A 2-2 draw with Indonesia on Wednesday evening clinched the
point Singapore needed to qualify for the Asean Football
Championship semifinals as Group B winners.
The result, coupled with Vietnams 9-0 drubbing of Laos in a
concurrent match, put the Championship holders through on goal
difference in a tight group where all the teams, save for Laos,
were tied on five points.
Noh Alam Shah and Indra Sahdan twice gave Singapore the lead, only
for the Indonesians to equalize both times in a battle of charged
tempers and tested nerves.
But the side that reached the last three Championship finals failed
to force a winner, leaving them crashing out of the semifinals even
as Singapore booked a date with old rivals Malaysia, starting with
a trip to Kuala Lumpur early next week.
Radojko Avramovic expectedly made two changes to the starting
eleven that thumped Laos two days earlier, restoring veteran
campaigners Aide Iskandar and S. Subramani.
Indonesia coach Peter Withe meanwhile went for offensive strength
in midfield, dropping Syamsul Bachri as speedy winger Atep started
on the right.
Indeed, pace was the name of Indonesias game as they went on the
attack quickly, Mahyadi Panggabean heading the ball wide of
Singapores goal inside the first minute.
But Singapore were as aggressive in their pursuit of an early lead,
Ridhuan Muhammad nearly reaching Indras cross in the fifth minute
before hitting his delivery on the right too hard just three
minutes later.
The Lions got the start they wanted in the ninth minute, when Indra
was felled inside the box by a panicking Hendro Kartiko, who had
raced off his line as both chased a long lob by Daniel
Bennett.
The veteran goalkeeper was booked for his trouble, and then had to
pick the ball out of the net sixty seconds later when Alam Shah
sent him the wrong way with his spot kick.
Having seized the lead, the signs initially looked good for
Singapore, who braced themselves for the expected onslaught from an
Indonesian side needing victory to reach the semifinals.
What they had not counted on was the refereeing that would be
dished out by Thai Chawalit Sananwai, who booked Shahril Ishak
following a controversial offside call, then showed Mustafic
Fahrudin his second yellow card of the tournament on 21
minutes.
All this went on even as Alam Shah appeared to have been singled
out for provocation by the opposing defence, which was happening
behind the referees back when he penalized Precious Emuejeraye for
a foul in the 26th minute.
Precious managed to block Mahyadis low free kick, but Ilham
Jayakesuma reacted fastest to slam the ball past a
partly-obstructed Lionel Lewis for Indonesias equalizer.
From that point, Indonesia were on the rise for the rest of the
half, swamping the midfield as Mustafic and Shi Jiayi went quiet
for fear of offending the unpredictable Chawalit.
Lewis had to be alert to parry Ateps long shot in the 37th minute,
and he managed a sigh of relief two minutes later when a similar
effort by Eka Ramdani just glided over the bar.
The half-time break proved useful as the Lions collected their
nerves in the dressing room, and they emerged eager to restore
their lead as quickly as possible.
That objective was achieved seven minutes after the break, as Alam
Shah sprang the offside trap on the left from a long pass and sent
a cross in for Indra.
Hendro got a touch but could not collect the ball, which Indra
tried to guide home with his thigh even as Erol Iba raced back in
an effort to prevent the goal.
But the fullbacks attempt to clear the ball came back off the
crossbar, leaving a gleeful Indra with the simple task of heading
the ball into the net from all of one yard out.
Just four minutes later, however, it was all square once more, as
Mahyadis corner found an unmarked Zaenal Arief at the far
post.
Given room to pick his options, the 26-year-old went for a
speculative lobbed shot that went over Lewis before hitting the
back of the Singapore net.
The pressure piled on in the Lions faces as Indonesia went in
search for their third goal, taking its toll on Subramani and Shi
as both had to be substituted following injuries.
Indra came close to scoring twice at the other end, while Bennett
and substitute Khairul Amri had their chances as well. However, it
was mostly a tale of frantic defending as Lewis had to bail his
jittery teammates out on numerous occasions.
Thankfully for the Singapore fans, the backline managed to deny
their opponents for over half an hour, surviving the Indonesian
heat as the seconds ticked towards the final whistle.
And when it finally came, the Lions held on tenaciously to the
point they needed, sending them into the semifinals and a
mouth-watering double-header with the auld enemy.
