TIGERS UNITED

Justin Harding of South Africa cruised to a six-shot victory at the Royal Cup to become the first player since 2011 to win back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour on Sunday. The in-form Harding fired a three-under-par 67 in the final round of the US$500,000 Asian Tour event. With a winning total of 14-under-par 266, Harding became the first player to win twice in his first two starts in Asia. The 32-year-old, won the BANK BRI Indonesia Open two weeks ago, took home the winner’s purse of US$90,000 while earning his fourth title in a span of two months at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club . Defending champion Shiv Kapur of India battled to a 71 to share second place with Australia’s Jake McLeod , Kurt Kitayama  of the United States and Chapchai Nirat , who finished as the highest ranked local player following a 68. The Royal Cup is held in honour of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who celebrated his 66th birthday yesterday. ...

Melaka United secured seventh place finish in the Liga Super 2018 after defeating Negeri Sembilan 3-0 in Paroi on Saturday. Both team were unable to score in the first half but the match turned exciting after the break. Negeri Sembilan's goalkeeper, Mohd Kaharuddin Abd Rahman had to work hard throughout the match to stop Melaka United's continuous attacks. However, four minutes into the second half, Melaka United finally broke the deadlock. Ifedayo Olusegun converted a cross from Yahor Zubovich to give his team the lead. The goal gave the visitors more confidence after a frustrating first half. Melaka United increased their lead in the 64th minute after Mohd Nasriq Baharom deflected a shot from Khair Muhammad Jefri. And just two minutes later, Ifedayo made it 3-0 for his team. Then, Negeri Sembilan got a consolation goal in the 89th minute through Flavio Beck Junior . The result gave Melaka United a pretty strong finish in the Liga Super this year. Negeri...

Josh Salah of the United States was victorious after beating Bangladesh’s Shakhawat Shohel after three extra holes at the PGM Northport Championship on Sunday. Salah and Shakhawat were tied on 13-under-par 275 at the end of regulation play at the MYR225,000 (approximately US$58,000) event, hosted by Glenmarie Golf and Country Club . The 27-year-old Salah, who carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66, had a great chance to win at the first play-off hole, but his ball narrowly lipped out. He also missed another opportunity from six feet at the second extra hole. The play-off was moved from the 18th hole to the 17th hole and that was where Salah managed to edge ahead of Shakhawat. The Bangladeshi drove it into the right hazard and was not able to get up-and-down, while Salah parred the hole for his second win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT). Starting the day three shots behind the leader, Salah closed the deficit with birdies on holes one, three and five. Crucial par saves...

Pulau Pinang  were held to a 1-1 draw with  Felda United  in their  Liga Premier 's match at State Stadium on Friday. The home side took the lead in the first half before the Liga Premier champions equalized after the break. Felda United had sealed the title on July 17 with two matches remaining, and they went to Penang with nothing lose.  Jasazrin Jamaludin  gave Pulau Pinang the lead in the 11th minute with a wonderful shot from outside the penalty area.  Chidi Edeh  almost doubled the advantage but his goal was ruled-out for offside. The Fighters  were more organized in the second half. They pressed the home team and finally got the equalizer in the 75th minute.  Gilberto Valdenesio Fortunato  found the net after receiving a pass from  Wan Zack Haikal . Felda United wrapped-up their Liga Premier campaign with 43 points from 20 matches. And they will return to the  Super League  next season. However,...

Melaka United  came from behind to beat  Selangor  3-2 in an interesting  Liga Super  match at the Hang Jebat Stadium. The home side got all the three goals in the second half. Selangor dominated the first 45 minutes. After a series of attacks, the visitors took the lead in the 25th minute through  Ilham Udin Armaiyn .  Ifedayo Olusegun  had a good chance for Melaka in the first half, but his strike was denied by the crossbar. Melaka were more organized after the break. In the 50th minute,  Yahor Zubovich  beat  Muhammad Haziq Ridzwan  for the equalizer. D. Kugan  gave Selangor the lead again in the 70th minute after getting a fine pass from  Muhammad Syahmi Safari . However, Melaka did not give it up easily. They showed good characters to stay in the game. Zubovich was on the scoresheet again with a header from  Shahdan Sulaiman 's free kick. As the match was about to end with a draw,...

France clinched their second FIFA World Cup after defeating Croatia in a thrilling finale at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Les Bleus repeated their success on home soil at France 98 with a comfortable 4-2 victory despite Croatia's strong performance throughout the tournament in Russia. Their victory meant Didier Deschamps is now the third man to win the World Cup as a player and coach. Luck was not on Croatia's side as France erased their memories of losing in the final to Portugal in Euro 2016. France took the lead after 18 minutes when Antoine Griezmann 's free-kick deflected in from Mario Mandzukic 's head. Ten minutes later, Croatia equalised with a superb goal by Ivan Perisic . But then, referee Nestor Pitana awarded a penalty to France after VAR was consulted for a handball by Perisic. Griezmann calmly scored from the spot in the 38th minute to restore his team's advantage. When the match resumed after the break, France looked to have ...

Belgium  beat  England  2-1 on Saturday to earn their best ever  World Cup  finish in the tournament.  Thomas Meunier  and  Eden Hazard  found the net at St. Petersburg Stadium after both teams were knocked-out in the semifinals. Belgium were beaten by France, while England lost to Croatia in the last four. Belgium took an early lead with Meunier's 4th minute goal. He ran from England's blind side and knocked-in a cross from  Nacer Chadli . The score remained until the break. England returned in the second half in search for an equaliser. They got their best chance through  Eric Dier , but  Toby Alderweireld  slid on the goal line to clear the shot. With less than ten minutes left to play, Belgium suddenly doubled their lead. Hazard beat  Jordan Pickford  after getting a brilliant pass from  Kevin De Bruyne . The goal sealed the third place for Belgium, which is their best finish in the Wor...

Pahang  won the  Malaysia FA Cup  for the third time after beating  Selangor  2-0 in the final at National Stadium on Saturday. Over 43,000 loyal fans turned-up for the final despite the on going World Cup in Russia. The  Elephants  started the match with attacking strategy that kept Selangor defenders busy.  Mohd Khairulazhan Khalid  had to make a number of important saves following Pahang's continuous pressure. However, it took just 11 minutes for Pahang to break the deadlock.  Muhd Nor Azam Abdul Azih  scored from outside the penalty box after receiving a pass from  Nor Shahrul Idlan Talaha . Selangor almost got the equaliser late in the first half but  Mohd Helmi Eliza Elias  denied  K. Kannan 's shot. Just seven minutes into the second half, the  Red Giants  were punished again.  Amamchi Augustine Iwuji  was taken down inside the danger area, and  Patrick Dos Santos...

John Catlin of the United States sank a clutch birdie putt on the last hole to win his second Asian Tour title in a thrilling final round at the US$300,000 Sarawak Championship on Saturday. The 27-year-old held his nerve before rolling in a five-foot putt on the par-four 18th hole to edge his closest challengers Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand, Danthai Boonma and Paul Peterson of the United States by a single shot at the Damai Golf and Country Club . There was very little breathing space for Catlin in the final round but he eventually prevailed after returning with a bogey-free six-under-par 66 for a 22-under-par 266 total in the inaugural Asian Tour event. A fast charging Jazz birdied 16 and eagled 17 for a superb 64 to set the clubhouse target on 21-under before settling for second place with countryman Danthai (66) and overnight leader Peterson, who also birdied the last to finish with a 68. With Jazz safely in the clubhouse, the Sarawak Championship looked l...

Pahang secured their place in the Malaysia FA Cup final after defeating PKNP FC at Perak Stadium. After being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the Elephants came to Ipoh and snatched a 2-1 away win in the return leg. Pahang showed a lot of determination from the kick-off. Augustine Amathu gave them the lead in the 32nd minute and the score stood until the interval. After the break Norshahrul Idlan Talaha doubled the score for Pahang in the 75th minute. PKNP did not give-up and increased the pressure on the visitors. They got a penalty in the 81st minute and Franklin Anzite converted it. Pahang held on until the end of the match and sealed their place in the final. They will meet Selangor at Bukit Jalil Stadium on July 7.

The sweet sound of success will resonate very well with Jazz Janewattananond following his latest win at the Queen's Cup presented by Bangchak on Sunday. After all, it was only more than a year ago that the 22-year-old was staring at limited playing opportunities on the Asian Tour after finishing outside the top-60 on the 2016 Order of Merit . The Thai also missed the grade at the 2017 Qualifying School but relief would come at the 2017 Bangladesh Open when he won his Asian Tour title by four shots. As fate would have it, Jazz's patient approach would once again see him lift his second title on the Asian Tour by four shots at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club . The win at an event which Jazz describes as 'his favourite tournament on the Asian Tour' will put him in good stead as he takes on the world's best players in his maiden debut at The Open next month. Jazz, who moved from 16th to ninth place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings following his latest...

PIALA FA: PKNS FC 1 - SELANGOR 1 Selangor  qualified to their eighth Malaysia  FA Cup  final after they thrashed  PKNS  5-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in Saturday’s semi-final return leg at Shah Alam Stadium. The last time the  Red Giants  won the FA Cup was in 2009. Selangor arrived in Shah Alam with a 4-0 advantage from the first leg match. Their young guns put in a good performance. And  Rufino Segovia  just can't stop scoring for the Red and Yellow. The Spanish striker found the net in the 71st minute, which is his 9th goal in FA Cup and 23rd for Selangor this season. Mohd  Alif Haikal Mohd Sabri  got a consolation goal for PKNS late inside the stoppage time, but it was too late to stop the Red Giants. The five-time FA Cup champions will face  Pahang  in the final on July 7 at Bukit Jalil Stadium.