SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE
Home United 2
Young Lions 1
They gave as good as they got, but the Young Lions fell short as they lost 2-1 to Home United at the Bishan Stadium yesterday.
Coach Fandi Ahmad said he was satisfied by another fighting display against a side tipped to challenge for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title, and felt they deserved at least a point.
"I'm happy with the commitment, discipline, and how the boys tried very hard till the end," he said.
"Home settled down and did very well to control the game with their experienced players, but both sides had chances and we should not have lost."
Home skipper Izzdin Shafiq put his side in the front after just six minutes with a fine curling effort from outside the box.
But the strike was cancelled out two minutes later by Young Lions captain Joshua Pereira, who rose at the back post to send a thumping header beyond goalkeeper Nazri Sabri.
Home restored their lead five minutes before half-time, when Australian striker Oliver Puflett's cutback found Adam Swandi, who scored from close range.
Fandi said he felt Puflett was offside: "Our defender needed to follow (Puflett) even though he was offside. Sometimes our boys make the mistake of waiting for the linesman to flag or the referee to blow, so it's very frustrating."
Where previous Young Lions sides - they finished bottom of the league three times in five seasons before Fandi took over last year - might have crumbled from conceding just before the break, this lot kept plugging away.
They went close twice late in the game. First, Nur Luqman dribbled past two defenders - only to fire into the side netting.
Then Haiqal Pashia saw his shot from distance go centimetres wide, with Nazri stranded.
Home could have added a bit of gloss to their win in injury time, but Aqhari Abdullah saw his shot come off the upright after he was played through on goal by South Korean teammate Song Ui-yong.
Fandi said the challenge was to keep his charges' level of performance up for all the matches.
He added: "We have told (the players) that whether the result comes or not, it does not matter. The main thing is to maintain the playing style, standard and intensity.
"We want to see it game-in, game-out, and we have been consistent since (last month's AFC Under-23 Championship qualifiers where Singapore finished second in a group comprising North Korea, Hong Kong and Mongolia).
"But we are still making one or two little mistakes and they cannot happen all the time, because some teams will punish you."
For Home, the win was their third in a week. They had beaten Warriors FC 3-0 in the SPL last Saturday and then Laotian champions Lao Toyota 1-0 in the AFC Cup on Tuesday.
Coach Saswadimata Dasuki said: "We had a difficult time earlier in the season (with consecutive heavy losses to Tampines Rovers in the SPL and Philippine side Kaya FC in the AFC Cup) but the team kept believing."
In another game, two late goals helped Albirex Niigata beat Balestier Khalsa 2-1 at the Jurong East Stadium. It was the defending champions' first win of the season after four games.
May 14 (Reuters) - Aston Villa beat Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion 4-3 on penalties to reach the Championship playoff final on Tuesday after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate. Tammy Abraham
Villa into playoff final after shootout win over West Brom
Jan 16, 2019 · A win and the collection of three points always has a neat symbolic value, but it was the performance that achieved this that said so much more about Solskjaer, and has boosted his chances of
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointed Man Utd boss, but is it the
Barcelona are closing in on their eighth LaLiga title in 11 years after Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba both scored in a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. The victory means Barca only have to
Barça stroll to comfortable victory with title on the brink
Football: Albirex Niigata could sign up to four Singaporean
Football: Lionel Messi shines as Barcelona survive scare to
Vincent Kompany: Man City are the best in the world
The 17th Asian Cup finals will be the biggest in the 62-year history of the tournament but even with 24 teams battling it out, it is hard to look much beyond regional powers Iran, Japan and South
Usual suspects in the frame at expanded Asian Cup
Jan Vertonghen celebrates a goal with his teammates.(Reuters) Defender Jan Vertonghen scored once and set up another goal for Son Heung-min as Tottenham Hotspur beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday to give them the clear edge following the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.
Champions League: Son Shines As Tottenham Beat Dortmund 3-0
Son Heung-min is no longer an invisible star. Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean striker Son Heung-Min attends a training session at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, on May 31, 2019.
Son Heung-min is no longer an invisible star - theworldnews.net
Football: AC Milan miss out on top-four finish in Serie A despite win over SPAL. AC Milan players applaud fans after the Italian Serie A soccer match against SPAL Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy, on May
AC Milan miss out on top-four finish despite SPAL win
Spurs to trigger Alderweireld contract extension, says Pochettino (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said the club will activate a one-year extension in defender Toby Alderweireld's contract to keep him at the club until 2020.
Tottenham to trigger Alderweireld contract extension
"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong," Allegri told Rai Sport. "We missed so many opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day it was only right that we lost. "[Dybala's disallowed goal] was offside.
When Everything Seems To Be Going Wrong | Psychology Today
{"slug":"football","name":"Football","menu":[],"topics":[{"group_name":"South Africa","topics":[{"name":"Absa Premiership
Manchester United : Man City inflict more pain on Man Utd to
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen