SINGAPORE – A hush fell over the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday night as Singapore striker Ilhan Fandi laid motionless on the turf after colliding with Myanmar goalkeeper Myo Min Latt in the 41st minute.
Players from both teams signalled for medical attention, as Ilhan’s teammates turned him on his side and the Myanmar players cleared the area as Lions physiotherapist Nurhafizah Sujad raced to the pitch.
Gingerly, Ilhan walked off the pitch to rousing applause from the 5,370 fans and continued playing on his Asean Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup debut.
After that scare, incredibly four minutes later, a stadium filled with predominantly home supporters were celebrating an equaliser by Ilhan, who clinically headed in Christopher van Huizen’s lovely floater for his second international goal in six caps.
It was Ilhan’s indomitable spirit that reflected the Lions’ fight back in their bruising 3-2 Group B win when the chips were down.
It was their first come-from-behind victory in eight games under coach Takayuki Nishigaya, a victory that put them third in their group, behind Vietnam – who beat Laos 6-0 on Wednesday – on goal difference.
Malaysia beat Laos 5-0 on Saturday to move top of Group B with six points from two games.
In the absence of suspended goalkeeper Hassan Sunny and Irfan Fandi, as well as injured striker Ikhsan Fandi, the hosts made the brighter start when Ilhan lifted over the bar from a one-on-one situation in the sixth minute.
After losing 1-0 to Malaysia on Wednesday, Myanmar needed a win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.
And they took a shock lead in the 34th minute when Maung Maung Lwin placed the ball beyond Zaiful Nizam following a swift counterattack after Lions skipper Hariss Harun had lost possession in the opposition half.
However, Ilhan’s leveller just before half-time injected belief as Singapore started to put together some fine passing combinations.
It took them just four minutes after the restart to clinch the lead, as fellow AFF Championship debutant Shah Shahiran’s long range shot was fumbled into the net by Myo for the 23-year-old’s first international goal in his ninth cap.
Fans were taken on another roller-coaster ride as the visitors made it 2-2 in the 66th minute when Ryhan Stewart failed to control in the box and Maung fired into the bottom corner.
By this point, Van Huizen had already produced a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Hein Htet Aung an open goal, before Zaiful touched Ye Min Thu’s header onto the post.
Zaiful, another AFF Championship debutant who collected only his fifth cap at 35, then turned provider when his long punt found Shawal, who coolly slotted in the 74th-minute winner.
The drama did not end there, as Nanda Kyaw was sent off for lashing out at Shah in the 81st minute.
Myanmar could still have stolen an improbable point, but substitutes Win Naing Tun and Ye Yint Aung shot just wide, as Singapore held on.
Nishigaya said: “We knew this would be a tight match, and I’m so happy with this result. We won together as a team because of the players’ will and the fans’ support.
“Just like in the Maldives friendly, we encountered negative situations but we managed to overcome them, and I’m very proud of the boys.
“Yes, we can be better in our defending. While there is not much time to do anything drastic, we will work on a few things and improve on our communication and execution.”
Shawal, who scored his fifth international goal in 22 caps, said: “We went all out and deserved the three points. We really hoped nothing serious had happened to Ilhan, but this is a team game and we all needed to step up, and we did.”
Myanmar coach Antoine Hey felt his side were the better team and lost the match because of individual errors as he delivered a scathing assessment of his defence.
He said: “For the first goal, we lost concentration against a simple diagonal ball, and again for the second. For the third goal, coming from a long goal kick, I haven’t seen this type of goal since I was 12.
“This is not professional football. The goalkeeper did not come out for it. It is hard to explain, maybe it was due to the pressure, but this is not the way to defend. As for the sending off, either the referee sends off both or none of them. But even after that, we dominated and should have scored from our chances.”
Analysis
Nishigaya and his brave Lions got the opening win they wanted, but they will hope it does not come at a high cost as the players ran themselves to the ground for the three points.
Ilhan, who inspired the comeback, looked to be in tears when he was subbed off in the 54th minute, while the outstanding Van Huizen also hobbled off in the 67th minute, and Man of the Match Shawal Anuar was unable to walk to the post-match press conference. Defender M. Anumanthan was also substituted with groin strain.
Another concern is how the defence gave Myanmar numerous chances, which stronger opponents would have punished the Lions for more severely.
They have just three days to recover, which includes travelling for their next Group B match on Dec 27.
The good news is they play Laos and should have enough in the tank to extend their perfect record against the minnows to seven wins in the competition.
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/...ck-to-defeat-myanmar-3-2-in-aff-c-ship-opener
