SINGAPORE - If the main aim of the Singapore's international friendly against Solomon Islands was to ensure their new coach Tatsuma Yoshida started his tenure with a win, the Lions got the job done. Barely, with a 4-3 win at the National Stadium on Saturday (June 8).
But if the larger objective is to get the Lions to play possession-based attacking football, then Yoshida has a lot of work to do after celebrating his 45th birthday on Sunday, as he rated the performance "six or seven out of 10".
To be fair, the Japanese was appointed only on May 30 and had just four training sessions with his team.
He said: "It is a good result and a positive start. Our boys played a little nervously, made some mistakes, and we have to improve on some things, but they showed good attitude.
"We couldn't control the play and couldn't stop the opponents' attack in midfield, and we panicked a little. We didn't interchange well and we need to learn to hold our defence first.
"I'm used to seeing players who train well but become nervous in games. These are things we cannot improve on in one or two days but I trust my players and we need to keep going."
Singapore, who started off with a 4-1-4-1 formation, got off to a flyer in front of around 1,500 fans when Faris Ramli headed home Shahdan Sulaiman's cross, following a well-worked move in the fourth minute.
After the bright start, Singapore strangely sat back as both sides lacked ideas and urgency.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Gabriel Quak had a one-on-one goalscoring opportunity in the 33rd minute but took one touch too many before shooting straight at Philip Mango.
But Solomon Islands looked the likelier team to score towards the end of the half and Izwan Mahbud had to be alert to thwart Joses Nawo twice in two minutes.
The Lions did not take heed of the warning signs and were made to pay just three minutes after the restart when Feni Gagame cut in from the right and fired across Izwan into the bottom corner.
It got worse for Singapore when Adam Swandi's poor first touch allowed Andrew Abba to give the visitors the lead with a left-footer in off the post.
Singapore equalised in the 67th minute when Shahdan's free-kick eluded everyone and beat Mango. But the Lions continued to display poor technique in the second half as Zulfahmi Arifin's casual pass in the 75th minute resulted in a fast break for the visitors, and Benjamin Totori beat Safuwan Baharudin and Izwan at the near post to restore the Solomon Islands' lead.
The Lions replied almost instantly, when substitute Khairul Amri threaded Gabriel Quak through to make it 3-3.
Izwan then had to be brave to deny Nawo after Hariss Harun's sloppy backpass in the 78th minute, which resulted in a head injury for the Singapore goalkeeper who was then replaced by Hassan Sunny.
Hariss then made amends in the 85th minute when he slotted in from close range after Mango dropped Quak's corner to ensure the hosts got the win that should help the Lions improve their world ranking of 160 and secure a better seeding for next month's World Cup qualifiers draw.
Solomon Islands coach Wim Rijsbergen said: "We gave a couple of goals away and allowed Singapore back into the game. We have guys who come from very low standards and we have to learn in international football, every mistake can lead to a goal."
Hariss, who grabbed his 10th international goal, was pleased with how his team fought their way back to win, but urged for a better showing against Myanmar on Tuesday.
He said: "It is important we got the win. We did it the hard way, which is not ideal.
"We have to work on controlling the game better. I think it was a case of being comfortable and overconfident after the early goal and we were punished.
"The boys enjoy playing such attacking football but we need to remember our defensive responsibilities too, so tonight was a good lesson we have to learn from."
Antonio Conte named as new Inter Milan manager After the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti, Inter Milan have appointed the ex-Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte as their new manager who finished 21 points behind champions Juventus in 2018/19.
Antonio Conte: Ex-Chelsea manager set to take charge at Inter
ǁSoundCloud:
Spurs poised for new era as they officially open new stadium Pochettino says club now have the infrastructure in place to compete with the best
Tottenham's new stadium roof lift will weigh 600 tonnes
Early FA Cup exit is not an advantage, insists Liverpool boss Klopp By Chris Smith Jurgen Klopp has insisted Liverpool's FA Cup exit does not give them an advantage in the Premier League title race.
Ruben Neves stunner from 25 yards hands Jurgen Klopp's side
The Chelsea coach is reportedly poised to succeed Massimiliano Allegri and a potential switch to Turin could see the Italian champions raid his former club Napoli for star defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Tottenham Hotspur poised to receive £8.5m from Boris Johnson
Messi claims record 5th Golden Shoe Ad "The truth is I had no idea this would happen when I started. I dreamt of playing professional football and enjoying success, I love the game, but I
Football: Messi claims record 5th Golden Shoe, Football News
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's instant impact as Manchester United interim manager continued in his first home game in charge as two goals from Paul Pogba helped his team secure a 3-1 win over Huddersfield.
Pogba strikes twice as Man United win on Solskjaer home bow
Former Liverpool winger John Barnes believes they can still win the Premier League and urged calm amid growing criticism of Jurgen Klopp's approach. Four draws in the last six league matches have
Danke | By Mario Götze
Sassuolo star Kevin-Prince Boateng is on the verge of joining Barcelona in a shock move, according to Sky Sport Italia.According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Barca have identified Boateng as 'the
Boateng Set For Shock Barcelona Move - Reports - UrduPoint
The captains return to Dutch Harbor days before the opening of king crab season. As they prepare their boats and their crews to battle the Bering Sea, they must also face each other to settle unfinished business from the past season.
Captain's unfinished business, Football News & Top Stories
PSG captain Thiago Silva receives French citizenship Description: The 34-year-old's decision means PSG have an extra space in their squad for a non-EU player. Silva has played 274 games since joining the reigning Ligue 1 champions in 2012 and has 77 caps for Brazil.
Football: PSG captain Thiago Silva receives French citizenship
However Pochettino went on to distance himself from the rumours, more or less re-affirming his commitment to Spurs by saying: "I have just signed a long contract with Tottenham and I am very happy here." There was rumour that Pochettino's contract with Spurs included a clause that would allow him to leave in the instance of an offer from
Pochettino happy at Spurs but would `have to listen´ to
Tsukasa Shiotani's sizzling winner kept Japan on top of their Asian Cup group on Thursday, while Oman scrambled into the knockouts in a pulsating finish to the tournament's first stage. In Abu Dhabi, Almoez Ali took his tally to seven goals in just three games as Qatar beat political rivals Saudi
2019 Asian Cup: Tsukasa Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks
FIFA scrapped plans to expand the 2022 Qatar World Cup to 48 nations, deciding Wednesday to stick with 32 countries due to the political and logistical complexities of using another Persian Gulf
Qatar won't decide on 48-team World Cup until it has seen
Bottom club Huddersfield Town ended their eight-match losing streak in the Premier League with a goalless draw at fellow strugglers Cardiff City on Saturday.Cardiff, in 17th place, did not manage a shot on target and Huddersfield were left fuming over a decision from referee Lee Mason.
Cardiff City vs. Huddersfield Town - Football Match Report
0 comments:
Post a Comment