Host Singapore picked up their second win in Group A of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 with a 2-1 win over the Philippines as Myanmar bounced back to beat Timor Leste 2-0 here tonight at the National Stadium.
It was the first match of the competition for the Philippines while for Singapore it was a follow-up from their 3-0 win over Myanmar on the first day of the meet.
The loss for Timor Leste was their second from two matches after conceding a 2-0 loss to Thailand earlier.
“Naturally, winning the three points was very important for us,” said Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida after the match.
“But the performance was also very good. The players played with courage and teamwork. The good thing too is that none of the players are injured, so that is another positive that we can bring to the next game.”
With Philippines custodian Kevin Hansen in fine form, Singapore were left frustrated for much of the first half as the Philippines seemed disjointed at times.
The game finally came alive in the 62nd minute when captain Harriss Harun showed how it’s done when he flicked in a corner from the left while two minutes later, Faris Ramli made good on the cross from the right.
The Philippines then pulled a goal back in the 69th minute when Amin Nazari headed in the corner.
“Three crazy minutes destroyed the 87 minutes of hard work that the team put in. It was certainly not the result that we were expecting,” said Philippines head coach Stewart Hall.
“The squad was thrown together with players at different levels of fitness. But I have to give it to the boys for coming back to score that goal.”
In the meantime, Myanmar bounced back into contention with a 2-0 win over Timor Leste in an earlier match.
Striker Than Paing took advantage of a defensive error in the 14th minute to head home as captain Mg Mg Lwin then made good on the lay-up from Htet Htet Aung in the 50th minute to score the second goal.
“We had to make several positional changes as after all we were playing without centrebacks. It was good to win the three points as this will prepare us for the next game (against Thailand),” said Myanmar head coach Antoine Hey.
Added Timor Leste head coach Fabiel Maciel: “there were improvements from the first match for sure. It was tough against Myanmar. Even though they are not at the same level as Thailand, still it was tough. But our team still managed to play where we don’t have to be too defensive.”
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AFF SUZUKI CUP 2020
GROUP A (All matches at the National Stadium)
FIXTURES
8 December 2021
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Myanmar 2-0 Timor Leste
Philippines 1-2 Singapore
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Pictures Courtesy Sportfive
