Lions maintain perfect record and progress to knock-out stages for the first time in nine years
Image via Football Association of Singapore
15 December 2021, Singapore - Singapore has booked a place in the semi-finals of the AFF Suzuki Cup football tournament for the first time in nine years.
A 2-0 win over Timor Leste at the Singapore National Stadium last night was enough to book a last four berth, with Thailand also progressing from Group A with a maximum 9 points from the first 3 games.
On the night of defender Safuwan Baharudin's 100th cap for Singapore, Singapore were unconvincing for lengthy periods, and had few chances in the first period but did enough to ride out the storm and earn the crucial 3 points to seal progress.
The stage was set when Adam Swandi took all of just 4 minutes to open the scoring for the home side, stepping up to sweep the ball into the bottom corner and give Singapore the lead. It was his first start for Singapore in this tournament.
Image via Football Association of Singapore
There was no replica of the 7-0 thrashing by the Philippines, with Timor Leste showing greater resolution in defence, and chances were at a premium for the rest of the half for Singapore.
Ikhsan Fandi, who scored two goals in the opening match against Myanmar could have added his third for the tournament but the width of the woodwork separated him from glory.
Image via Football Association of Singapore
The win was finally wrapped up for the Lions via a deflected shot by Shakir Hamzah after Shahdan Sulaiman's delivery from a set piece.
The Lions will next face Thailand in the final group match this Saturday, which will determine which of the two sides will top Group A.
The AFF Suzuki Cup will run till 1 January next year, and tickets for the tournament can be purchased at TicketMaster.sg