“It’s our cup final.” Aleks Duric on game against Myanmar

Story by Antony Sutton/Jakarta Casual

Jakarta, Saturday, December 6, 2008 – Aleksander Duric hobbled gingerly up the steps of the small stand that sits alongside one of the touchlines at the Indonesian FA’s training group and sat down next to me.

On the pitch, the Singapore national team coach Raddy Avramovic and his team of coaches were giving out their instructions. It was only 10am but it was already hot under the Jakarta sun and it was only going to get hotter.

It's never easy being a walking wounded. Duric told me his chances of returning to lead the line against Myanmar tomorrow night were just 50/50. He stressed the importance of this particular game.

“It's our cup final. Ours and theirs. But the pressure is on them. Lose and they're finished. But we can't be complacent. We have to make sure we win and we guarantee our place. It's very important for both sides.”

As we talked, he applied ice along his injured leg. It was an accident, he said. The defender went to clear the ball but “my leg was in front” and the result was “Ow!” Duric's contribution was over and as he struggled back to the dug out the boos from the Indonesian fans rang down from the terraces.

But that was last night. Now, under the watchful eye of the Singaporean physio, Duric is concentrating solely on getting his foot back in working order for the rest of the competition but “it doesn't look good.”

There was a commotion at the main road end of the training field and I looked up to see Singapore's very own footballing legend Fandi Ahmad just arrive. Players and coaches showed their respect while I asked for his thoughts about the game against Cambodia.

“It's very difficult to break down an eleven-man defence,” said Fandi. And it was certainly a backs to the wall performance from the Cambodians who had reached the final stages by defeating the likes of Brunei, Philippines and East Timor in the qualifying round.

Looking at the Singapore team, he was impressed by the performances of Indra and Noh Alam Shah who both came on as second-half substitutes. Fandi felt Alam Shah in particular looked sharp and intelligent and added something extra in his cameo performance.

It was time to return to the hotel and the coaching staff was collecting the balls and cones. It had been a light work out, just some stretching and jogging as well as ball work. But with the players cooped up in a hotel for 10 days it's important to have them engaged in activities slightly more physical than playing Play Station.

For related stories on the Singapore national football team at the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup), go to:
http://redsports.sg/tag/asean-football-championship/