Football: Will LionsXII miss main man, Agu Casmir?

By Amir Yusof/Red Sports

Agu Casmir suffered a suspected hamstring injury in the later stages of the 0-0 game against Kedah. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)

Alor Setar, Saturday, January 14, 2012 — LionsXII front man Agu Casmir limped out of the goalless draw against Kedah last night in Alor Setar after pulling his hamstring.

The Nigerian-born forward was leading the line outstandingly for the Lions for 84 minutes before clutching his hamstring while chasing a loose ball. He was immediately replaced by centre back Madhu Mohana as the LionsXII did well to hold onto a draw.

After falling out of favour with the Singapore national team following poor performances in the 2009 Suzuki Cup and his controversial behaviour following his move to Indonesian club Persiba Bandung, Agu has put himself in a good position to win back the hearts of the Singapore football fraternity.

Throughout both of the LionsXII matches in the league as well as during pre-season, Agu has displayed panache in the target-man role. Particularly against Kedah, he was a menace throughout for the Canaries defence in what was generally a slow and boring contest.

In the first half, he unleashed the LionsXII’s first shot at goal out of nothing after collecting the ball from a dismal corner by Juma’at Jantan. Agu then turned his marker before shooting straight at the opposition goalkeeper.

Then, in the second period, the ‘main man’ almost gave the Lions the breakthrough that would have likely won the game for the Singapore side. Displaying sheer upper body strength in the box, the striker superbly held off centre back Azmir Azman as he received a headed pass from skipper Shahril Ishak. The former Singapore international then pushed the ball into space before attempting to slide it home. However, Agu was thwarted initially by the goalkeeper and subsequently Azmir, who recovered well to block his second and third attempts.

Agu’s ability to create as well as convert chances will clearly be pivotal to the LionsXII’s Malaysian campaigns. Furthermore, he serves as a focal point of the LionsXII’s offensive play which mainly consists of long punts forward.

With hamstring injuries typically keeping players out for three to six weeks, LionsXII head coach V Sundramoorthy must now consider alternatives mode of attack and utilise the speed of young forward Khairul Nizam.

Khairul, once prematurely hailed as the next Fandi Ahmad, must now take this golden opportunity to shine and finally come of age. The 21-year-old lacks ability to lead the line on his own but can certainly cause problems with his blistering pace. The former Young Lions striker has the speed to run in behind defenders and score a couple of important goals before Agu returns to the fore.

The ‘Dazzler’ will now have a decision to make to solve his striking problem with the matches coming in thick and fast. The LionsXII next play against Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, January 17th.

How would you rate the match between Kedah and LionsXII?