Singapore, which needed to avoid defeat to advance to the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup semifinals, fell 4-1 to Causeway rivals Malaysia on Tuesday (Jan 3).
At the Bukit Jalil stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Darren Lok's header in the first half and Stuart Wilkin's double in the second half gave the Tigers a substantial lead before a late goal from substitute Faris Ramli narrowed the deficit.
Sergio Aguero's goal in the 88th minute, however, would secure the victory and Malaysia's qualifying at the expense of Singapore.
Men coached by Takayuki Nishigaya entered the match knowing that a tie or a victory would advance them to the tournament's semifinals.
The Lions opened their season with a 3-2 triumph against Myanmar and followed it up with a 2-0 victory against Laos. Friday's 0-0 draw against Vietnam at the Jalan Besar stadium placed them in strong position to go to the semifinals for the second consecutive tournament.
Singapore led Malaysia by one point after the Malaysians defeated Myanmar 1-0 in their opening match and Laos 5-0. However, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Vietnam left them with little to play for against Singapore.
And the Tigers attacked their opponents from the opening whistle onwards.
Malaysia, buoyed by their typically raucous home fans, got off to a strong start, with Lok posing a danger to the Singapore defense.
Hassan Sunny was called into action early as he prevented a darting move by Faisal Halim and then blocked a shot by Malaysian fullback Ruventhiran Vengadesan.
In the 11th minute, a cross from Christopher Van Huizen presented Irfan Fandi with the Lions' first scoring opportunity. The 25-year-old, though, could only send his header wide.
Faizal remained a thorn in the side of the Singapore defense, and after Song Ui-young lost possession, he fired a shot at Hassan minutes later. However, the veteran Singaporean defender was up to the challenge.
On many instances, Singapore would find openings in Malaysia's backline, with Song creating the most prominent opportunity. However, the diligent midfielder was unable to capitalize on the opportunity when he might have taken an extra touch.
Lok then scored the decisive goal for the Tigers in the 35th minute after Safawi Rasid won control on the right and crossed the ball into the box.
The last time these two teams faced was in March of last year, when Singapore defeated Malaysia 2-1 in an international friendly thanks to a brace from Ikhsan Fandi. Ikhsan was, however, ruled out of the competition due to an injury he acquired in December during an international friendly against Maldives.
Singapore were also without Ikhsan's younger brother Ilhan, who was removed at halftime against Vietnam after landing awkwardly on the ground during the previous encounter.
But the Lions were not the only team without crucial players. Malaysia was also missing a significant number of Johor Darul Ta'zim players.
Before the game, Malaysian head coach Kim Pan-gon described Singapore as a defensive squad.
"To me, (Singapore) in March of last year and this tournament are not that dissimilar... Malaysia, however, is different; they prioritize defense, drop back, and seek counterattacks "explained Kim. "We aim to be proactive, to dominate the game, and to provide an intense and dynamic football performance in order to earn victory, which distinguishes us from them.
His supporters walked the walk. In the 50th minute, Wilkin's long-range shot gave Malaysia a 2-0 lead with a growing grasp on the match.
Wilkin scored the decisive goal with a left-footed shot from within the penalty area as Singapore teetered on the edge of elimination.
Substitute Faris scored a consolation goal for the Lions after Amy Recha crossed the ball from the right side to his onrushing colleague.
Any faint dreams of a comeback were quickly extinguished as replacement Aguero curled the ball past a helpless Hassan in the 88th minute.
The loss places the Lions in third place in Group B with seven points. Vietnam topped the standings with 10 points after defeating Laos 3-0 on Tuesday, while Malaysia ended with nine.
Malaysia will next face Thailand on January 7 in the Bukit Jalil stadium, then on January 10 for the second leg. CNA
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