A solitary strike by Malaysian Premier League side Kuala Muda knocked SingaporeÂ’s Under-23 team out of the Malaysian FA Cup at the first hurdle on Tuesday evening.
The goal, scored by Kuala MudaÂ’s Chilean striker Christian Carrasco in the 21st minute, was enough to take the Young Lions down despite fielding a strong side for the game.
Asean Football Championship hero Khairul Amri was joined in attack by fellow striker Agu Casmir, who was called up for the first time since appearing in the 2005 SEA Games in Manila.
Also starting were Geylang United goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, midfielders Shahril Ishak and Fazrul Nawaz, as well as the versatile Isa Halim, who filled in at rightback.
The team, playing at KedahÂ’s Darulaman Stadium, started promisingly with some organized combination play, and put together two clear chances against their hosts.
But the failure to convert from those chances allowed their opponents, who had not tasted victory since early January, to slowly work their way into the game.
The game swung to Kuala MudaÂ’s favour 21 minutes in when they won the ball in midfield. Carrasco was put through from there and beat Hassan in a one-on-one.
Conceding the goal was dismaying from the Singaporean perspective, but the players kept their heads up and fought hard in search of the equalizer.
They were especially dominant in the tail end of the second half, with a three-pronged attacking line boosted by the introduction of substitute Norfahazly Kamsan.
Yet, that was not enough to turn any of their barrage of shots into goals, a situation coach V. Sundramoorthy could only respond to by shrugging and saying, “That’s football.”
“Sometimes a team dominates, doesn’t score and is then punished for it by the opponent,” he continued.
“What we saw on the night is that the team was coming together for the first time this year. Some of the players, as you are aware, came from various S.League club sides.
“Despite that, they put up a good performance overall, and we were all over them for a long spell in the second half. All we couldn’t do was put the ball into the net.
“But for us, the main objective is to get the boys together and let them understand each other better. They’re here to give their best, and that’s the main thing.”
Of more significant consequence to Sundram was the fact that the teamÂ’s early exit will deprive him of opportunities to call up his Under-23 squad and further enhance the playersÂ’ mutual understanding, as they prepare for the SEA Games at the end of the year.
The 41-year-old is proposing to explore other alternatives to cushion the impact of this loss, including the possibility of gathering the team during the mid-year domestic break.
“Long-term, in terms of our preparations for the SEA Games, we should continue to create chances to have the boys play together,” he stressed.
“I think we should think about getting friendly games with other teams. Another way could be to just get the boys to train together during the S.League break, which also helps.”
Singapore U-23 line-up:
Hassan Sunny, Isa Halim, Shahril Alias (Kairuldin Ishak 70), Ismail Yunos, Sevki ShaÂ’ban, Shahril Ishak (Norfahazly Kamsan 80), Hariss Harun, Shukor Zailan, Fazrul Nawaz (Erwan Gunawan 55), Agu Casmir, Khairul Amri.