The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Players should not be intimidated by Barcelon FC: Rajagopal – Bernama Posted: 09 Aug 2013 11:05 AM PDT National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal wants his players to remain steadfast and not be intimidated by the might of their opponent tomorrow, Barcelona FC. The Spanish Primera Liga club giants take on Rajagobal's boys at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, tomorrow night. This is despite the fact that Argentine maestro Lionel Messi, voted FIFA World Best Player four times, would be at his best despite suffering from fatigue due to the hectic travelling schedule with his FC Barcelona team. "I want the players to take this opportunity to give their full commitment while playing against one of the best football clubs in the world, just like how they played against English Premier League club Chelsea, recently," he said. "I do not want the players to think of the big wins Barcelona FC had recorded in their previous matches like whipping Santos (8-0) and Thailand (7-1) before coming to Malaysia. I just want them to play their normal game," said Rajagobal. Rajagobal said he might retain a majority of the players who had played against Chelsea... even if there are changes it might be one or two players. "For me, playing against this team (FC Barcelona) is also part of our learning process and, most importantly, the local fans will get to be entertained by Saturday's match," he told reporters here after a training session, here, today. FC Barcelona, dubbed the Los Blaugrana (blue and dark red team), marked their 2013/14 Asian Tour by whipping the Thai national team, 7-1 at the Rajagamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. They will wrap up their Asian Tour with the match against the Malaysian side before flying home. Meanwhile, about 3,000 Barcelona fans turned up at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil to watch their favourite stars in action during training, especially Lionel Messi, Neymar and Gerard Pique. The one hour training session was conducted by newly appointed coach Gerardo Martino from Argentina who replaced Tito Vilanova who resigned to undergo treatment for cancer. – Bernama, August 9, 2013. |
| Chong Wei just a step away from world championships final - Bernama Posted: 09 Aug 2013 10:41 AM PDT The top seed in the tournament showed why he is still the World number one as he took just 35 minutes to sweep aside the Indonesian pretender to the title, 21-6, 21-9, which was a flattering score by world standards. Chong Wei (pic) will now meet third seed Du Pengyu of China who overcame India's rising star Parupalli Kashyap 16-21, 22-20, 21-15 in a three-set thriller. In another quarterfinal match played earlier, defending champion Lin Dan from China beat his fellow countryman Chen Long 21-13, 22-20, to keep his hopes of winning a fifth world championship very much alive. He will now meet Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh who had to dig deep into his reserves to overcome a spirited Jan O Jorgensen from Denmark, 21-8, 17-21, 22-20, in another exciting quarterfinal encounter. In today's match, Chong Wei who has beaten the Indonesian six times before, was simply in his element, scoring points at will while Sugiarto was gasping for breath as he was forced to move around the court by Chong Wei's attacking play. "After having beaten Wang Zhengming from China, I maintained the same momentum and Sugiarto was forced to follow my rhythm. Now I am more confident of my game," he said. Against Pengyu, the head-to-head record stands at 7-1 in favour of Chong Wei with the only blemish coming in the Taiwan Open Super Series last December when Chong Wei had to withdraw due to an injury. "I will have to be physically and mentally prepared for the match against Pengyu," he said. As for his likely opponent in the final, Lin Dan, who is also his arch-rival, Chong Wei said he had watched the match between Lin Dan and Chen Long. "It was a great match but right now I just want to focus on my match tomorrow and not worry about my would be opponent. Just like I have said before, this is a very important tournament for me and I want to do my best," said Chong Wei who is now 31. In the 2011 World Championship at the Wembley Arena in London, Chong Wei lost to Lin Dan in the final. – Bernama, August 9, 2013. |
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