SPORTS SPORTS FRIDAY | MAR 15, 2024 30 @thesundaily FOLLOW ON Malaysian Paper INSTAGRAM Simeone comes out tops Atletico triumph on penalties to reach Champions League quarters ATLETICO MADRID bounced back from two goals down on aggregate against Inter Milan to reach the Champions League quarterfinals with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shoot-out triumph yesterday. Trailing by a single goal after last month’s first leg, Atletico looked dead and buried when Federico Dimarco pushed home Inter’s opener at the Estadio Metropolitano. But Antoine Griezmann immediately pulled the hosts level on the night and three minutes before the end of the regulation 90 minutes substitute Memphis Depay took the tie to extra-time at 2-2 with a fine low finish. That set up the decisive shoot-out which ended with Inter missing three of their five penalties, star striker Lautaro Martinez handing passage to the last eight to Atletico when he booted his spot-kick way off target. “I think penalties are a lottery. Today luckily I stopped two,” said Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who saved from Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen. “It’s not easy to stop a penalty. Sometimes it looks easy from the outside but it’s not.” “I’m very, very happy for the team because I think we did a great match,” he added. “We played well. Maybe in the last month we’ve not been in great shape but we showed we can do much more.” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he couldn’t bear to watch the team’s “emotional” penalty shootout . “I didn’t watch,” Simeone told Movistar via espn.com when asked about the shootout. “It’s not good for me to watch, I decided not to… Jan (Oblak) deserves it. It’s always been hard for us with penalties.” Atletico famously lost the 2016 Champions League final on penalties to rivals Real Madrid in Milan. “I was just looking at the images of the fans on the TV, it’s emotional,” Simeone added. “When the team is like it was today, the hope grows, and we generate that excitement. “We’re among the eight best (teams) in Europe once more, that says a lot about the club.” Simeone praised last year’s beaten Champions League finalists Inter as “one of the best in Europe.” “They’re an incredible team,” Simeone said of Inter. “They play well, they’re very quick, they’re decisive, the forwards work hard. (Defenders Stefan) Savic, Mario (Hermoso), Axel (Witsel) played a great game. They played like you have to.” The two teams could barely have come into yesterday’s match in more contrasting form as Inter had won 13 matches on the bounce since the start of 2024 while Atletico had won only one of their last five. However it was an even and exciting contest in the Spanish capital in which Atletico pushed hard for the win and both sides created a clutch of opportunities. Home advantage turned out to be crucial for Atletico who have won 19 of their 21 fixtures at the Metropolitano in all competitions. Atletico are also unbeaten in 17 knockout matches on home turf in the Champions League and in front of a passionate crowd they fought back from an impossible looking position against runaway Serie A leaders Inter. Simone Inzaghi’s Inter now turn their attentions back to winning their 20th Serie A title while Atletico await today’s draw for the last eight in Nyon. “Once we went ahead we needed to be better, those three-four minutes in order to maintain that advantage Dimarco gave us,” said Inzaghi. “At that moment the match seemed in our hands but instead they got back into the game.” – AFP/ Mbappe on target as PSG reach Cup semifinals KYLIAN MBAPPE returned to the starting lineup and scored as Paris Saint-Germain beat Nice 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the French Cup yestersday. Having only been used as a substitute in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Reims in Ligue 1, Mbappe was recalled in one of six changes made by coach Luis Enrique. He responded by opening the scoring in the 14th minute at the Parc des Princes, and Fabian Ruiz soon doubled the home side’s lead. Gaetan Laborde pulled one back before the break for Nice, but Brazilian defender Lucas Beraldo’s first PSG goal sealed the win on the hour mark. Ten points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and through to the Champions League quarterfinals, the result means PSG remain in with a chance of winning a clean sweep of honours this season. “The team has clearly improved and I think we will keep improving,” said Luis Enrique. “We are in a key moment of the season, into the final third, and we are still alive in every competition. We need to remain humble and try to be even more competitive, but we are in great form.” Mbappe has either started on the bench or been substituted in each of PSG’s four Ligue 1 games since he informed the club of his intention to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. The coach’s squad rotation has created headlines in recent weeks beyond his use of Mbappe, but the Spaniard made clear he does not mind leaving key players out. “I don’t care. It’s normal that the players are not happy when they don’t play,” he said. “They need to be prepared to give 100 percent when they train and when they play. “This is not an NGO, it is a top-level football team. The players need to be ready to perform at their best. Whether it is fair or unfair is not my concern.” – AFP BORUSSIA DORTMUND winger Jadon Sancho said there was “no better feeling” after his goal helped secure a 2-0 win over PSV Eindhoven and progress to the Champions League quarterfinals yesterday. The Manchester United loanee opened the scoring in the third minute, his first goal in front of Dortmund’s 82,000-strong home crowd since May 2021. Marco Reus added a goal in stoppage time to seal the win, putting Dortmund through 3-1 on aggregate, making the last eight for the first time since 2021. “It was like a relief. I think like all players you want to have a good start to the game – and there’s no better feeling than that,” Sancho told TNT Sports. “I’m just grateful that I could get a goal for the team. “We knew it was going to be tough, but I felt we’d have the advantage because we’re playing in front of our home fans.” Sancho, 23, had an unhappy time at Manchester United and had to train away from the first team having fallen out of favour with coach Erik ten Hag. Having only made three appearances in the Premier League this season, the winger arrived in Dortmund for his second spell at the club in January on a six-month loan. He came into Wednesday’s game saying he could “understand fans getting frustrated” with his output, but has now scored twice in two games. “I’ve always got a special place for Borussia Dortmund,” Sancho said on Wednesday. “This is where I made my name. I have to be grateful to them and to my teammates for believing in me. “I’m just happy we got the win today.” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who coached Sancho during the Englishman’s first stint in Germany, praised the winger. “I’m happy for Jadon that he scored. He had a really great game,” Terzic told reporters. “I think that today Jadon showed us his best performance since he returned to us.” Terzic said Dortmund and Sancho were being rewarded for their patience. “It was only seven days ago when everyone was asking ‘What’s happening with Jadon, why hasn’t he scored?’ “Now he has two goals.” Sancho was substituted with 15 minutes remaining while clutching his thigh, but said: “I felt something and I just didn’t want to risk it. “We’re gonna check and hopefully it’s nothing.” Terzic added: “He felt something in his leg, but we hope that he comes through it healthy and that he’ll be available for us this weekend.” – AFP ‘No better feeling’, says Sancho PARIS ST-GERMAIN are preparing an £80m (RM480m) bid for Manchester United’s 26-yearold England forward Marcus Rashford and would be willing to pay him £500,000 (RM3m) a week. PSG are interested in Liverpool’s Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 27, as a replacement for 25- year-old France forward Kylian Mbappe who is set to join Real Madrid. CHELSEA chairman Todd Boehly is willing to sell 30-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at Roma, and 29-year-old Spain goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is on loan at Real Madrid, to Saudi Pro League clubs in the summer in an attempt to raise £100m (RM600m). MANCHESTER UNITED’S recruitment team are touring Europe’s biggest clubs before the transfer window in an effort to get an early start on this summer’s squad rebuild. MANCHESTER UNITED have made signing a centreback a top priority, with Juventus and Brazil defender Gleison Bremer, 26, on their list alongside Everton’s 21-year-old English defender Jarrad Branthwaite. BRIGHTON are increasingly fearful head coach Roberto de Zerbi will leave this summer amid interest from Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool. TOUCHLINES MATCH-BY-MATCH facts and stats ahead of the next round of English Premier League fixtures (all in Malaysian time/11pm unless stated): TOMORROW Burnley vs Brentford – Away win Brentford have won twice in their three Premier League meetings with Burnley but the Clarets won 3-1 in the sides’ last meeting at Turf Moor. Both sides have lost four of their last five League games (D1 L4). Luton vs Forest – Home win The sides meet for the second time in the Premier League. Their last meeting at Forest ended in a 2-2 draw. Forest have one win in their last eight games (D1 L6). SUNDAY Fulham vs Tottenham (1.30am) – Away win Spurs have 19 wins in their 33 Premier League meetings with Fulham. The Cottagers have suffered defeats at home in their last seven League games against Spurs who beat Marco Silva’s team 2-0 in their last meeting. West Ham vsAston Villa (10pm) – Away win Villa are unbeaten in their last four away games (W3 D1). Both sides have 14 wins over each other in their 49 Premier League meetings (D21) but the Villan beat the Hammers 4-1 in their last meeting. Reuters PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEWS & PREDICTIONS Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (2nd left) in action with Inter Milan keeper Yann Sommer. – REUTERSPIX
SPORTS SPORTS FRIDAY | MAR 15, 2024 31 Zii Jia beats Naraoka in straight sets AFTER suffering two successive defeats in tournaments, the country’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia returned to winning ways by defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and advance to the second round of the 2024 All England badminton championships. Zii Jia, ranked 10th in the world, outclassed the world No. 6 ranked Japanese player 21-12, 21-19 in straight sets in the opening round of the Super 1000 tournament at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. However, with only one point required to secure victory in the second game, Zii Jia who was leading by eight points, conceded seven straight points to give the Malaysian camp some tense moments since Naraoka fought back to 20-19 from 20-12, before losing out. In four encounters against Naraoka previously, the Malaysian only won once, incidentally at last year’s All England quarter-finals, but suffered defeats in both meetings after thast - 2023 China Open first round and 2024 India Open quarterfinals. Naraoka also won their first match in the 2023 Malaysia Open first round. ‘Comeback kid’ eyeing spot in relay team AFTER a layoff of more than six months due to injury, former SEA Games sprint champion Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi is determined to make an impression on the international stage this year. The 25-year-old athlete said his immediate aim is to earn a spot in the national men’s 4x100 metres (m) squad. “I’m determined to make a gradual comeback. Although I have missed many championships and my performance has dropped, I believe in myself in this comeback trail. “We have established a name in the sprints. I trust my coach and follow the programmes closely. It will be great to qualify for the relay,” he said when interviewed recently. In July last year, he hurt his ankle in training, forcing him to take a long break from competitions, including missing the Asian Athletics Championships in Pattaya and 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. National sprint coach Muhammad Poad Kassim said Muhammad Haiqal has been showing progress since resuming training with the national squad early this year. “Haiqal took some time off due to injury and then there were no major competitions. After treatment, he seems to be coming along fine in training. I hope he stays focused to give his best this year,” he added. TFC young talents to join Malaysia U-23 THE success of three Terengganu FC (TFC) players being called up by national U-23 head coach Juan Torres Garrido proves that the team has a line-up of talented young players, says Terengganu Football Club Sdn Bhd (TFCSB) chief operating officer Mohd Syahrizan Mohd Zain. He said the Turtles squad was very proud of the achievement which would undoubtedly bring various benefits to the players and the club. He said credit should also be given to the coaching staff who successfully honed the talents and potential of the players, enabling them to represent the country on the international stage. “Exposure at the international level will undoubtedly provide the players with more experience, thereby contributing to better achievements for the club,” he said when contacted. The three players called to participate in the Harimau Malaya U-23 squad’s central training camp which begins on Sunday are central defender Muhammad Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili; Muhammad Faris Rifqi Abdul Rashid and goalkeeper, Rahadiazli Rahalim. The training is in preparation for the U-23 Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar, which will take place from April 15 to May 3. Sports science is key Arul hopes Sarjit continues initiative to improve Tigers FORMER national men’s hockey head coach A. Arulselvaraj hopes his successor Sarjit Singh will continue the sports science initiatives implemented for the team. Arul, who took charge of the Speedy Tigers from September 2020 till January this year, said he had introduced sports science to enhance performance with the hope of challenging top hockey nations. “I brought in a lot of sports science elements; it is a process. Sports science is the key now. “Look at the top international teams,” said Arul, whose contract ended after the Speedy Tigers failed to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. “We know Sarjit as a player. He has good charisma and is passionate (about hockey). “At 62, he is still running around, playing and always fighting for the players. I wish Sarjit all the best,” he said, adding that he is ready to support the national team if required. Arul also thanked former National Sports Council director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail for helping Speedy Tigers to get a mini gym at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Arul hopes the hockey fraternity will give their full support to the national team and Sarjit, saying the culture of making unconstructive comments must stop. “The public also needs to stop asking the president (Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal) and MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) office bearers to resign if the team don’t achieve their target. It doesn’t make sense because results are determined by players on the field,” he said. Malaysia last played in the Olympics in the 2000 Sydney edition, and the Speedy Tigers failed to end the over two-decade wait. At the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, which offered an Olympic ticket for the gold medallists, the national team failed to progress beyond the group stage. At the Oman qualifiers from Jan 13-21, the last avenue for Olympic qualification, Malaysia finished last in their group. The top three teams from that tournament qualified for the Olympics. – Bernama NATIONAL women’s squash ace, S. Sivasangari, has set her sights on the ultimate goal of her career by winning gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While acknowledging that many squash players share the same dream, Sivasangari is determined to put her shoulder to the wheel to strive for Olympic glory and etch her name in the history books of Malaysian sports by securing the elusive gold for the nation. The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games champion believed that with support from key stakeholders such as the National Sports Council, National Sports Institute, Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia, coaches, and her sponsor, CIMB Group (CIMB), she will be fueled with the motivation needed to excel on the grand stage of the world’s largest multisports event. “I mean, you always have to have that belief in yourself. I guess, if you’re not going to put that goal there, then, you know, the question of why am I doing this. “So, I think, obviously, I have four more years. I’m going to work as hard as I can, adjust my weaknesses and get better on those areas,” she told reporters during the partnership signing ceremony with CIMB as their sporting ambassador yesterday. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. In the meantime, Sivasangari, who returned to top 15 in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Rankings recently, hoped to break into the top 10 by June. The 25-year-old felt that she is nearly getting up there after going down fighting against the world’s sixth best and top seed from England, Georgina Kennedy of England, 11-13, 8-11, 14-12, 11-6, 9-11, in the semifinals of the Land squash tournament at the Cleveland Racquet Club in Cleveland, the United States, last week. “It’s always tough to be losing a close match but I ’ m getting closer and closer. I’ve been playing with these top 10 players, and hopefully I can find my breakthrough soon. When that happens, I’m confident that I’ll do much better,” she said. Regarding the qualification process for the 2028 Olympics, Sivasangari said that she is yet to hear any words from the World Squash Federation. Meanwhile, CIMB Group chief executive officer (group consumer and digital banking) Effendy Shahul Hamid was pleased to see that the Sungai Petani-born player agreed to partner with them and joined their roster of sporting talent which includes national track cycling ace, Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and national golfer, Ervin Chang. “She has the mindset and tenacity of a winner, and I expect her to be the source of immense pride for the nation as she progresses,” he said. – Bernama ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Bournemouth 4 Sivasangari target gold at 2028 LA Olympics (Solanke 50, Zabarnyi 62, Semenyo 64, 83) Luton 3 (Chong 9, Ogbene 31, Barkley 45+1). P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 28 20 4 4 70 24 64 Liverpool 28 19 7 2 65 26 64 Man City 28 19 6 3 63 28 63 Aston Villa 28 17 4 7 59 41 55 Tottenham 27 16 5 6 59 39 53 Man Utd 28 15 2 11 39 39 47 West Ham 28 12 7 9 45 49 43 Brighton 28 11 9 8 50 44 42 Wolves 28 12 5 11 42 44 41 Newcastle 28 12 4 12 59 48 40 Chelsea 27 11 6 10 47 45 39 Fulham 28 10 5 13 40 44 35 Bournemouth 28 9 8 11 41 52 35 Crystal Palace 28 7 8 13 33 48 29 Brentford 28 7 5 16 40 52 26 Everton 28 8 7 13 29 39 25 Nottm Forest 28 6 6 16 34 50 24 Luton 28 5 6 17 41 59 21 Burnley 28 3 5 20 27 62 14 Sheff Utd 28 3 5 20 24 74 14 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (Last 16, 2nd leg): Atletico Madrid 2 (Griezmann 35, Depay 87) Inter Milan 1 (Dimarco 33) aet (Tie level 2-2 on agg; Atletico win 3- 2 on pen), Borussia Dortmund 2 (Sancho 3, Reus 90+5) PSV Eindhoven 0 (Dortmund win 3-1 on agg). FRENCH CUP(Quarterfinal): Paris Saint-Germain 3 (Mbappe 14, Ruiz 33, Beraldo 60) Nice 1 (Laborde 37). RESULTS & STANDINGS SHORTS Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal (right) together with newly appointed head coach Sarjit Singh a press conference recently. – BERNAMAPIX National squash player Sivasangari Subramaniam speaking to the media yesterday. – BERNAMAPIX
theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2625 Email: [email protected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: [email protected] MIKEL ARTETA tried to put on a managerial demeanour as he congratulated his players on going the distance and beating Porto, but ultimately, he couldn’t keep the joyous smile off his face. It was all too visible as he came out of the dressing room and then sat down in front of the media. Arteta was thrilled. Those who speak of the exacting standards of winners might say that’s a bit much for a mere Champions League last-16 penalty shootout victory over a side Arsenal should be beating fairly easily, in the way this side have generally had their celebrations policed. There was obviously much more to it than that. It wasn’t even that the club had reached the quarterfinals, either. It was that the team had made another crucial step, with this one admittedly a giant leap. This is the gleefully intoxicating thing about a team that is on top. Liverpool will know it well from Jurgen Klopp’s first years. Even Arsenal’s great rivals at Tottenham Hotspur will be familiar with it from the Mauricio Pochettino era. It is the excitement and sense of possibility that comes from seeing another landmark left behind. The team feels like it can just keep going. There’s almost nothing like it in football. It’s certainly when a club is at its happiest that the imagination is sparked. That was very much the atmosphere at Arsenal on Tuesday. You could feel it in the crowd. The team was one round closer to a Champions League final but also a few steps closer to a sense of completion. That doesn’t mean they will ever get there, of course, but the point is that they can keep progressing towards that horizon. It was why Arsenal’s most ragged display in some time was also the most heartening. It wasn’t about the performance but the willingness to persevere. While an Arsenal elimination here wouldn’t have been a disaster given they are top of the Premier League, it would have been so dispiriting that it could have slowed all momentum. It also would have left them with a lot to dwell on in the long 19-day break until the next match, which happens to be the biggest of the season in a trip to Manchester City. There would have been inevitable talk about buckling when it mattered again, all the more so since Porto seemed such a forgiving draw. There’s also the fact of the club’s underwhelming Champions League history, given the last 16 was where Arsene Wenger most often fell. Even their greatest-ever manager only got past that stage five times in 19 attempts. Arteta has done it in his first. The manner of it also proved a honing experience in another way, as it represented the first time that this young Arsenal side had come through such a classically tense and tactical European tie. For all the rancour between the two clubs – and even the two managers – Arteta may be appreciative of this game, because Porto posed a different challenge. Very few sides play the way that Sergio Conceicao’s team does in the modern game, and it is good to get through… if you get through. Arsenal did exactly that and there was another important leap for the man most responsible. David Raya was the hero, so conspicuously and happily congratulated by the man he replaced, Aaron Ramsdale. That victory ensured Arsenal made a step many would have considered predictable, but the point of a team on the up is that they still have to go and do it. Arteta was inevitably asked after the game about whether they can be Champions League winners. He said there is still a “mountain to climb”. Now in March, from the top of the League, they can see the summit. That is something people wouldn’t have said about Arsenal as recently as 18 months ago. It shows the steps they’ve taken. – The Independent SCAN ME FRIDAY | MAR 15, 2024 or download app from the App Store or Google PlayTM . www.thesun.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download SCAN ME Malaysian Paper Read iPaper at Malaysian Paper Malaysian Paper Comfortable win for Bangladesh -Story - on page 28 Story on page 27 Rune battles past Ritz Giant leap for Gunners Arsenal’s Champions League progress shows a crucial step is behind them -Story on page 30 Mbappe on target Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) and David Raya celebrate after the Champions League match against Porto on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIX █ BY MIGUEL DELANEY