Malaysia wins 2011 SEA Games football gold

Malaysia defended their Southeast Asian Games football title Monday with a nerve-shredding 4-3 win on penalties after their hotly anticipated final with hosts Indonesia ended 1-1 following extra time.


Gunawan Dwi Cahyo's fourth minute headed goal for Indonesia put Malaysia on the back foot and scrambling to make their way back into the match.

On the 35th minute however, Malaysia found their way back into the game with a messy, but priceless headed goal of their own through Omar Mohamad Asrarudin; an equaliser that would tip the game back in the Harimau's favour.

The second half saw both team share equal amounts of dominance with Malaysia slowly tiring further into the half. With both teams unable to find the net in natural play, the game was sent into extra-time.

Two disallowed goals for offsides in extra-time saw the match then thrown into a penalty shootout.

Indonesia was first to kick and Bonai converted his attempt. Malaysia then followed suit through a Mahali strike.

Indonesian goal-scorer Gunawan was next, but failed to convert his attempt. Malaysian Fakri would later miss his attempt as well, drawing the shootout level again.

At 3-3, Indonesian hard-man Ferdinand failed to convert his attempt, putting the game in the hands of Malaysian skipper Baddrol who converted successfully.

Baddrol's strike sealed victory for the Harimau Muda, who managed to defend their crowns as SEA Games football gold medalists.

Khairul Fahmi Che Mat

Badrul Bakhtiar

Chelsea arrive in Kuala Lumpur

Following visits from the Gunners and the Reds, Chelsea FC fall in line next to face our Harimau Malaya. 

The Blues, equipped with the likes of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba, will be at a special training session today at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

They will then take on the Harimau Malaya XI squad on Thursday, also at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Didier Drogba

Fernando Torres

Frank Lampard

John Terry

Nicholas Anelka

Andre Villas-Boas

Japan beat USA on penalties to win women's World Cup

Japan twice came from behind to win the Women’s World Cup for the first time, beating the US 3-1 on a penalty shoot-out after the final had finished 2-2 in extra-time.

Captain Homare Sawa, who won the Golden Boot and the player-of-the-tournament award, struck the equaliser in the 117th minute to keep Japan in the game after US striker Abby Wambach’s had put her team ahead early in extra-time as the two sides were locked 1-1 at over 90 minutes.

In the dramatic shoot-out, Japan goal-keeper Ayumi Kaihori saved two penalties before defender Saki Kumagai hit the winning spot-kick.

The US had taken the lead in the second-half of normal time courtesy striker Alex Morgan’s sublime strike, but Japan’s Aya Miyama poached the equaliser after a mix-up in the American defence in the 81st minute.

This was Japan’s first win over the Americans at the 26th time of trying and was heartbreak for the Stars and Stripes as they missed out on a third World Cup title despite dominating Japan for large periods of the game.

Mohd Arif juarai Sirkit Kebangsaan Terbuka Kedah

Mohd Arif Abdul Latif

Pemain remaja kebangsaan, Mohd. Arif Ab Latif muncul juara setelah menewaskan Chan Kwong Beng pada Kejohanan Badminton Sirkit Kebangsaan Terbuka Kedah di Dewan Badminton Persatuan Badminton Kedah (KBA), Alor Setar semalam.

Kemenangan Mohd. Arif merupakan kejayaan kedua selepas meraih kejuaraan sama pada Terbuka Kuala Lumpur selepas menewaskan wakil BAM-Perak, Kwong Beng yang juga juara Terbuka Kedah tahun lalu.

Pemain berusia 22 tahun yang mewakili BAM-Negeri Sembilan itu menerima tentangan sengit daripada Kwong Beng, 23, sebeum meraih kemenangan 21-15, 11-21, 25-23 pada permainan selama sejam.

Pada set ketiga, Kwong Beng menekan Mohd. Arif dengan saling mengejar mata bermula pada mata 17 dalam saingan yang cukup mendebarkan. Bagaimanapun, kemenangan akhirnya berpihak kepada Mohd. Arif dengan kedudukan 25-23.

Naib juara Remaja Asia 2007 membawa pulang wang tunai RM4,000, manakala Kwong Beng menerima RM2,000.

Hadiah kepada pemenang disampaikan oleh Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Industri Pelaburan, Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, Biotekno- logi, Pembangunan Luar Bandar dan Basmi Kemiskinan Negeri Kedah, Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah.

Bagi perseorangan wanita yang menemukan adik beradik, Sonia Cheah Su Ya yang berhasrat untuk membalas dendam menewaskan kakaknya, Lydia Cheah Li Ya tidak kesampaian apabila tewas 15-21, 16-21 dalam permainan selama 40 minit.

Pada aksi beregu campuran Mohd. Fairu- zizuan Mohd. Tazari-Ng Hui Lin menewaskan pasangan, Tan Wee Kiong-Woon Khe Wei 21-13, 21-15.

Bagi beregu wanita pula, pilihan kedua kejohanan, Chin Eei Hui-Goh Liu Ying menepati ramalan apabila muncul juara setelah mengenepikan pasangan Vivian Hoo Kah Mun-Woon Khe Wei 21-14, 21-18.

Beregu lelaki pilihan pertama kejohanan, Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong pula tidak perlu memerah kudrat apabila meraih kemenangan percuma setelah pasangan Koo Kien Kiat-Mohd. Zakry Ab Latif menarik diri akibat kecederaan yang dialami Kien Kiat.

Pasangan yang mewakili BAM-Kuala Lumpur/Selangor itu membawa pulang hadiah wang tunai RM6,0000.

Liverpool beat Malaysia 6-3

Star signing Charlie Adam opened his account with a goal for Liverpool as the Reds beat Malaysia 6-3 Saturday, scoring five times in the second half after a sluggish start to the friendly.

Liverpool, who kicked off their Asian tour in China three days ago, made 11 changes to their line-up after the break, and it paid dividends as they gave the 80,000-strong crowd at Malaysias biggest football stadium, the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, their moneys worth.

Adam celebrated his full debut for Liverpool by giving them the lead from a hotly disputed penalty 24 minutes into the game, but then gave away the free kick from which Malaysian skipper Shafiq Rahim equalised with an exquisite shot from 30 yards (27 metres).

Adam, who signed for the Reds a week ago, dominated the midfield in the opening 45 minutes and created numerous chances for his teammates, all of which went begging.

"It feels great to score my first goal, or should I say two as the referee made me take the penalty twice and I scored both times," joked the former Blackpool skipper.

"I've got to thank Joe Cole as he was supposed to take the penalty but he gave the ball to me instead. It was a tough match and the Malaysian boys gave us a good fight."

French striker David Ngog, who replaced Andy Carroll after the break, scored two in as many minutes to give Liverpool a 3-1 lead before Argentine winger Maxi Rodriguez made it 4-1 in the 74th minute.

Malaysias top striker Mohamad Safee Mohamad Sali then scored his own brace to narrow the gap.

Rodriguez, however, nodded in from close range off a Dirk Kuyt cross in the 90th minute, and Kuyt burst through the Malaysian defence in injury time to make the final score 6-3.

"After that performance, I think they will be inviting us back again. We said we wanted to entertain the crowd and I think we did just that," Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke said.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish left the team's Malaysia tour early and returned to England to finalise the signing of England winger Stewart Downing from Aston Villa.

Downing completed his transfer to Liverpool on Friday after passing a medical, becoming Dalglish's fourth major signing of the summer following Jordan Henderson, Adam and Alexander Doni.

"There will be some players who will be elated that we scored three times against a top club but others will be sad we conceded six times. There were sloppy goals and I'm not too happy about that," Malaysian coach K. Rajagopal.

Charlie Adam




Joe Cole

Liverpool teruja sambutan peminat di Malaysia

Sejak ditubuhkan pada 1892, skuad Liverpool akhirnya menjejakkan kaki di Malaysia semalam untuk aksi persahabatan menentang skuad kebangsaan di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil petang esok.

Ia kunjungan pertama Liverpool selepas kelab itu tidak lagi menjadikan syarikat arak sebagai penaja utama. Ia kini ditaja Standard Chartered dan ini sekali gus menamatkan penantian panjang penyokongThe Reds di negara ini.

Pengarah Urusan Liverpool, Ian Ayre berkata, beliau teruja melihat kehangatan sambutan penyokong Liverpool di China dan Malaysia pada kunjungan kali ini.

"Penyokong The Reds cukup ramai di sini dan kami akan cuba memberikan sesuatu yang terbaik pada perlawanan Sabtu ini bagi memastikan kunjungan kami diingati sampai bila-bila.

"Biarpun kami mengambil masa cukup lama untuk hadir ke Malaysia tetapi kami berharap dapat kembali semula ke sini pada siri jelajah akan datang," kata Ayre pada sidang media di Hotel One World, Bandar Utama, Damansara petang semalam.

Sementara itu, pengurus Liverpool, Kenny Dalglish pada sidang media yang sama turut memberi amaran bahawa tiada laluan mudah buat skuad kebangsaan pada aksi petang esok.

"Aksi pramusim ini merupakan peluang terbaik untuk pemain-pemain mencari semula tahap kecergasan. Buat masa ini, saya berpuas hati dengan siri jelajah ini.

"Cuma ketika bertemu Guangdong Sunray Cave, kita telah mendahului 4-1 tetapi membuat kesilapan mudah melepaskan dua gol pada lima minit terakhir.

"Saya mahu para pemain memperbaiki segera kesilapan dan gunakan sebaik mungkin siri jelajah ini sebagai persiapan menghadapi musim depan.

"Biarpun susah untuk meraih trofi kejuaraan tetapi kita akan berusaha memulakan saingan musim depan dengan langkah kanan," kata Dalglish.

Tidak sampai 24 jam menjejakkan kaki ke negara ini, anak-anak buah Dalglish telah menjalani latihan di Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil bermula 7 malam sebagai persediaan menentang skuad Harimau Malaya.

Penampilan kali pertama barisan The Reds ternyata telah memukau kira-kira 7,000 penonton yang hadir ke stadium semalam bagi menyaksikan sesi latihan pemain-pemain pujaan mereka itu.

Dirk Kuyt

Andy Carrol