Singapore beats North Korea 2-1 in Singapore Invitational opener
Posted: Sunday Jun 24, 2007 11:30 AM
SINGAPORE (AP) -Singapore scored a 2-1 victory over North Korea in the opening match of the Singapore Invitational Tournament at National Stadium on Sunday.
Singaporean midfielder Muhammad Ridhuan gave his team the lead in the 40th minute when he latched onto a through ball from teammate Fazrul Nawaz to score from 30 meters (35 yards) out.
But An Chol Hyok equalized for North Korea when he headed home from close-range in the 59th minute after the Singapore defense failed to deal with a loose ball adequately.
Singapore goalkeeper Lionel Lewis earlier punched aside Kim Kwang Hyok's initial effort from just outside the penalty area.
Singapore regained the lead after star forward Indra Shadan Daud met international debutante John Wilkinson's left-wing cross to score with his head in the 73rd minute.
North Korea coach Ri Jong Man said at the post-match press conference some members of his North Korean side were not in Singapore because of other international commitments, like the pre-Olympic qualifiers.
But Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic refused to take anything away from his team's victory.
"If Korea's best players are at home, they would have been Asian champions a long time ago,'' he said.
The Singapore Invitational Tournament is a round-robin event that also pits Singapore and North Korea against Oman and Saudi Arabia - sides preparing for the July 7-22 Asian Cup co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
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