Archive for KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia, Thailand fans disappointed with draw in Suzuki Cup

by admin
December 11th, 2012

Malaysia missed a golden opportunity to get a win against Thailand on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR and BANGKOK: Malaysia and Thailand played to a tense draw on Sunday in the first leg of the semi-finals of Southeast Asia’s regional championship, the Suzuki Cup.

Teerasil Dangda scored on a great header late on Sunday to give Thailand a 1-1 draw against defending champions Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

The Thai striker, jumping near the penalty spot, met the cross and placed it into the top right corner in the 79th minute, equalizing Norshahrul Idlan Talaha’s well-directed header earlier in the second half.

Thailand were favourites heading into the two-legged semi, after winning all their group games, and they will now take the advantage of an away goal into Thursday’s return fixture in the Southeast Asian championship.

Fans in both countries were pleased with their teams’ performance, but had hoped for a win. Each side will now being forced to battle it out in Thailand as the tournament heats up for the spot in the final.

“I think we played okay, but we should have got that last goal in the final minutes,” 43-year-old Jamal Aziz told Bikyamasr.com in Kuala Lumpur as he left the national stadium.

“We were right there and so close, but being the underdogs, I don’t think we can complain and we should have confidence going into the next match,” he added.

In Bangkok, it was more disappointment than their Malaysian counterparts, with most Thai fans believing their squad to have been the favorites for the title and missing a number of opportunities.

“We played all right, but I think we should have come out stronger and shown the rest of the region that we are the best team,” said one fan at a local cafe as the match wrapped up. Bikyamasr.com was unable to get his name.

Overall though, the fans believe Thailand is in prime position to advance to the final, needing only a draw to advance on away goals when the two battle in Thailand.

BM

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Malaysia hopes for success against Thailand in Suzuki semi-finals

by admin
December 8th, 2012

Malaysia hopes to get past Thailand in the Suzuki Cup semi-finals and defend title.

KUALA LUMPUR: The road was a tough one for Malaysia to get to the semi-finals, where they face a surging Thailand for a spot in the finals of Southeast Asia’s football championships, or Suzuki Cup.

Malaysia lost to Singapore 3-0 to open their title defense, but rebounded with strong showings against Myanmar and Indonesia to advance to the final four.

Up next, however are the War Elephants, and Malaysian fans are not convinced their team will have the strength to get past, but remain hopeful.

“We will watch and we will cheer our team on, but right now it is not where we want to be,” William Cho, an avid football fan and computer engineer in Kuala Lumpur, told Bikyamasr.com. “Football brings us all together as Malaysians and we are excited to see what happens.”

But Thailand has been near flawless in their arrival in the semi-finals, edged the Philippines 2-1, thumped qualifiers Myanmar 4-0 and then dismissed Vietnam 3-1 during their Group A games in Bangkok.

But that is all irrelevant now, with two matches waiting between either side and a trip to the finals.

BM

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Malaysia and Singapore fight to Suzuki semi-finals

by admin
December 3rd, 2012

Malaysia celebrates a goal in in the Suzuki Cup.

KUALA LUMPUR: Fans from Singapore and Malaysia were celebrating on Saturday night after both countries managed to secure spots in the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian football championships.

Defending champions Malaysia defeated Indonesia 2-0, overcoming their early group loss to Singapore and continuing their hopes for retaining the title won two years ago.

Fans in the capital told Bikyamasr.com they were “pleasantly surprised by the team’s showing and hope this performance will create confidence ahead of the next round.”

One Malaysian, Najeeb, told Bikyamasr.com that “after the first round loss to Singapore, I didn’t think we had a chance, but here we are after two great matches, ready to defend our title.”

In the same group, Singapore squeezed past a pesky Laos team 4-3 to advance.

As Group B runner-up, Malaysia will face Thailand who won Group A in the semi-final to be held in Kuala Lumpur on December 9 and in Bangkok on December 13. The other semi-final will be between Singapore and Group A runner-up, the Philippines on December 8 and December 12.

Both countries are expected to advance to the final, according to experts, but in this tournament, where a few surprises have been seen, Malaysia and Singapore will have to play their way to a rematch.

But fans are hopeful.

“I really would like to play Malaysia again because it is just a great rivalry between the two of us,” said Chris Tan, a Singapore resident who traveled to Shah Alam for the match on Saturday.

BM

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Malaysia hopes to defend football title, but worries abound

by admin
November 26th, 2012

Malaysia looks to begin defense of Suzuki title on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to begin defense of their AFF Suzuki Cup football title this Sunday, but many in the country are worried that they are not up to the task after suffering a series of defeats in recent months to countries they should have defeated.

“We are really wondering if this Malaysia team has what it takes,” said football fan and Malaysian Yussif. He told Bikyamasr.com that “the recent form doesn’t rally us behind the team as in years’ past, but we’ll see what they do on the field.”

Southeast Asian champions Malaysia host neighbor Singapore in what is set to be an intense atmosphere at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Sunday, with the home fans hoping to see their team repeat their title run of 2010.

The Tigers showed bite in that tournament when they overcame a poor start to win the Southeast Asian title for the first time with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Indonesia in the final.

Coach K. Rajagobal has maintained the nucleus of that winning side but their form has dipped alarmingly with warm-up losses to Vietnam and Thailand, and draws at home against unfancied Hong Kong and Bangladesh.

Rajagobal was livid after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Bangladesh and warned he would make “drastic changes” if they slip-up again this weekend.

“We didn’t get the desired result against Bangladesh and I’ll take stern action if we don’t get a positive result against Singapore,” he said.

“I’m concerned with the team’s display… Another below-par performance will force me to make drastic changes to the team.”

For Malaysians and football fans in the region, the tournament is a rare chance to see all the countries on the same field, competing for bragging rights for the next two years.

“I hope we show spirit and battle,” added Yussif.

BM

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Vietnam beats Malaysia for second straight time

by admin
November 5th, 2012

Vietnam again beat Malaysia 1-0 on Saturday in Hanoi.

KUALA LUMPUR: For the second time in three months Vietnam shocked Malaysia in a friendly match, beating the visitors 1-0 in Hanoi.

Malaysia, who hopes to defend their AFF Suzuki Cup title later this month, could very well have lost by a larger margin, but goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi made a number of spectacular saves to give his side a chance, but it didn’t matter.

Malaysia could must little attack against the home side, who were victorious on Song Lam Nghe An midfielder Nguyen Trong Hoang’s goal in the 74th minute.

Fans watching the match in Kuala Lumpur were unexpectedly disappointed and wonder if their national side will be up to the task later this month.

“I don’t know about this team. They seem weak,” said one watcher at a Kuala Lumpur bar. He told Bikyamasr.com that “there is much work to be done if they are to have the pride of Malaysia.”

Vietnam’s confidence is on a high, only having lost one of their last 9 outings, which included an impressive 2-0 win over Harimau Malaya back on September 11.

Malaysia still has plenty of improving to do, especially given they face a tricky route to the semi-finals after being grouped together with Singapore, Indonesia and Laos.

Vietnam, on the other hand, are in Group A and will play co-hosts Thailand, Philippines and Myanmar.

BM

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US shocks Malaysia in World Cricket League opener

by admin
September 5th, 2012

USA cricket team shocked Malaysia on Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The United States shocked the cricket world after slamming Malaysia with a 70 run victory on the opening day of the World Cricket League Division Four in Klang on Monday.

Malaysia’s hopes to move up a league were stymied by the Americans, who are beginning to show their abilities on the pitch after years of silence.

Malaysia really never had a chance of winning after three Americans posted half-centuries in their 289-5 off 50 overs before Malaysia were held to 219-8.

Sushil Nadkarni (73) and Steven Taylor (62) opened the US innings with a 110-run stand before Suharril Fetri Shuib achieved a breakthrough by trapping Taylor leg-before in the 22nd over.

Nadkarni was bowled by Suresh Navaratnam but only after adding 47 runs for the second wicket with Steve Massiah.

Massiah (33) and Timroy Allen (72 not out) added 70 runs before three wickets fell in the last six overs to Khizar Hayat Durrani, Shahrunizam Yusof and Nik Azril Ariffin.

Malaysia lost three early wickets in their reply as Elmore Hutchinson (2-22) had Shafiq Sharif (one) out leg-before after facing just three balls and Ahmad Faiz Mohammed Noor (five) bowled, either side of Rakesh Madhavan’s dismissal for four runs by Allen (2-35).

BM

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Tiger Woods to play Malaysia tournament in October

by admin
August 7th, 2012

Tiger Woods announced on Monday he will play in Malaysia tournament.

KUALA LUMPUR: Golf fans are already squirming in Malaysia after American star Tiger Woods announced he would play the CIMB Classic from October 25-28 at The Mines Resort in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The event is to become an official PGA Tour stop next year, is to have a massive draw because of Woods, who will compete in Malaysia for the first time since he won the individual and team titles at the 1999 World Cup in the country.

The CIMB Classic began two years ago as little more than a limited-field exhibition that featured PGA Tour players and Asian Tour players.

It will become a full-fledged PGA Tour event starting in 2013, when the tour begins its new season in October after the FedEx Cup competition.

This year’s even will feature a 48 man field, including 30 from the US’s PGA Tour, 10 from the Asian Tour and 8 exemptions.

They will compete for $6.1 million.

When it becomes part of the 2013-14 tour schedule, the CIMB Classic will have at least a 78-man field and a $7 million purse, organizers said.

Fans are already “pumped” to see Woods in action, who has returned to solid form in the past few months and bumped his world ranking back into the top 5 after a long layoff as a result of personal scandals.

“I am so excited and pumped to see Woods play,” said Selangor resident Thomas Murray, a British expatriate who has lived in Malaysia for nearly a decade. He told Bikyamasr.com that “this will be great for golf and great for Malaysia because this is a country that should be hosting top level events.”

A year ago, the Malaysian event was largely overlooked the last week in October when IMG put together the Shanghai Masters at Lake Malaren, a 30-man field that featured an All-Star cast that included Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Padraig Harrington.

BM

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Two late Arsenal goals stun Malaysia

by admin
July 26th, 2012

Arsenal squeaks past Malaysia 2-1 in exhibition.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia was close, but not quite good enough to defeat England’s Arsenal on Tuesday in a friendly match part of the English club giants trip to Southeast Asia ahead of the beginning of their season back in England.

Malaysians don’t often get to see the giants from the EPL get beaten by a Malaysian side, which goes back to 1975 when the late Mokhtar Dahari scored a brace in their 2-0 win over Arsenal.

And on Tuesday, it wasn’t to be, despite a promising start.

Malaysia’s left-back Azmi Muslim gave the 35,000 fans something to cheer about when they trooped off the pitch in style, leading Arsene Wenger’s men stunned 1-0 at half-time. But Arsenal struck with two late goals through Thomas Eisfeld and Chucks Aneke in the 87th and 89th minutes.

It was entertainment for the crowd and Azmi pulled the trigger from 30 meters out with a lethal left-footed strike which left Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone sprawled to the ground in stoppage time of the half.

But Wenger’s men came back after the breather to pull off a slim 2-1 victory.

BM

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Malaysia’s star badminton player Chong Wei to retire after Olympics

by admin
July 14th, 2012

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei hopes for gold in London.

KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Chong Wei is to give badminton one final whirl in London later this month. According to a statement he gave reporters before leaving Kuala Lumpur for England, the national men’s singles badminton champ said he would be focusing on training ahead of the start of the Olympic Games.

After the tournament, he said, he planned on retiring from the sport in 2014, making this his final chance for gold.

Chong Wei is currently battling an ankle injury that threatens to see him miss the Games in London.

“The 12-day training is critical for my teammates and I as my (ankle) injury needs to heal before I face my opponent,” he said when met by reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Thursday.

He left for London with five other national players comprising men’s doubles Koo Kien Kiat and Tan Boon Heong, mixed doubles Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, women’s singles Tee Jing Yi and officials from the Badminton Association of Malaysia, National Sports Council and National Sports Institute.

Malaysia has never had a gold medalist at the Olympic Games and much hope rests on the star player to bring over the hardware.

BM

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Malaysia believes it can host major sporting events

by admin
June 25th, 2012

Malaysia wants to host international sporting events.

KUALA LUMPUR: Citing the success of hosting the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012, Malaysia believes it can be a proper host for other major international sporting events.

The country’s Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddine Yassin said on Sunday that he is confident that the participants and foreigners who came to the country for the race were comfortable and that it shows Malaysia is ready to play host to other events.

Yassin made the comments after the flagging of 28,000 participants of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012 near the National Monument, here.

Some 1,000 participants came to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, from countries including Kenya, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Singapore, to race in the marathon.

“I see a lot of young Malaysians today and this is the best way to show to the foreigners and also the world how strong young Malaysians are united as one.

“This type of event is really significant for our country,” he said.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the marathon was a good way of promoting Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as a venue for international tournaments.

“It shows to the outside world that Malaysia has the capability to organize sporting events of international standard.

“An international event such as this also gives Malaysia the opportunity to demonstrate the friendly attitude of the people here and the peace and progress achieved by the country,” he added.

BM

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