MSL: LionsXII concede late goal to draw 1-1 with Selangor

Jalan Besar Stadium, Tuesday, March 20, 2012 — The LionsXII remained unbeaten in five games after a 1-1 draw against traditional arch-rivals Selangor in the Malaysian Super League. Sufian Anuar grabbed the lead with a powerful header in the 68th minute before Bosko Balaban cancelled out the goal with a well-taken free kick 13 minutes later.

With the result, the LionsXII now sit just behind defending champions Kelantan in the Malaysian Super League table. The LionsXII have six wins, three draws and two losses for a total of 21 points. Kelantan (7-2-1) are top with 23 points but have played one game fewer.

Perhaps the injuries took their toll because the LionsXII’s first-half performance was forgettable.

It was a frustrating first half for the home side as they struggled to impose themselves on the game. With Shahril Ishak sitting on the bench, the LionsXII turned out with Sufian Anuar in the lone forward position.

Without the creativity and leadership of Shahril up front, Shahdan Sulaiman could not work his magic. Selangor were eager to stamp their authority and denied the LionsXII’s midfield little time and space as the boys in white were pinned in their own half for long periods.

Irfan Bakti, Selangor’s head coach, openly admitted that he was “happy that the number 17 (Shahril Ishak) did not play today”.

The visitors almost grabbed the lead in the 28th minute had it not been for some heroic defending. A defensive lapse allowed Bosko Baloban to fire a low shot just inside the penalty box. The LionsXII defense managed to block the shot and a follow up header was brilliantly cleared by Sev’ki Shaban.

With the midfield run ragged by the visitors, the home side was reduced to direct long balls to Sufian. Despite his tireless running, the forward was ineffective against a physically bigger Ramez Dayoub. Credit to Sundramoorthy who noticed the tactical weakness and sent on Khairul Nizam for Yasir Hanapi in the 29th minute.

The introduction of the young forward helped to beef up their attacking options. A counter attack in the 32nd minute allowed Khairul to gallop down the middle. Despite having Irwan and Sufian on either side of him on the wings, the substitute fancied his chance and fired away. However, his shot lacked power and accuracy.

With the kind of domination that they had, the visitors were certainly disappointed to enter the dressing room with the score level at 0-0.

“I was not satisfied with our performance today as we controlled the possession 70-30 and had more chances than the LionsXII,” said Irfan Bakti.

The LionsXII played much better in the second 45 minutes. Sundramoorthy substituted Madhu Mohanan out for Firdaus Kasman during the break with Irwan Shah switching to the right back position. The LionsXII came out of the break with Sufian and Safirul Sulaiman on the right and left flank respectively.

These changes seemed to do the trick as the home team began to play with more fluidity. Nevertheless, their passing and composure in the final third left much to be desired. The crowd definitely did their best to will the players on as they turned up the noise level.

Their efforts did not go to waste as Sufian finally gave the LionsXII the lead in the 62nd minute. Safirul Sulaiman was given time and space on the left to whip in a delightful cross towards the far post. Sufian, who was lurking behind P Gunalan, managed to sneak past him and power a header past the hapless G Jeevanantham to the delirium of the home supporters.

The goal forced the boys in yellow to attack, and they did. Bosko had a glorious chance in the 77th minute when Razman Roslan’s cross found him in at the far post. However, Irwan did just enough to put the veteran forward off balance as his header went wide.

Despite the lead, the home side was beginning to get desperate as they simply could not close out the game, losing possession and giving away unnecessary free kicks. Soon they were punished. When R Surendren was brought down just outside the box, Bosko made the Lions pay with a pin point low shot to the bottom right corner.

Bosko could have made it 2-1 in the dying minutes when he connected cleanly with K Gurusamy’s lob. Hyrulnizam had other plans, however, as he produced a top drawer save, tipping the ball over.

“Credit to Ah Lau (Hyrulnizam’s nickname) who played well because he didn’t have many games under his belt,” said Sundramoorthy after the match.

The LionsXII were definitely on the backfoot and seemed happy to come away with a point. Sundram said he would have taken the 1-1 draw after “looking at the Selangor team today”.

Final Score
LionsXII 1 Selangor FA 1

Scorers
Lions XII — Sufian Anuar (68′)
Selangor FA — Bosko Balaban (81′)

Yellow Cards
LionsXII — Safirul (32′)
Selangor — Bosko Balaban, Mohd Amri Yahya

Singapore LionsXII Starting Lineup
Hyrulnizam Jumaat (GK), Isa Halim, Madhu Mohana (Firdaus Kasman 45′), Sevki Sha’ban, Hariss Harun (C), Irwan Shah, Shahdan Sulaiman, Yasir Hanapi (Khairul Nizam 30′), Shakir Hamzah, Safirul Sulaiman (Taufiq Rahmat 78′), Sufian Anuar

Substitutes: Fazli Ayob, Firdaus Kasman, Khairul Nizam, Taufiq Rahmat, Shahril Ishak, Al-Faiz, Safuwan Baharudin

Selangor FA
G Jeevanantham (GK), Razman Roslan, Asrarudin Putra, Ramez Dayoub, Safiq Rahim, Bosko Balaban, Pu Gunalan, Amri Yahya (C), Azidan Sarudin (R Surendren 71′), Amirulhadi Zainal (K Gurusamy 64′), Fitri Shazwan.

Substitutes: Fairul Azwan, Hasmarul Fadzir, Adib Aizuddin, Bunyamin Umar, K Gurusamy, R Surendren, Fazilidin Khalid

Looking for the LionsXII’s fixtures? All here: Singapore LionsXII 2012 fixtures

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LionsXII vs Selangor Match Stats