Tiger Cup victory for Lions
By Tay Cheng Khoon
DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
TWO first-half goals sealed the Tiger Cup for Singapore at the
National Stadium last night.
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This is the second time Singapore have won the biennial soccer
tournament for the Asean region, the first being in 1998 when they
beat hosts Vietnam 1-0.
Last night's victory was more emphatic and comfortable.
Leading 3-1 after the first-leg final in Jakarta a week ago,
Singapore did a double over Indonesia, winning 2-1 yesterday for a
5-2 aggregate victory. They won US$100,000 (S$163,000).
The 55,000 capacity crowd, almost all in red tops, did not have to
wait long to let rip the Kallang Roar.
Striker Indra Sahdan Daud, showing hunger after not starting the
last three matches, showed poise and confidence to capitalise on a
defensive error to score from outside the penalty box in the sixth
minute.
That effectively killed whatever hopes the Indonesians had of
overcoming the first-leg deficit.
And, when Agu Casmir converted a 41st-minute penalty - after Indra
was brought down - it was only a question of waiting for the
referee to blow the final whistle for the party to start.
In the meantime, the fans, including President S R Nathan and two
Cabinet ministers, celebrated with the Kallang Wave and Roar.
Said President Nathan after presenting the trophy to skipper Aide
Iskandar: 'I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The teams were evenly
matched and it was Singapore's greater determination that tipped
the balance.'