Manila, 26 Safar 1438/26 November 2016 (MINA) – Singapore were eliminated from the 2016 AFF Suzuki Cup on Friday evening after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Indonesia at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Indonesians, rank outsiders after serving a FIFA ban of almost 12 months, stunned the four-time champions by coming from behind at the break to score two second-half goals.
They are likely to face 2008 champions Vietnam in next month’s semifinals.
Things were initially looking positive for Singapore when Khairul Amri fired them in front three minutes before the half-hour mark.
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But Andik Vermansyah, who is captain of Malaysia Super League side Selangor, levelled the scores in the 62nd minute.
Then, with five minutes remaining, Stefano Lilipaly popped up to net the winner for Merah Putih.
It meant that, coupled with Philippines’ 1-0 loss to Thailand, Southeast Asia’s largest nation finished second in Group A to advance to the last four.
Singapore ended bottom of Group A with only one point, which came from their 0-0 draw against Philippines last Saturday. The defence-minded Lions paid the price for scoring just one goal in three matches.
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Alfred Riedl’s Indonesia had started brightly, threatening the Lions’ goal as early as the fifth minute. Lilipaly’s free kick on the edge of the box was pushed onto the woodwork by Hassan Sunny before Boaz Solossa could only fire the rebound over.
Andik was the next to come close eight minutes later when he was left in space. He decided to try his luck from all of 35 yards, only to see his effort land inches over, having had Hassan beaten.
However, it was not exactly one-way traffic, as Singapore were also showing initiative going forward. In the 27th minute, they broke the deadlock.
Madhu Mohana, with his trademark long throw, hurled the ball into the box. It was flicked on to the far post by Safuwan Baharudin, with Amri on hand to lash an acrobatic volley into the back of the net.
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Indonesia almost managed an instant response when Boaz broke free inside the area soon after the restart. But he was denied by Hassan, who did well to keep out another fierce free kick from Lilipaly in the 30th minute.
Holding the lead at the break, the Lions knew that they were on track for the semifinals. And, they could have strengthened their position even further three minutes into the second half.
Having left Benny Wahyudi for dead, Faris Ramli lofted a lovely ball through to Amri. But he opted for power, instead of placement, and fired straight at Kurnia Mega.
Singapore continued to push forward with intent, and Safuwan connected with another long throw by Madhu, only to send his header over the bar.
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Andik’s equaliser
Two minutes after the hour mark, Indonesia produced an equaliser. The lively Rizki Pora floated a cross from the left into the box, and found the perfectly timed run of Andik, who proceeded to send a sumptuous volley past Hassan.
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Singapore almost restored their lead immediately afterwards when Safuwan’s flick-on from a corner was met by Hariss Harun with a bullet header, but Meiga kept it out with a fine save.
Soon, though, the tide began to turn in Indonesia’s favour. Hassan had to be alert to deny both Boaz and Zulham Zamrun as the game entered its closing stages.
Singapore, too, had their opportunities. Safuwan nodded an Amri cross over, while Shahril Ishak’s dangerous delivery from the right was spilled by Meiga, but none of his teammates were on hand to capitalise.
With five minutes remaining, Indonesia’s talismanic captain Boaz found space down the left in a move that would shatter Singapore hopes. Although his initial cross was blocked, he chased down the loose ball, and floated it into the opposition area.
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The Singapore defence, usually so steadfast and vigilant, went to sleep for a split second, and Lilipaly snuck in to volley home the winner for the Indonesians.
“Over the 90 minutes, I think we were the better team,” said Indonesia coach Riedl. “I said before that it would be a sensation if we could reach the semifinals after one-and-a-half years without international football, and only being able to select two players from each club.”
While visibly disappointed at the end of their campaign, Singapore coach V. Sundramoorthy expressed pride at the battling displays his charges had produced over the past week.
“Overall, I believe the boys have done well,” said Sundram. “Even until the last minute, we were still fighting and, on another day, we could have beaten Indonesia.
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“We went ahead and we were confident we could keep the lead, but then they had two crosses, and the marking in the box was lacking.
“We conceded the goals, but we still had enough chances to score, and we didn’t take them. Now, we need to move on.” (T/R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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