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UPHILL TASK
A Goalless Draw For Young Lions In Tie Against Laos
By Al R Dizon
Singapore's Young Lions face an uphill task in qualifying for the semi-finals of the SEA Games soccer competition when they were held to a goalless draw in their opening Group B preliminary match by lowly ranked Laos. In the other group B match, Vietnam outfoxed Malaysia, 3-1.
Tentative & Hesitant
Playing under the fiery mid-afternoon heat at the Municipality of Nakhon Rachasima Stadium , our boys started tentatively, hesitated defensively and seemed to lack attacking ideas as the speedy Laotians took the game to the Young Lions with gusto in the first half. Established striker Agu Casmir just wasn't able to find the range with the tight zone-man marking deployed by the Laotian defence, while the Young Lions' midfield wasn't able to use the flanks effectively. Instead, it was the Laotians who seemed more threatening, and even earned a freekick on the edge of the box in the 23rd minute after Singapore captain Baihakki Khaizan fouled midfielder Xaysongkham. But neither side threatened much during the first half.
Uneventful
The second half was likewise uneventful, although Agu Casmir hit the bar in the 55th minute following a goalmouth melee, and the Laotians made several speedy runs through the left flank. But coach Radojko Avramovic remained confident that the Young Lions would be able to iron out the kinks in their attack in time for the coming matches. "We've got enough quality to score goals," he said. The Singaporeans will next play 2005 SEA Games losing finalists Vietnam on Monday, 3 December. They need to avoid defeat to stay in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals.
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