The Singaporean footballers seem to be biannual poorer cousins to their water polo counterparts. While the latter are relied upon to deliver gold, the former's dreams of hitting the jackpot have been extended after losing 4-1 to Vietnam in the first semi-final played on Monday.
Although the Young Lions took the lead mid way in the first half against the run of play, it was the opposition who took charge of the game all the way from start to finish and deservedly won the game to advance to the final.
The Vietnamese were mobile in their short passing and off-the-ball running; the Singaporeans were content to defend and counter with long balls. While it was fine to adopt a soak-and-strike strategy as it effectively showed in the first 30 minutes whenever the Young Lions had the ball, the fragile back four was always going to be a major concern.
Prior to the game, it was highlighted in the preview that the Singaporeans had to eradicate the mistakes they committed against group opponents if they were to have a chance to cause an upset.
It also warned that a repeat of these errors would see them being punished without a second chance for redemption. And that was virtually exactly what happened.
Not even goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma'at's commendable performance between the posts, including saving a penalty from Phan Thanh Binh, could cover up the glaring weaknesses that were waiting to be exposed.
At the same time, much was expected of skipper Isa Halim, Shaiful Esah, Hariss Harun and Shahdan Sulaiman to step up their game to give the Singaporeans some hope. None of them managed to do so.
Isa and Hariss had too much to do shielding the back four in vain while Shaiful looked off colour in defence and attack, apart from a few deadly crosses on the left that nearly reaped rewards.
Shahdan and the rest of the team seemed to be on different wavelengths on the style of play. Many were too busy pumping hopeful long balls for Khairul Nizam to chase and Shahdan had too little of the ball to make more through passes.
The Vietnamese also managed to isolate Shahdan and Nizam up front for much of the game. With the attacking gear shut out, it was inevitable then the floodgates would eventually open given the pressure they exerted on the defence from the start.
The victors kept much possession of the ball, played several one-twos that had the red shirts confused and left gaps in defence that were exploited by their forwards. Once they found the equalizer two minutes after Nizam's opening goal against the run of play, there was to be no second chance for Young Lions this time.
They could have had more goals to dish out a bigger lesson, but Hyrulnizam spared further embarassment for Terry Pathmanathan and his colleagues. In the end, the 4-1 result was just fruits for the Vietnamese domination, and also the defensive loopholes from the Singaporeans.
Now Singapore have to contest a bronze medal playoff against hosts Laos, who lost to Malaysia in the other semi-final, and it will not be as friendly as the goalless draw the previous time they meet in Group B.
Even then, they were nearly embarassed by Lamnao Singto and company in the second half. With the home side expected to be backed by a full house National Stadium, it would take a miracle for the Singaporeans to clinch the bronze.
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