SINGAPORE, 2 September 2011: Singapore went down to a 2-1 defeat in their first 2014 World Cup Brazil (TM) Asian Qualifiers Round Three, Group A match against China PR that was played on 2 September 2011 at the Tuodong Stadium in Kunming, China.
It was an all important match for both nations as they both were looking to continue their winning streak from the previous round.
Singapore got the first real chance of the match in the 17th minute when Captain Shahril Ishak and Aleksandar Duric teamed up well in front of goal, only to be stopped by China’s defenders led by their Captain Li Weifeng.
The Lions came close again a minute later and this time through Qiu Li who ghosted in between two Chinese defenders. But he floated his header way over the crossbar.
China PR’s No.9, Yang Xu got his side their first chance upfront through a header which was comfortably held by Singapore’s custodian, Izwan Mahbud.
In the 33rd minute, a brilliant display of football between Singapore’s strikers, Qiu Li and Duric saw a neat one-two before Qiu threaded a perfect pass to Duric who drilled the ball into the net.
The first half came to close with China PR almost equalizing through a freakish deflection that came off Yu Hai who saw the effort come off the post.
Coming back into the second half with a goal down, China took the game to Singapore with numerous attacking chances being created from the middle of the park. One such effort by Chen Tao hit the post in the 47th minute.
Singapore’s No.1, Izwan had to be replaced by Lionel Lewis in the 54th minute as he injured his ankle after landing awkwardly from a jump.
Coming into a big match after recovering from a groin injury, Lionel was immediately called into action when the referee awarded a penalty to China in the 58th minute.
Lionel made a tremendous left hand save to deny China PR from equalizing with its penalty effort. He could not have asked for a better way to announce his return to the National Team.
Shortly after, another player made his arrival known on the international stage from the Singapore squad and it was none other than Hafiz Rahim who came on for Shi Jiayi in the 64th minute.
In the 67th minute, China PR was awarded another penalty after a Shaiful Esah foul in the box. And this time, it was Zheng Zhi who took it and he converted it successfully.
Shortly after, Coach Raddy was sent to the stands but the Lions continued with their fine performance on the pitch and looked to bring the match back into their favour.
With the score level again, both teams surged forward to get into the lead and dictate the pace of match. And Yu Hai did just that in the 73rd minute for his team when he pounced on a rebound that was presented to him in the six yard box.
Shahril almost got the equalizer in the 81st minute but his shot was blocked by China’s Yang Zhi who rushed forward to challenge Shahril.
Isa Halim then gave way to Shahdan Sulaiman in the 84th minute as he was introduced into the game to change things around.
However, the match came to an end with the scoreboard reading China PR 2-1 Singapore.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Coach Raddy said “I would like to thank all my players for putting in a great effort. We started and played well in the first half and could have scored more than one goal. In the 2nd half, China came back and managed to win by a one-goal margin.”
Lionel too shared his thoughts on the match and said ”I came on for Izwan and tried my best. I managed to save one of the penalties but I feel that we should let this game pass and focus on our preparation for the next game.”
The Lions will now return to Singapore and prepare for the next Group A match against Iraq that will be played on 6th September 2011 at Jalan Besar Stadium, 7.30pm.
Final Score: China PR 2-1 Singapore
China PR Starting Line-up: Yang Zhi, Sun Xiang, Li Weifeng (C), Zhao Xuri, Yang Xu, Qu Bo (Yu Dabao 66’), Liu Jianye, Huang Bowen (Zheng Zhi 67’), Du Wei, Chen Tao, Yu Hai (Hao Junmin 91’)
Substitutes: Zeng Cheng, Li Xue Peng, Wu Xi, Feng Xiaoting, Hao Junmin, Zhang Wen Zhao, Zhang Lie, Feng Ren Liang, Huang Xi Yang, Yu Dabao, Yang Hao, Zheng Zhi
Singapore Starting Line-up: Izwan Mahbud (Lionel Lewis 54’), Daniel Bennett, Safuwan Baharudin, Shaiful Esah, Juma’at Jantan, Mustafic Fahrudin, Isa Halim (Shahdan Sulaiman 84’), Shahril Ishak(C), Shi Jiayi (Hafiz Rahim 64’), Aleksandar Duric, Qiu Li
Substitutes: Lionel Lewis, Afiq Yunos, Delwinder Singh, Sevki Sha’ban, Hamqaamal Shah, Shukor Zailan, Shahdan Sulaiman, Zulfahmi Arifin, Ruzaini Zainal, Hafiz Rahim
Do note that the Lions will be arriving back to Singapore on 3rd September 2011. The flight details are as follow: Flight No: CZ 351, Arrival: Changi Airport, Terminal 1, 9.50pm.
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