baharudin netted a penalty in the 66th minute before Sean Selvaraj added another deep into added time.

Nigerian striker Ijezie Chukuwubunna scored Kuching City’s consolation goal in the 11th minute after Myanmar international Hein Htet Aung opened scoring for the Red Giants in the first minute.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 – Malaysia ended their Group J campaign in the AFC Under-23 qualifier in Mongolia with an unbeaten record after a scoreless draw against Thailand at the MFF Stadium in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Sunday.

With maximum points from the 1-0 wins over Laos and Mongolia in their earlier matches, Malaysia top the group with seven points and earned a place in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup Finals in Uzbekistan from June 1-19, 2022.

Malaysia thus ended their campaign in Group J without conceding a goal and goalkeeper Azri Ghani deserves mention for that.

It was a hard earned point off the Thais. With Tajikistan’s Sadullo Gulmurodi as the match referee, it was another ”kungfu” football at the MFF Stadium. Both sides were guilty of several wild tackles.

Malaysia, might have made it to Uzbekistan but for Brad Maloney’s players there is lot of work to be done in every aspect of the game. That work must begin now if Malaysia is to make an impact in the final rounds in Uzbekistan.

The team overcome odds in Ulaanbaatar. The cold and chilling weather and the artificial pitch in the Mongolian capital.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 – Malaysia will not feature in the finals of the USD600,000 Yonex French Open with the defeat of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles semifinals at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris on Saturday.

The fourth-seeded Malaysians went down to South Koreans Ko Sung Hyun-Shin Baek Cheol in three games with the former world champions coming back from a game down to prevail 14-21, 21-10, 24-22 in 56 minutes.

The Koreans will face current World No 1 and top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia who defeated compatriots Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto 21-19, 12-21, 26-24 in a 62-minute thriller.

The men’s singles final will be between fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei who was too strong for Korean rising start Heo Kwang Hee 21-15, 21-17. He takes on Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama who lost the first game to compatriot Kento Momota  24-26, won the second 21-11 and was 1-0 up in the rubber when Momota retired.

The women’s singles will be an all-Japan final when top seed packed off Korea’s An Se-young while Sayaka Takahashi upset reigning world champion P.V. Sindhu of India. Yamaguchi won 21-13, 10-21, 21-18 while Takashi was also involved in three games before winning 18-21, 21-16, 21-12.

PETALING JAYA, Oct 29 – Striker Darren Lok is coming on strong after a long lay off from injury and is knocking on the doors for a recall to Tan Cheng Hoe’s national squad with doubles strike for his club Petaling Jaya City FC in their 3-1 win over Kelantan FC in a Malaysia Cup Group D match on Friday.

The 30-year-old England-born Darren plundered the opening goal in the 10th minute and completed the scoring in the 81st minute to hand the all-local-side a convincing win in the oldest football competition in this region.

In between, R. Kogileswaran scored PJ City’s second goal that left coach P. Maniam all smiles as his team stayed in the hunt for a top two finish in the group for a place in the knockout stage after defending champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) snuffed out Sabah 2-0 at the Likas Stadium.

JDT, the reigning Malaysian Super League champions, are on top with nine points followed by PJ City in second spot on four points. Sabah is third on two points with Kelantan FC at the bottom with one point.

The Southern Tigers tamed Sabah with early strikes. The match was only four minutes when Hazwan Bakri capitalised on a poor back header by Sabah’s Nazirul Naim Che Hashim for JDT’s opening goal.

It was 2-0 for JDT in the 13th minute. This time Gonzalo Cabrera finished off an assist by Leandro Velazquez for the outfit to remain unbeaten after three matches with nine points.

Melaka United continued with their fine run in Group C with a 2-1 win over Kelantan United at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka for their third win in as many matches to sit on top in the group.

Haitian striker Sony Norde scored on 25 minutes to give the home team the lead. Although Kelantan United equalised through Shuhei Fukai in the 43rd minute to make it all square at halftime, Melaka United was not to be denied a win.

Brazilian Adriano Narcizo struck in the 54th minute for the winner to tighten to ensure the knockout stage in the group that has been reduced to three teams after Negri Sembilan FC pulled out from the Malaysia Cup due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Negeri Sembilan players and officials were tested positive for Covid-19 during the month-long international break for national teams for the World Cup qualifiers.

Kedah FC is second in the group with six points after being awarded a 3-0 win over Negeri Sembilan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 – On a day of triple defeats, Tokyo Olympic bronze medal winners Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik kept Malaysia’s flag flying in the men’s doubles at the USD600,000 Yonex French Open at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris on Friday.

The fourth seeded Malaysians will play Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun-Sin Baek Cheol in the semi-finals on Saturday after staging a remarkable fightback to down India’s fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty 18-21, 21-18, 21-17 in 61 minutes.

They were the only bright spark in the quarter-finals on a day when professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles) and mixed doubles pairs Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Yin and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie fell by the wayside.

Yew Sin-Ee Yi went down in straight games 21-13, 22-20 to Indonesia’s top seeds and current world No 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in only 26 minutes to end their campaign in Paris.

Fifth seeds Peng Soon-Liu Ying lasted only 37 minutes to Japan’s No 3 seeds Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino in their 21-10, 21-17 defeat after a below par performance.

Thailand’s top seeds in the mixed doubles Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai were too hot for Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie. The Thais walked away with a 21-14, 21-10 win in only 29 minutes.