Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic praised his sides resolute
character after they beat Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the
Asean Championship final at the National Stadium on
Wednesday.
The match itself was hardly a classic in the mould of that epic
second leg semi-final against Malaysia four nights ago but it will
perhaps be most remembered for a mass walkout by the Thai team in a
bizarre protest to referee C Ravichandrans awarding of a late
penalty to the home side.
We fully deserved to win tonight, Avramovic said in the
post-match press conference. The first goal (by Noh Alam Shah) was
a great goal and I thought the second goal (Mustafic Fahrudins
penalty) was punishment for Thailand playing the way they
did.
They (Thailand) were using their hands to foul our players the
whole night.
The Serbian did however admit that some profligate finishing near
the end, especially those two glaring misses by substitutes Khairul
Amri and Shahril Ishak, meant that the tie was far from
finished.
I think if you look at the match, we were better. But if those
chances by Amri and Shahril had gone in, it would have a lot better
for us going to Bangkok.
When asked about the walkout by the Thais in the 83rd minute as a
reaction to Niweat Siriwongs foul on Noh Alam Shah in the box,
Avramovic did not mince his words.
It was just a joke, he said. I told my players to keep warm
because I knew they (Thailand) would come back (onto the
pitch).
That (reaction) is just not right. I didnt know how long the
referee was going to wait before he did anything because it looked
like he was waiting for a long time.
If teams walk out because they protested against the referee then
I think a lot of games would end a lot earlier!
And while most of the blame for the farcical scenes will perhaps
fall on the shoulders of referee Ravichandran, the referee found an
unlikely ally in Avramovic.
Nobody can be perfect, he said. Everyone makes mistakes. A few
of his (Ravichandrans) calls were questionable but that doesnt
mean we should walk out, he said, still smarting over his
counterpart Chanvit Phalajivins gesturing his players to leave the
pitch for the touchline in protest.
When the questions moved on towards the second leg on Sunday, the
Lions coach said that the win tonight proved that his players were
more than a match for the most successful side in the
competition.
To worry about the expected boisterous reception from the Bangkok
crowd is not an option, Avramovic warned.
We did very well tonight, and we must do the same in Bangkok, he
said. Everyone must concentrate on what happens on the pitch and
not what happens in the terraces.