Skipper Shahril Ishak lifts the champions trophy presented by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after a convincing 4-0 victory over Felda United. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Jalan Besar Stadium, Tuesday, July 2, 2013 – With prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in attendance, the Singapore LionsXII wrapped up the Malaysian Super League (MSL) title with a 4–0 thrashing of relegation-threatened Felda United before a capacity home crowd.
Head coach V. Sundramoorthy paid his team the highest tribute when he said the LionsXII squad are better than the 1994 Malaysia Cup winning Lions.
“These boys have outshone the 1994 team. Apart from a couple of experienced players (in the team), the rest of the team are under 23 years of age and I had a (relatively) rookie team with me,” Sundram was quoted as saying on the official lionsxii.sg website.
With 12 wins, 7 draws and just 2 losses (12–7–2), the LionsXII wrapped up the MSL title with one game to spare. Selangor (10–9–2) and Johor Darul Takzim (11–6–4) are currently both tied for second on 39 points. Defending league champions, Kelantan (9–6–6), are currently fifth in the league.
The LionsXII joined the Malaysian competitions in 2012. The last time a Singapore team played in a Malaysian competition was in 1994 when the then Lions won the Malaysia Cup.
The LionsXII put together their 12–7–2 record on the strength of an outstanding home record. They had nine straight home wins before a 1–1 draw at home with Johor Darul Takzim. Away from home, the LionsXII became draw specialists, sharing the points in six games while winning just one and losing two. Their sole away win was in their opening game, a 1–0 of ATM. Their two losses came at the hands of T-Team (0–1) and PKNS (0–1).
The LionsXII had an uneven start to the season in January, winning two while losing three in their first five games. From February onwards, they never lost another game. The longest winning streak the LionsXII put together was three games, and that came against Kelantan (1–0), Negeri Sembilan (1–0) and Perak (2–1). Not surprisingly, they were all home games.
2013 LionsXII fixtures and results
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