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A promising start to the joint 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifying campaign raised hopes that Malaysia would be able to advance to the third round of the qualification process for the very first time, but the enforced break due to Covid-19 outbreak, as well as the loss of home-ground advantage put paid to those dreams.

Yet finishing third in the group behind United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, who are both far higher in the FIFA rankings, should not be seen as small feat with perennial Southeast Asian giants Thailand twice being handed defeats by Tan Cheng Hoe's men.

The last edition which was Tan's debut tournament being the head coach saw the team going all the way to the final only to be narrowly ousted by Vietnam and there will be renewed hopes with the players having three more years of experience under their belt.

Drawn in Group B, which is widely seen as the easier of the two groups, Malaysia will once again lock horns with Vietnam and then there's the tasty encounter against Indonesia in the mix as well.

A minimum final appearance would be expected of Tan and his side, with many hoping that the team will be able to match the glory days of 2010.

Suzuki Cup Group B table

Suzuki Cup Group B fixtures

Malaysia squad

How to watch Malaysia at the Suzuki Cup

Malaysia national team results

2021

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Premier League Fantasy Football enthusiasts will be eager to fill their team with the best penalty-takers in order to earn maximum points in the event of a spot-kick being awarded.

So which penalty-takers should you be signing for your Fantasy Football team?

Goal takes a look.

When you're choosing your forwards for your Fantasy Team, you might be tempted to sign a striker who's a noted penalty-taker and has a good conversion rate from the spot.

Of course, the penalty takers for each team are never set in stone. Some clubs might have a consistent, dedicated penalty-taker at all times, but sometimes, things change - and some last-minute decisions on who is to assume spot-kick duties might arrive.

Additionally, there is the chance that the dedicated spot-kick taker has been subbed off or is simply not on the pitch at the time of the penalty being awarded.

Still, we've rounded up a list of each club's primary, as well as secondary, penalty takers in the table below, and the players who have the best chance of being picked to convert a spot-kick.

The primary penalty takers have been listed, and we've provided their deputy penalty-takers should the first-choice be unavailable to step up.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted his captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will remain the club's first-choice penalty taker despite missing his last two.

In the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on October 22, the Gunners won a penalty and the Gabon international stepped up, only to be denied by Emiliano Martinez, but the rebound kindly fell to him and he made amends.

On Sunday against Watford, with the scores still 0-0, Alexandre Lacazette was fouled in the danger zone and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. The 32-year-old stepped up but Ben Foster stopped his effort.

However, his manager has hinted there are no plans to relieve his captain from the duty, but admitted he needs help.

"[Aubameyang] will stay on penalties if he is happy to do so," Arteta said as quoted by the club's website.

"You will miss when you take penalties - that is part of your career and the job - [but] we’ll try to help him."

In the absence of the injured Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles stepped up, partnering Albert Sambi Lokonga in midfield, and looked solid throughout the game. 

"First of all, I see a different player in terms of his urgency, his commitment, the clarity in his play, his purpose," the 39-year-old continued.

"Since we made the decision, it was clear what I was seeing that I wanted him to stay because he was going to be useful. He has a huge talent because he’s versatile enough to adapt to almost any position on the pitch. Today we made use of him to do what he had to do in the game, which was really important.

"When I see him in training sessions, when I see how he prepares, when I see the questions he’s asking, his level of attention. Everything you talk through, his response is immediate. He’s a really clever boy, really clever, really intelligent. I think he needs to be able to transmit that, and how much he cares, with his body language and his determination. He's come a long way."

After losing their opening three matches of the season, the North Londoners have recovered well and are currently placed fifth on the table with 20 points, six behind leaders Chelsea.

As you are aware, our readers recently voted on who the best goal keeeper, right back and right center back are, as we at Goal.com team up with the gaming serires FIFA 22 to identify the top 11 players exisiting in the game today.

Join us in the poll sponsored by FIFA 22  and vote for your favorite left center back below but before that here is a quick snippet on some of the players:

Giorgio Chiellini | FIFA 22 Rating: 86 | One of the fiercest defenders in recent years and the strongest physically, one of the most prominent stars of the Italian team crowned the Euro 2020 title, in addition to being one of the references to the center of the defense in recent years.

Aymeric Laporte | FIFA 22 Rating: 86 | The last to benefit from Guardiola's tactical lessons, he is today one of the best defenders in Europe. Its most important feature is that it is flexible and can play in more than one position. It is also very distinguished in dealing with the ball and smart in positioning.

David Alaba | FIFA 22 Rating: 84 | A former Bayern Munich and current Real Madrid defender, Alaba is a perfect defender in building the attack, very fast and reads his opponent's movements well. He is now among the best in the world.

Presnel Kimpembe | FIFA 22 Rating: 83 | Kimpebe, despite his young age, imposed himself as a very high-level defender last season with Paris Saint-Germain, and he had breaks and even decisive goals with his team.

Pau Torres | FIFA 22 Rating: 82 | One of the most wanted defenders in Europe at the moment, the defender who scored 3 goals last season, Villarreal, crowned his season with the European League title.

Being the traditional powerhouses of Indian football, Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan carry the burden of expectations of their fans and are expected to win titles and trophies whenever they compete.

East Bengal, though, have failed to win a national league title since the 2003-04 season and have not won a cup competitions since their Federation Cup triumph in 2012. On top of that, they had a nightmare of an outing in their debut Indian Super League (ISL) season last year.

Thus, the Kolkata side will be eager to brush off all the negativity in the upcoming 2021-22 ISL season. 

The team began training in the second week of October and have already played three friendly matches against Vasco, Salgaocar and Gokulam Kerala. They have been victorious in each of the three matches. Their campaign kick-starts on November 22 against Jamshedpur FC.

East Bengal Squad

Goalkeepers:  Arindam Bhattacharya, Sankar Roy, Suvam Sen. 

Defenders: Haobam Singh, Raju Gaikwad, Daniel Gomes,  Adil Khan, Hira Mondal, Sarineo Fernandes, Joyner Lourenco, Tomislav Mrcela, Franjo Prce. 

Midfielders:  Mohammed Rafique, Wahengbam Angousana, Bikash Jairu, Loken Meitei, Songpu Singsit, Sourav Das, Amarjit Singh, Jackichand Singh, Romeo Fernandes, Amir Dervisevic, Darren Sidoel. 

Forwards: Daniel Chima, Antonio Perosevic, Subha Ghosh, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Semboi Haokip. 

What are the strengths of East Bengal? 

The Kolkata giants have made several changes to their squad from last season and have also got a new coach in Manolo Diaz who replaced Robbie Fowler at the helm this season. They have also added some big Indian names to their roster like last season's Golden Glove winner Arindam Bhattacharya, former national team defender Adil Khan, Amarjit Singh and Jackichand Singh.

With Arindam in between the sticks, they have a seasoned campaigner who would help organise the defence. In the middle of the park, they have quality Indian midfielders like Sourav Das and Amarjit, who is looking to revive his club career after two disappointing campaigns due to injuries. Jackichand Singh has struggled to hit the highs of his career and will look to replicate his form from FC Goa days which catapulted him into the limelight. Among the foreign midfielder recruits, East Bengal have signed former Ajax academy graduate Darren Sidoel and Amir Dervisevic, who played for NK Maribor in Slovenia.

What are the weaknesses of East Bengal? 

While the Red and Golds have managed to sign an experienced player like Adil Khan in central defence, they have several young full-backs in their squad who will be playing in the ISL for the very first time. So, the lack of experience in the backline will be a concern for their Spanish manager Manolo Diaz. The club, though, have signed two foreign central defenders Tomislav Mrcela and Franjo Prce and a lot will depend on how the overseas players perform for the Kolkata side.

Who are the key players of East Bengal? 

The three key players of East Bengal who can prove to be the difference-makers are Amir Dervisevic, Darren Sidoel and Arindam Bhattacharya.

What are the fixtures of East Bengal? 

All matches are to kick off at 7:30 pm IST. 

FC Goa are one of the formidable sides in the Indian Super League (ISL) given their record of having missed out on a play-off berth just once in seven seasons. However, what remains an unfulfilled dream is the fact that they haven't won the ISL title as yet. Yes, they have won the ISL League Winner's Shield back in 2019-20 under the guidance of Sergio Lobera but have always faltered in the knock-out games of the ISL.

When other ISL outfits chose to send their second-string side for the Durand Cup, it was FC Goa who fielded their best players and approached the tournament with utmost seriousness which saw them clinch the tournament.

FC Goa Squad

Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh, Shubham Dhas, Naveen Kumar. 

Defenders:  Sanson Pereira, Ivan Gonzalez, Leander D'Cunha, Dylan Fox, Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama, Aibanbha Dohling, Mohammed Ali, Flan Gomes. 

Midfielders: Alberto Noguera, Brandon Fernandes, Glan Martins, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Redeem Tlang, Edu Bedia, Devendra Murgaonkar, Aaren D'Silva, Muhammed Nemil, Christy Molly Davis. 

Forwards:  Airam Cabrera, Jorge Ortiz, Makan Chote. 

What are the strengths of FC Goa? 

FC Goa have not tinkered much with the core of their squad. Apart from Igor Angulo, they have managed to hold on to their key overseas players like Edu Bedia, Jorge Ortiz, Ivan Gonzalez, and Alberto Noguera. Carlos Pena has been released and he has been replaced by Dylan Fox who was one of the better performing defenders in the previous ISL campaign. 

Edu Bedia will once again be a key player in midfield. He was used from a deeper position by Ferrando in the previous season. Glan Martins has improved with each passing game and his partnership with Bedia will be important for FC Goa to dominate proceedings in the middle of the park.

Jorge Ortiz is a livewire in attack and FC Goa would hope that he continues his form from last campaign. Much will be expected of winger Romario Jesuraj, who is his debut season, put in an impressive shift on the right. Brandon Fernandes, who is among the best Indian creative midfielder, will look to be injury-free this season and play an important role in the club's quest to win their first ISL title.

Dheeraj Singh has been in sublime form for FC Goa and the India Under-23 set-up. Certainly, his presence in between the sticks will ease the nerves of Goan faithful.

What are the weaknesses of FC Goa? 

The club doesn't have a solid Indian centre-back in their ranks which further reduces the options for Ferrando when naming his starting eleven. In a season where only four foreign players are allowed in the line-up, Goa would have to play with two foreign centre-back which would cripple Ferrando's options in attack when it comes to naming the foreign contingent. 

New signing Airam Cabrera has only six appearances, just one start, for Poland's Wisla Plock last season. The Polish club had a chance to extend his contract but chose to let him go. In the 2019-20, he plies his trade in the Spanish Segunda Division for Extremadura UD scoring once and having two assists in 12 appearances. Certainly, these statistics do not inspire belief that he can replace Igor Angulo, who came to Goa last season on the back of 16 goals in 36 matches for Górnik Zabrze in Poland.

Who are the key players of FC Goa? 

The three key players of FC Goa who will make the difference are Edu Bedia, Dheeraj Singh and Jorge Ortiz.

What are the fixtures of FC Goa? 

Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers was arguably even more important than the preceding triumph at Manchester City by the same score.

Patrick Vieira may not admit to this publicly, but Saturday afternoon’s success over Wolves probably pleased him more too. The Eagles showed characteristics of the side they’re seemingly intent on transitioning into, playing on the front foot for the majority of the game and dominating proceedings.

At the Etihad Stadium the previous week, it was more ‘old Palace’ than ‘new Palace’, broadly playing backs-to-the-wall football and then hitting Pep Guardiola’s men with sucker punch goals.

However, that’s not Vieira’s modus operandi. It’s not how he sees this team playing long-term. The 2-0 success at the Etihad was a one-off, this weekend’s showing at Selhurst Park was the real deal.

As is their wont, they came alive after half-time time, netting both goals in the second half after a quiet and, at times, attritional opening 45 minutes. 13 of the South London’s 15 Premier League goals have come after the break, emphasising their second-half strength.

Wilfried Zaha — match-winner for the second week running and so far the only Palace player to score first-half goals in 2021/22 — put a controversial few days and underwhelming 45 minutes behind him to be decisive in successive gameweeks.

Wherever you stand on the ongoing situation over the Ivory Coast international’s future with the Elephants , he remains a key man under Vieira and will remain an important cog in their desired on-field shift.

It was Zaha who netted somewhat fortuitously at the Etihad and then won the foul that saw Aymeric Laporte sent off just before the interlude.

He was also involved in the Eagles’ second build-up and probably should’ve scored himself had he been sharper following Michael Olise’s through-ball seconds before Conor Gallagher’s strike.

Saturday’s placed finish beyond Jose Sa was coolly slotted home and he ought to have added to his four Premier League goals late on only to contrive to make a hash of Jeffrey Schlupp’s 86th-minute cut-back.

First-half frustration gave way for second-half elation for the wide attacker, who’s now netted in consecutive league games for the first time since October 2020.

Despite being on pace to surpass last year’s 11-goal haul, Zaha’s success or otherwise will largely depend on fitness, form and potential participation at January’s Africa Cup of Nations, which is now in doubt after his decision not to represent the Elephants due to alleged homesickness. 

Reassuringly, Vieira’s embryonic spell is finally producing results after a tough start.

They now seem to have put an unfortunate run of draws that saw them lose last-gasp goals against Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal, while their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United was astonishing on the day given the sheer volume of chances they fluffed.

Successive league wins for the first time since January-February 2021 and the Frenchman’s six-game unbeaten run at Selhurst Park at the start of his tenure already betters erstwhile head coaches.

Dominating and beating a Wolves side that went into Saturday’s game on the back of a five-game unbeaten run where they’d secured 13 points is another feather in the Arsenal icon’s cap. Their expected goals of 2.65, excluding penalties, was their highest tally in ‘21/22, all the more impressive due to the humdrum opening half.

“I think today we showed the team is getting this kind of maturity to perform week after week in the Premier League,” Vieira said after the game. “We knew it would be a difficult game and we had a really good performance.

Zaha’s post-match comments were especially striking, as it felt oh-so anti-Palace and somewhat sums up the drastic change in the club’s mindset since the managerial change.

“We were up against a strong defence, very rigid at the back and it’s hard to move them around, but we had to keep passing the ball around the take the chances we had," the Ivorian remarked.

"The performances are getting better and better and we’re getting strong and stronger and the main thing is we’re winning games; we worked hard and we’re finally getting the points from it."

Palace no longer appears stodgy and uninspiring, rather the front-foot approach is winning over neutrals who were deeply sceptical in the summer.

Despite the desire to shift from being a one-man wrecking crew, Zaha has remained pivotal at Selhurst Park. Now, Vieira will hope the two-week interlude doesn’t slow down the momentum his star player and his now-purposeful colleagues have garnered in the last month or thereabouts.

Carli Lloyd's legendary career came to an end on Sunday as NJ/NY Gotham FC fell 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL playoffs.

Lloyd already played her last match with the U.S. national team last month, ending her international career with 316 caps.

The 39-year-old continued on with Gotham though, but her club team was eliminated from the postseason at the quarter-final stage after a goal from her USWNT team-mate Mallory Pugh.

What was said?

"Unfortunately I'm not afforded another week with this team, but I'm really proud of the group," Lloyd told CBS Sports after the game.

"We played really well today. We've really turned this club around. And I'm very excited to see the future of this club because it's in good hands.

"This group is amazing on and off the field. I'm proud and I'm sad as well because it's really sunk in today, but I can't be more proud of this group and the future is really bright for them.

"Although I won't be on the field ever again, I'm going to help this game grow and try to be a part of anything I possibly can to keep this sport growing."

Lloyd's legendary career

Lloyd leaves the game as unquestionably one of the best players of all time.

The 39-year-old won two Olympic gold medals, two World Cups and two FIFA world player of the year awards.

She saved her best for the biggest stage, scoring the winning goal in two Olympic gold medal games as well as a memorable hat-trick against Japan in the 2015 World Cup final.

Lloyd ends her career with the second-most caps of all time with 316, while she has the fourth-most goals in international women's soccer history with 134 goals.

At club level, however, Lloyd did not achieve the same team success that she did with the USWNT, as she did not win a NWSL title during her career.

Further reading

Hamari Traore scored his first goal of the season as Rennes overpowered Olympique Lyon 4-1 in Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash.

The Mali international scored the Red and Blacks’ second goal as Bruno Genesio’s men sent the Kids back home with heads bowed low.

Still fresh from their 3-0 victory over Sparta Prague in Thursday’s Europa League encounter, Peter Bosz’s travelled to the Roazhon Park as they hoped to extend their unbeaten run to three.

However, their hosts – who are yet to lose any of the last eight games hand other ideas.

Rennes went into the half time break with a slim 1-0 lead as Gaetan Laborde headed Jason Denayer’s cross past goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Before then, Lopes had made several saves to the home team from wreaking havoc.

Seven minutes into the second half, captain Traore doubled his team’s advantage after firing past Lopes inside the box.

In the 76th minute, substitute Adrien Truffert extended the lead for Genesio’s side after he was assisted by Flavien Tait.

Seven minutes later, he completed his double. However this time, he was set up by Ghana forward Kamaldeen Sulemana.

In the closing stages of the game, Lyon scored their second goal as Lucas Paqueta’s penalty offered little consolation.

While Traore was subbed off for Lorenz Assignon in the second half, Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd and Senegalese defender were in action from start to finish.

On the other hand, Karl Toko Ekambi was on parade but could do nothing to rescue Peter Bosz’s men from losing.

Algeria international Islam Slimani was brought in for Bruno Guimaraes in the second half, but Cote d’Ivoire's Sinaly Diomande was an unused substitute.

With this result, Rennes climbed to fifth in the log having accrued 22 points from 13 matches. For Lyon, they occupy the seventh spot with 19 points from the same number of outings.

After the international window, Lyon would be hoping to bounce back to winning ways with a home tie against Olympique Marseille at the Groupama Stadium.

For Rennes, they host Montpellier on November 20 before squaring up against Vitesse in a Europa League fixture.

Cyriel Dessers has become the first Feyenoord player to score four goals as a substitute in a Eredivisie campaign in over two decades after his match-winning goal in their 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar.

It was a cagey affair at the Stadion Feijenoord as both Feyenoord and AZ failed to break the deadlock until Dessers was introduced in the final 10 minutes of the game.

The 26-year-old replaced Brian Linssen in the 82nd minute and he went on to secure maximum points for the hosts with the only goal of the encounter in the 92nd minute.

The late strike took the Genk loanee's tally to four goals after seven Eredivisie matches this season, with the all the goals coming via substitute appearances.

The last time a Feyenoord player scored four goals as a substitute in a Dutch top-flight season was in the 1998-99 - Igor Korneev.

In addition to Sunday’s heroics, Dessers has now scored match-winning goals in each of his last three appearances for the Pride of South.

He scored a 90th-minute winner against Maduka Okoye's Sparta Rotterdam exactly a week ago, then he followed it up with another goal that sealed a 2-1 win for Feyenoord in the Uefa Europa Conference League against Taiwo Awoniyi's Union Berlin on Thursday.

West Ham head coach David Moyes is targeting a place in the top four, but denied his side are Premier League title challengers, after Sunday's thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool.

The Hammers handed Liverpool their first loss of the season through an Alisson own goal and goals from Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma.

The win took West Ham above Liverpool in the table into third place, just three points back of first-place Chelsea.

What was said?

After the game, Moyes was asked by the BBC if his team could challenge for the title, to which he replied: “I want to be really positive all the time, I would like to say that is what we can do. I don’t see that at the moment.

"We can challenge the top four but whoever they are I want to see if we can give us an opportunity, we missed out on Champions League football by two points [last season] so why can we not be there?

"We are not getting carried away but this is feeling good at the moment."

The BBC posed the same question to Fornals, who said: "I don't know. It is too early to say. But fighting for each game as we did today, why not still [be] dreaming?"

Speaking to Sky Sports, Moyes added: "I think I am the same manager [as at Everton] but have had to work out myself how to get better.

"We all have to try and keep improving. I hope and believe my best time is still to come and at the moment I've got really good players who play with incredible character."

What's next for West Ham?

The high-flying Hammers will go into the international break having won four consecutive Premier League games to move up to third place.

Next up for Moyes' side is a match against Wolves on November 20 followed by a Europa League tie against Rapid Vienna five days later.

Further reading