A solitary strike by Malaysian
Premier League side Kuala Muda knocked Singapores Under-23 team
out of the Malaysian FA Cup at the first hurdle on Tuesday
evening.
The goal, scored by Kuala Mudas Chilean striker Christian Carrasco
in the 21st minute, was enough to take the Young Lions down despite
fielding a strong side for the game.
Asean Football Championship hero Khairul Amri was joined in attack
by fellow striker Agu Casmir, who was called up for the first time
since appearing in the 2005 SEA Games in Manila.
Also starting were Geylang United goalkeeper Hassan Sunny,
midfielders Shahril Ishak and Fazrul Nawaz, as well as the
versatile Isa Halim, who filled in at rightback.
The team, playing at Kedahs Darulaman Stadium, started promisingly
with some organized combination play, and put together two clear
chances against their hosts.
But the failure to convert from those chances allowed their
opponents, who had not tasted victory since early January, to
slowly work their way into the game.
The game swung to Kuala Mudas favour 21 minutes in when they won
the ball in midfield. Carrasco was put through from there and beat
Hassan in a one-on-one.
Conceding the goal was dismaying from the Singaporean perspective,
but the players kept their heads up and fought hard in search of
the equalizer.
They were especially dominant in the tail end of the second half,
with a three-pronged attacking line boosted by the introduction of
substitute Norfahazly Kamsan.
Yet, that was not enough to turn any of their barrage of shots into
goals, a situation coach V. Sundramoorthy could only respond to by
shrugging and saying, Thats football.
Sometimes a team dominates, doesnt score and is then punished for
it by the opponent, he continued.
What we saw on the night is that the team was coming together for
the first time this year. Some of the players, as you are aware,
came from various S.League club sides.
Despite that, they put up a good performance overall, and we were
all over them for a long spell in the second half. All we couldnt
do was put the ball into the net.
But for us, the main objective is to get the boys together and let
them understand each other better. Theyre here to give their best,
and thats the main thing.
Of more significant consequence to Sundram was the fact that the
teams early exit will deprive him of opportunities to call up his
Under-23 squad and further enhance the players mutual
understanding, as they prepare for the SEA Games at the end of the
year.
The 41-year-old is proposing to explore other alternatives to
cushion the impact of this loss, including the possibility of
gathering the team during the mid-year domestic break.
Long-term, in terms of our preparations for the SEA Games, we
should continue to create chances to have the boys play together,
he stressed.
I think we should think about getting friendly games with other
teams. Another way could be to just get the boys to train together
during the S.League break, which also helps.
Singapore U-23 line-up:
Hassan Sunny, Isa Halim, Shahril Alias (Kairuldin Ishak 70), Ismail
Yunos, Sevki Shaban, Shahril Ishak (Norfahazly Kamsan 80), Hariss
Harun, Shukor Zailan, Fazrul Nawaz (Erwan Gunawan 55), Agu Casmir,
Khairul Amri.