Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Singapore: Singapore secured back-to-back wins in Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2018/AFC Asian Cup 2019 joint-qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Cambodia, who remain rooted at the foot of the five-team table having yet to pick up any points.
Faris Ramli (pictured) vindicated coach Bernd Stange’s decision to give him a place in the starting 11 after substitute appearances against Syria and Afghanistan when the 23-year-old attacking midfielder opened the scoring with 16 minutes at the Singapore Sports Hub Stadium played.
Singapore should have doubled their lead three minutes from the half-time interval when referee Kim Dae-young awarded them a penalty. However, Cambodia keeper Um Sereirath saved the spot-kick from Khairul Amri, scorer of the winner in last week’s Group E win over Afghanistan.
It was a disappointing end to the first half for the Lions with Khairul Amri’s missed penalty compounded by the fact that he injured himself in the taking of it and had to be replaced by Fazrul Nawaz.
But in an ironic turn of events Singapore did see their advantage doubled and it was courtesy of substitute Fazrul Nawaz, who scored the Lions’ second just two minutes after the half-time interval.
Sos Suhana pulled one back for Singapore in the 65th minute but the Phnom Penh Crown striker’s first of the qualifiers would be the last time either side got on the scoreboard as Singapore claimed the three points that saw them go level on ten points with Japan, who travel to the island republic when the four-time Asian champions resume their campaign on November 12.
The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.
Next Matches:
12/11/15 Afghanistan v Cambodia
12/11/15 Singapore v Japan
Photo: AFP