SINGAPORE — With just over three weeks to go before their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship opener, the Lions flunked their final rehearsal at the National Stadium as they lost 3-2 to Chinese Taipei on Nov 18.
The defeat by the world No. 168 side, who are six places behind Singapore, left the home faithful among the 6,764 fans visibly deflated. It was a far cry from the euphoria that had greeted the Lions when they staged a late comeback to beat Myanmar 3-2 at the same venue just four days earlier.
This time, the hosts failed to sparkle at both ends, struggling to create much in attack from open play while displaying lackadaisical defending which the visitors took advantage of.
In search of a perfect tune-up to the biennial championship, the Lions ended up cooling hopes of making it a tournament to remember.
Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura shuffled his pack after the win over Myanmar — his first international victory in charge — as he made nine changes to the starting XI and deployed an experimental 3-4-2-1 set-up instead of the previous 4-2-3-1.
The Japanese said: “We tried new combinations, players today and (after both games) we have used 25 players and tried new formations.
“Some were a success and some not so. And ahead of AFF, this was a good experience for us. Of course with not winning, I am not satisfied and it is disappointing.
“In the first half, we were sleeping. I told the players (at half-time), (we need) more fight, more running.”
Chinese Taipei coach Gary White was delighted as he felt his side deserved to win.
He said: “They didn’t really do anything different (from what we prepared for). It made it a little bit easier for us, because we just went with our plan and we were waiting for them to do something differently.
“They went to a back four as the game went on, but maybe too late. Tactically, I thought we were very astute today. We were more clinical and very organised.”
Shah Shahiran, who had captained the team against Myanmar on Nov 14, and regular skipper Hariss Harun were the only Lions to have kept their starting spots.
Lion City Sailors midfielder Hami Syahin, 25, wore the armband, keeping in line with Ogura’s recent approach to thrust younger players into leadership roles, while Balestier Khalsa defender Jordan Emaviwe earned his first cap.
The plethora of changes resulted in a slow and sloppy start by Singapore, and the visitors took advantage of that in the 22nd minute when Christopher Tiao lashed in an effort past Izwan Mahbud after the Chinese Taipei defender reacted quickest to a headed clearance by Christopher van Huizen.
The Lions went into the break lucky not to be further behind as the Taiwanese hit the woodwork twice after scoring.
After re-emerging from the dressing room, the home side continued their sluggish ways as Chinese Taipei doubled their lead in the 73rd minute.
Hariss lost the ball in midfield and Chen Hao-wei played the ball in behind a static defence to pick out Sweden-born midfielder Miguel Filip Sandberg, who slotted past Izwan.
The Lions narrowed the deficit in the 85th minute when Irfan Najeeb scored from a knockdown in the box by fellow substitute Shawal Anuar as the crowd roared into life for the first time.
However, Chinese Taipei restored their two-goal advantage when an unmarked Ivory Coast-born forward Ange Kouame headed in the visitors’ third goal in stoppage time.
Shawal then responded with a close-range finish just a minute later, but the Taiwanese held on to end a seven-match losing streak.
During the teams’ last meeting in a friendly in September 2023, the Lions, under Takayuki Nishigaya, registered a 3-1 win.
Lionel Tan, who started in the three-man defence, said : “It’s never nice to take a loss, but the boys have to be mentally strong. It’s all about how we’re going to bounce back.”
Much needs to be improved, especially the sloppy defending, which resulted in Chinese Taipei’s second and third goals, with the Lions’ backline guilty of ball-watching.
In attack, Singapore struggled and relied much on set-piece opportunities – as seen from their first strike – and made the most of their crosses, one of which resulted in their second goal.
Looking for a confidence boost ahead of the tournament, the Lions will now have to regroup as the AFF Championship — also known as the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup — looms.
After starting their Group A campaign against Cambodia at the National Stadium on Dec 11, they will face Timor-Leste (Dec 14, away), Thailand (Dec 17, home) and Malaysia (Dec 20, away).
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
