WCQ L2L2: Tajikistan vs Singapore (18 Nov 07)

last SG · 2007-11-18T12:10:30+00:00

half time... 45 more minutes to go... let's hope we can score one more to make it safe...

Deunamist SG

Lions coach Radojko Avramovic has named a 20-man-squad for the second leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifying Tournament Second Round tie against Tajikistan, scheduled for Sunday 18 November at the Central Stadium in Dushanbe.

Singapore hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg played at the National Stadium on 9 November, thanks to a brace from Aleksandar Duric on his international debut

Young Lions midfielder Hariss Harun, who will turn 17 the day after the scheduled match, has been called up into the squad. He is in line to earn his first cap outside of Singapore if he features on Sunday. His three previous caps were all earned at home against DPR Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia respectively.

Long-standing Lions skipper Aide Iskandar who announced his retirement from international football on the eve of the first leg of the match against Tajikistan last Friday is the most significant change in playing personnel from the last squad that Avramovic picked.

The squad will depart for Dushanbe via Istanbul on Tuesday 13 November and will return to Singapore early next Monday.

The flight itinerary has been listed below:

SINGAPORE AIRLINES - 13 NOV (TUE) SIN/IST SQ 490 2335 / 0720 (ARRIVAL ON 14 NOV)
TURKISH AIRLINES - 14 NOV (WED) IST/DYU TK 1344 2025 / 0400 (ARRIVAL ON 15 NOV)
TURKISH AIRLINES - 19 NOV (MON) DYU/IST TK 1345 0600 / 0820 (ARRIVAL ON 19 NOV)
SINGAPORE AIRLINES - 19 NOV (MON) IST/SIN SQ 491 1235 / 0710 (ARRIVAL ON 20 NOV)

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Goalkeepers: Lionel Lewis (Home United), Hassan Sunny (Geylang United)

Defenders: Precious Emuejeraye (Gombak United), Daniel Bennett, Faizal Hamid (both SAFFC), Shariff Abdul Samat (Tampines Rovers), Baihakki Khaizan (Young Lions), Mohamed Noh Rahman (Geylang United)

Midfielders: Shahril Ishak, Shi Jiayi (both Home United), Ridhuan Muhamad, Mustafic Fahrudin (both Tampines Rovers), John Wilkinson (SAFFC), Hariss Harun (Young Lions)

Forwards: Agu Casmir (Gombak United), Aleksandar Duric (SAFFC), Noh Alam Shah (Tampines Rovers), Fazrul Nawaz, Khairul Amri (both Young Lions), Indra Sahdan Daud (Home United)

omgukilledkenny SG

Go lions. Very Happy

Pitot SG

go hariss! my junior!!!! Mr. Green

go indra! my senior!!!!

omgukilledkenny SG

he's that 16 year old right?

Pitot SG

yea. not easy for him to balance football and studies. all the best!

omgukilledkenny SG

woah, he must be pretty good huh.

Deunamist SG

he's just done with his O Levels this year. Very Happy

gigabyte14 SG

i predict a draw, or a 0-1 narrow win for sg

turbo_drift SG

Goalless draw. Mr. Green

Deunamist SG

i'm sure our Lions will score first. and when that happens, the Tajiks will turn nervous because they would need to score 4 to beat us then.

Along will be hungry to score since he missed so many chances in the first leg.

Deunamist SG

our team has landed in Dushanbe after a long flight transitting via Istanbul.

Short Ninja SG

It is going to be a tough game a draw would mean that Singapore will have a tough time when playing away games in the 3rd stage.They must win to gain more confidence in order to pick up the momentum,I would like to see a 4-0 Victory but a narrow win is more likely.Does the away goal advantage apply here? That means the Tajiks have to beat Singapore 3-0 and loses if the score is 3-1.

HyuugaNeji SG

I heard tajikistan is very cold and tajikistan is also higher-ranked than singapore. Expect a real tough fight. Be glad if singapore only loses by a goal in the second leg…

LazerLordz SG

I'm going for a goalless draw.

Raddy will stick to his passing game, but we will not expend too much energy. Let's play possession football today, perhaps try to hit Tajikistan on the counter-attack.

turbo_drift SG

*Road to South Africa: Raddy warns Lions cannot afford to defend first leg lead*

Quotes from Singapore National Coach, Radojko Avramovic ahead of Sunday's 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifying Tournament Second Round Second Leg match between Singapore and Tajikistan in Dushanbe.

Q: The Lions hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg. In a tactical aspect, how are you going to approach this match?

A: Yes we may hold the advantage now, but we are playing away this time and this is a new game altogether. Like Ive said before, we will have to try and score at least a goal but at the same time, we must be careful and not leave space for our opponents to exploit because that could hurt us. With the players we have, we are always capable of creating chances so it all depends on whether we take the chances they will come our way. Because in games like this, that one goal could be enough, we cant really rely on defending.

Q: How big a concern for you is the poor state of the pitch, the cold weather, and the possible hostile crowd?

A: We are not out to look for excuses before the game because it is always easy to complain about this and that. Our approach is simple whatever conditions that are there for us, are there for them also. Our players must realise this. So it all boils down to whether we can take in what is there for us and make the most out of it in our favour.

Q: How impressed were you by Aleksandar Durics contributions in the first leg, and will he be in your starting eleven again given that you have a injury-free squad to choose from this time around?

A: Duric did what we expected of him in the first leg, which was to score goals, keep possession and create space for others, so Im happy with his contributions. Shi Jiayi and Noh Rahman have recovered from their injuries but they may not be match-fit, so I suppose there is no reason at the moment for me to change the team for this match although the roles and duties of some players may change. I think we can expect more this time from players like Noh Alam Shah, Indra Sahdan and Khairul Amri.

Injury / health updates: Two team officials and five players Agu Casmir, Noh Alam Shah, John Wilkinson, Hariss Harun and Faizal Hamid came down with diarrhoea this morning.

Baihakki Khaizan suffered a slight strain on his knee ligament during training yesterday but is expected to be fit for the match.

Deunamist SG

Kickoff will be 4pm Singapore time tomorrow.

I'm freaking nervous!! Mr. Green

Deunamist SG

actually according to the latest rankings Tajikistan is ranked 152 while we are 140.

popmynutsy SG

same, but i dont dare play this 1. u playing this?

LazerLordz SG

Away goals count. So if we score 1, Tajikistan has to score 4 to qualify.

Anyway, I really hope we wrap up this leg and enter the third round. From then on, every match is a Cup Final.

Deunamist SG

well said. Mr. Green