Selangor coach K. Gunalan was a relieved man after seeing his side come away without any major injuries ahead of Sunday’s Malaysia Cup final against Kedah.

The two sides will meet for the second consecutive year in the 90th edition of the domestic cup competition.

In the 2-1 loss to Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim on Saturday, Gunalan fielded a lineup that excluded Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Andik Vermanshah and S. Veenod from the starting side.

Gunalan was apparently casting an eye on Selangor’s Malaysia Cup title defence, but stressed that he simply wanted to give the younger players some game time.

“A lot of young players never got much first team action this season, and I wanted to give them an opportunity. But we have already started preparing for the Malaysia Cup final, and I am glad there were no injuries,” Gunalan said.

The 51-year-old interim boss also saw Mauro Olivi return to the side after a lengthy injury layoff, and was happy with the performance, despite the Red Giants failing to win in the league yet again.

“I’m happy with the result because we played with a fairly inexperienced team against the champions, and only lost 2-1, not 5-1 or 6-1.”

Selangor last collected three points when they beat relegated PDRM FA 2-1 in July when Gunalan was still assistant to Zainal Abidin Hassan. Terengganu, who were relegated along with PDRM FA following the 1-0 defeat to Penang on Saturday, were gracious in their misfortune.

“It is not a result we wanted, but is something we have to accept with a heavy heart. We want to thank the players for their efforts and the fans for their support,” posted the club on their Instagram page.

JDT and Felda United will compete in next year’s AFC Cup as the top two league finishers.

Kedah ended their campaign in third spot, eight points in front of fourth-placed Kelantan.

Valencia striker Rafa Mir has been arrested by the Spanish Guardia Civil police for an alleged crime of sexual assault, the club said on Tuesday.

A Guardia Civil spokesperson confirmed that a LaLiga player had been detained in Valencia for alleged sexual assault against one woman but did not disclose the name.

Valencia said in a statement it was aware of the arrest and that it will cooperate with the justice system. Mir’s representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

The news was first reported by Cadena Ser radio station. It said another person allegedly involved in the assault has also been detained.

Sources close to the investigation told EFE that a 25-year-old woman filed a complaint against Mir on Monday following an incident at the footballer’s house.

The woman alleges that she and her 21-year-old friend were sexually assaulted by Mir and another man at the residence.

EFE reported that the women went to hospital after the alleged assault and that the police have only arrested Mir so far, with a search ongoing for the second man.

Mir, 27, joined Valencia on loan from Sevilla this summer and has featured in all four of their matches in LaLiga so far this season.

The former Spain under-21 international had begun his senior career at Valencia before going onto represent Wolves, Las Palmas, Nottingham Forest, Huesca and Sevilla before returning.

Barcelona forward Raphinha has said working with a psychologist is essential for anyone navigating a career as a professional footballer and not let the sport “destroy you.”

Raphinha, 27, has started the season in fine form, scoring a hat trick in Saturday’s 7-0 win against Real Valladolid, but his time at Barça has not always been easy.

Since joining from Leeds United in 2022 for €55 million ($60.7m), he has struggled to adapt to the club, seen his performances criticised and been regularly linked with a transfer elsewhere.

When asked if he if he had ever considered leaving Barça, Raphinha told RAC1: “Yes, in my first six months here. They were complicated for me and my family. I improved after the [Qatar] World Cup and ended the season well, but the adaption was a struggle.

“I thought about leaving at times, but those thoughts passed quickly. This is Barça. The club is huge; it’s normal that it’s hard.

“If you work hard and want to have a football career, you can’t give up. I have had many reasons to give up, leave football and continue with my life. It’s a profession that destroys you.

“There have been moments when I have got home and not known if I would get up the next morning to train again. I have cried, here [at Barça] as well.

“I do psychological work because I have seen how important it is. Everyone should do it because it helps a lot.

“If you don’t take care of yourself, football destroys you. It’s very easy to enter depression and give up on everything.”

Even this summer, after registering 10 goals and 13 assists in all competitions last season, saw Raphinha linked with a move away from Barça, with English and Saudi Arabian clubs credited with an interest.

Meanwhile, Barça were keen to sign a left winger, with Nico Williams and Federico Chiesa both targeted to fulfil a position that has been Raphinha’s since the emergence of Lamine Yamal on the right.

“It’s annoying to see [the stories], even if it’s normal,” he added of the constant transfer speculation.

“Every day there is something, that I am going here or there. It ends up annoying you, of course, but my head has always been here. I have received a lot of offers but the best thing for me is to be at Barça.”

Raphinha, who is one of the club’s captains this season, has not been called up by Brazil during the September international break despite his impressive start to the season under new coach Hansi Flick, with Barça winning all four of their opening games.

It means he will enjoy some time off over the weekend, but was in for training on Tuesday as Flick bolstered the squad by calling up several youngsters, including United States youth international Pedro Soma.

Soma, 18, joined the club’s reserve team from Cornellà last week and was an unused substitute in the weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Andorra in the Spanish third division.

He was one of six Barça Atlètic players summoned by Flick, which is also included defender Landry Farré, another member of the 2007 generation that produced Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Bernal.