Ang Zi Yuan (#11) of Singapore about to unleash a shot at goal while Rezza Putra (#8) of Indonesia tries to stop him. (Phoot © Lawrence Ang, courtesy of Ho Shu Fen/Fulford PR)
Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, Friday, June 1, 2012 — Singapore beat Indonesia 7-5 to retain their status as the number one South-east Asian (SEA) water polo nation at the SEA Swimming Championships.
Singapore had secured earlier victories over Malaysia (15-4) and Thailand (11-2) to set up this gold-medal decider against Indonesia. Indonesia drew 7-7 with Thailand and beat Thailand 17-5 in their earlier games.
Despite having three extra-man situations, Singapore failed to score in the first quarter and fell behind when Zaenal Arifin of Indonesia scored a counter-attack goal.
Singapore came back in the second quarter with three goals by Ang Zi Yuan, Wayne Chong and captain Loh Zhi Zhi to give the home crowd something to cheer about but Manulana scored from long range to reduce Singapore’s lead to just one (3-2) heading into the third quarter.
Singapore found the third quarter a tough one as the Indonesians outscored them 3-1, with Delvin Felliciano scoring the go-ahead goal for Indonesia to lead 5-4.
Loh Zhi Zhi led the comeback for Singapore as he equalised to make it 5-5. Ang Zi Yuan then gave Singapore a 6-5 lead which they did not lose again before Zhi Zhi scored his third to give Singapore a two-goal, 7-5 lead. Indonesia scored a goal but with only six seconds left on the clock, there was no way back for them.
“We had a bad start, and our inexperience showed,” said Zhi Zhi. “We weren’t playing up to our standard, and there were a lot of misplaced passes.
“That said, we were confident that if we played to our standard, we can win. In the second half, the seniors stepped up, and credit to the team, we managed to come back.”
10 SEA countries are taking part in water polo (May 28th to June 1st), diving (June 9th to 11th), synchronised swimming (June 15th to 17th) and swimming (June 13th to 17th) under the umbrella of the SEA Swimming Championships. 300 athletes from the 10 countries are expected in Singapore for the four disciplines.
Scoring by Quarter
Singapore vs Indonesia
1st Q: 0-1
2nd Q: 3-1 (3-2)
3rd Q: 1-3 (4-5)
4th Q: 3-1
Final Score: 7-6
Scorers
Indonesia
Delvin Felliciano (2)
Manulana Bayu Herfianto (1)
Ridjkie Mulia Harahap (1)
Natanael (1)
Zaenal Arifin (1)
Singapore
Loh Zhi Zhi (3)
Wayne Chong (1)
Yip Yang (1)
Ang Zi Yuan (2)
Indonesia Lineup
Zuliansyah (#1), Muhammad Nurdiansyah (#2), M Alex Siswandono (#3), Delvin Felliciano (#4), Manulana Bayu Herfianto (#5), Bebi Willy Eka Paksi Tarigan (#6), Riyan Rinaldo (#7), Rezza Auditya Putra (#8), Ilfan Riandi (#9), Ridjkie Mulia Harahap (#10) Natanael (#11), Zaenal Arifin (#12), Novian Dwi Putra (#13)
Singapore Lineup
Lee Kai Yu (#1), Loh Zhi Zhi (#2), Wayne Chong (#3), Yip Yang (1) (#4), Adriel Ng (#5), Gilbert Beh (#6), Chiam Kun Yang (#7), Chow Jing Jie (#8), Toh Zhi Hong (#9), Ooi Yee Jia (#10), Ang Zi Yuan (#11), Koh Jian Ying (#12), Sean Ang (#13)
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