Singapore beats North Korea 2-1 in Singapore Invitational
opener
Posted: Sunday Jun 24, 2007 11:30 AM
SINGAPORE (AP) -Singapore scored a 2-1 victory over North Korea in
the opening match of the Singapore Invitational Tournament at
National Stadium on Sunday.
Singaporean midfielder Muhammad Ridhuan gave his team the lead in
the 40th minute when he latched onto a through ball from teammate
Fazrul Nawaz to score from 30 meters (35 yards) out.
But An Chol Hyok equalized for North Korea when he headed home from
close-range in the 59th minute after the Singapore defense failed
to deal with a loose ball adequately.
Singapore goalkeeper Lionel Lewis earlier punched aside Kim Kwang
Hyok's initial effort from just outside the penalty area.
Singapore regained the lead after star forward Indra Shadan Daud
met international debutante John Wilkinson's left-wing cross to
score with his head in the 73rd minute.
North Korea coach Ri Jong Man said at the post-match press
conference some members of his North Korean side were not in
Singapore because of other international commitments, like the
pre-Olympic qualifiers.
But Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic refused to take anything away
from his team's victory.
"If Korea's best players are at home, they would have been Asian
champions a long time ago,'' he said.
The Singapore Invitational Tournament is a round-robin event that
also pits Singapore and North Korea against Oman and Saudi Arabia -
sides preparing for the July 7-22 Asian Cup co-hosted by Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
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