Malaysia make history and beat Indonesia to secure Sudirman Cup semi-final spot
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Malaysia defeat Indonesia for first time ever in World Cup match to secure Sudirman Cup semi-final place
Malaysia have made history and defeated Indonesia for the first time ever in a team World Cup match to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa.
It took until the early hours of Saturday morning, with the match lasting almost six hours in total, but Malaysia won 3-2 against Indonesia.
Men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik built an early lead for Malaysia, producing an offensive masterclass to outwit world number one-ranked Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 21-12, 21-15.
Indonesia then drew level in the women’s singles, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung defeating Kisona Selvaduray 22-20, 18-21, 21-19.
Lee Zii Jia then reestablished Malaysia’s lead in the men’s singles, beating Anthony Ginting 21-11, 21-16 in a sumptuous 44 minutes, before Indonesia again pegged back their rivals through Olympic champions Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu in the women’s doubles, Polii and Rahayu squeezing past Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 22-20, 17-21, 21-18.
In the final match of the contest, the mixed doubles, Hoo Pang Ron and Cheah Yee See beat Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti 21-19, 9-21, 21-12.
In securing the momentous victory, Malaysia will face Japan in the semi-finals, who eased past Chinese Taipei 3-1.
The other quarter-finals saw China and South Korea qualify for the semi-finals.
China, who are the defending champions and searching for a 12th Sudirman Cup title, were surprisingly taken the distance by Denmark, before Olympic mixed doubles gold medallists Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping delivered the telling blow.
South Korea, meanwhile, battled to a 3-2 win over Thailand - Heo Kwang Hee in the men’s singles, An Seyoung in the women’s singles and Lee Sohee and Shin Seung Chan in the women’s doubles secured the crucial points.
The Sudirman Cup continues tomorrow, with both semi-finals set to be played, before the final on Sunday (October 3).
Landmark wins for Heo and Momota as South Korea, Japan win Sudirman Cup groups
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Landmark wins for Heo and Momota as South Korea and Japan win Sudirman Cup groups
Japan came from behind to defeat Malaysia and finish top of Group D at the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa.
Malaysia won the opening match in the nations’ top-of-the-table tie, as Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won the men’s doubles in three games.
The defeat was the first tasted by Japan so far in Finland, but back-to-back singles wins soon put hem back on top.
Akane Yamaguchi - a former junior world champion and Youth Olympic Games runner-up - beat Kisona Selvaduray 21-14, 21-14, and reigning men’s world champion Kento Momota then knocked off Lee Zii Jia 21-18, 21-10.
Lee, the reigning All England Open champion who beat Momota at that tournament, represents one of the finest players Momota has beaten since suffering facial injuries and vision problems after a vehicular accident in Malaysia in 2021.
A straight-games win for women’s doubles pair Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida gave Japan the win, and a mixed doubles success meant it ended 4-1 in their favour.
England whitewashed Egypt in the group’s other match, finishing third.
There were two more whitewashes in Group B as South Korea ensured they would finfish top of the pile.
Heo Kwang-hee beating world number four Chou Tien-chen in the men’s singles represented the pick of South Korea’s five wins versus Chinese Taipei.
Heo - who beat Momota at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - triumphed 15-21, 21-11, 21-17.
Germany smashed Tahiti without dropping a game in the group’s other match.
The quarter-final draw was made after the final match Energia Areena, and Japan’s reward for topping their group is a last-eight tie with Chinese Taipei.
South Korea will play Thailand, defending champions China face Denmark in the opening match and Malaysia are up against Indonesia.
Final roster set for Matao matchup
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Guam Men’s National Team Head Coach Sang Hoon Kim called up 22 players for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Qualifiers Playoff Round set to begin Oct. 9 in Bahrain against Cambodia.
“It was difficult to decide on the final 22 players for the travel roster with 30 domestic players training consistently, as well as dozens of players abroad who also have been consistently training and playing in leagues,” Kim said. “The final roster consists of many of Guam’s most experienced players at the international level, as well as a handful of new players called up the Matao for the first time.”
“Two of the first-time players on this roster have been selected from Guam’s U20 Manhoben squad. It was important to bring in young players who’ve stood out consistently at training to further promote sustainability in the men’s program. The results from these two upcoming matches are key to the team’s lineup of international matches for next year and 2023,” Kim added.
Called up to the Matao for the Playoff Round are goalkeepers Dallas Jaye and Sena Morimoto and field players Noah Bamba, Michael Crowley, Jason Cunliffe, James Gomez, Takumi Ito, Isiah Lagutang, Alexander Lee, Justin Lee, Nathaniel Lee, Marcus Lopez, John Matkin, Devan Mendiola, Leon Morimoto, Travis Nicklaw, Nainoa Norton, Eduardo Pedemonte, Jr., Ryan Quitugua, Jonahan Romero, Nathan Sablan and Alec Taitague.
The 22 players are set to arrive in Bahrain a few days ahead of their first match against Cambodia on Oct. 9 to begin training in the West Asian country. The Oct. 9 match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Bahrain time, 3:30 a.m. Guam time. The team plays against Cambodia again Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Bahrain time, 2 a.m. Guam time. Both matches will be played at Khalifa Sports City Stadium.
The matches will be available to view via Internet Live Stream and links will be announced closer to match days on Guam Football Association’s official social media accounts.
Guam was placed in the Playoff Round as one of four of the bottom-ranked teams from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ Preliminary Qualification Round 2, along with Cambodia, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia. An official draw was held Jun. 24 for the Playoff Round, which saw Guam drawn against Cambodia and Chinese Taipei drawn against Indonesia.