By REDintern Ismail Farhan Anuar
Iqbal Husssain (Singapore #23) shields the ball against Reds defender Niall Heaton (#5) in their semi-final encounter. The Lions fell 1-0 after failing to capitalize on their chances in the first half and will face Manchester United in the 3rd/4th placing playoff on Sunday. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Jalan Besar Stadium, Friday, December 14, 2012 – A Singapore Youth Selection lost their opening match 1-0 against Liverpool FC U-19s in the NexLions Cup.
German-Turkish forward Samed Yesil scored the only of the game on the 27th minute with a stunning back heel in front of 4,298 spectators.
The Singapore Youth Selection side were made up of players from the LionsXII and Young Lions such as captain Raihan Rahman, Shahfiq Ghani, and Safirul Sulaiman. The biggest decision for Singapore coach Aide Iskandar was the inclusion of 18 year old Rudy Khairullah – the youngest player in the starting 11. The youngster from Gombak United was given the nod to be the man between the sticks.
Liverpool FC played an even younger squad. They had three 16-year-olds: Ryan Fulton (goalkeeper), Niall Heaton (defender), and Jordan Ibe (forward). Their captain Adam Morgan had already broken into the Liverpool FC first team squad, having played in their Europa League qualifying game against Hearts.
In the 3rd minute, Iqbal Hussain, who was playing alongside Shahfiq Ghani upfront, won the first free kick of the game but Shahfiq’s effort whizzed past the top right hand corner of Fulton’s goal.
A few minutes later, it was Iqbal again played creator when he tricked his way past his marker to release Shahfiq but the latter’s first touch was heavy and the defence recovered to block his shot.
In the 11th minute, Iqbal danced his way into the penalty box but his cross was over-hit. It was nonetheless an electric start from the 19-year-old midfielder.
Singapore were definitely more hungry to win the ball, and after a turnover, Iqbal was again running through the centre. He quickly released Safirul Sulaiman whose shot was comfortably saved by Fulton.
On the other end, Samed Yesil was having all the chances for Liverpool. The forward often waited off the shoulder of his markers before using his superior athleticism and pace to get past them.
Jordan Ibe was also getting the upper hand of Singapore right back Al-Qaasimy Rahman all night, and it was he again who released Yesil in the 27th minute. Yesil then forced Rudy Khairullah into a smart save.
From the resulting corner, Singapore half-cleared the ball and when Morgan’s shot was blocked, the ball fell kindly for Yesil to back heel it into the right bottom corner. It was a classy goal from the Liverpool youngster.
In the 41st minute, Liverpool threatened to add to their goal tally when Yesil and Morgan combined well to find Marc Pelosi right in front of goal but he fired way over the bar.
Singapore’s early enthusiasm and energy had died by then and Liverpool were content to hold on to a slim 1-0 lead at the break.
Liverpool were getting more comfortable as the match wore on while Singapore looked to have run out of ideas before a boost arrived from the most unexpected source. On the 49 minutes, Fulton carelessly passed the ball to NFA U18 midfielder M Anumanthan. However the midfielder could only fire it over with Fulton off his line.
It was time for a change and Aide removed right midfielder Nazrul Nazari for forward Sahil Suhaimi. Iqbal then shifted to right midfield.
Left back Nurullah Hussein was then withdrawn for Geylang United midfielder Samuel Benjamin. Safirul Sulaiman shifted to left back.
Singapore however still struggled to build up their attacks, with Iqbal no longer the focal point of attack. Coach Aide switched to a plan B when he removed Singapore’s best player Iqbal for Ignatius Ang in the 72nd minute. But perhaps unsurprisingly, Iqbal’s removal also left Singapore impotent in attack. When asked later, the coach tweeted that Iqbal was tired.
At the press conference, Head Coach Aide Iskandar was upbeat about his side’s performance.
“I think the boys should aim higher (than what they did in this game). Tournaments like this (NexLions Cup) and the Lion City Cup will give fantastic exposure and experience for the boys’ development,” said the former Singapore captain.
“I believe that we are on the right track (the FAS strategic planning) in terms of youth development. Having such tournaments and putting our boys against the top European teams or South American teams will benefit us,” he added.
Liverpool ended as comfortable winners and will face Sporting Lisbon in the NexLions Cup final on Sunday, December 16th, at 7.15pm. Sporting Lisbon had come from behind to beat Manchester United 4-1 in a highly entertaining opening match.
Singapore will face Manchester United for the 3rd/4th place spot on Sunday, December 16th, at 4.45pm.
Singapore Selection
Rudy Khairullah (#1), Al-Qaasimy Rahman (#2), Delwinder Singh (#4), Nurullah Hussein (#5), Safirul Sulaiman (#7), M Anumanthan (#8), Shahfiq Ghani (#9), Nazrul Nazari (#11), Raihan Rahman (#16), Iqbal Hussain (#23), Shakir Hamzah (#24)
Substitutes
Emmeric Ong (#3), Shannon Stephen (#6), Sahil Suhaimi (#10), Aqhari Abdullah (#13), Samuel Benjamin (#14), Ignatius Ang (#17), Abdul Qadir (#18)
Liverpool FC U-19:
Ryan Fulton (#1), Ryan McLaughlin (#2), Brad Smith (#3), Lloyd Jones (#4), Niall Heaton (#5), Jordan Lussey (#6), Adam Morgan (#7), Jack Dunn (#8), Samed Yesil (#9), Marc Pelosi (#10), Jordan Ibe (#11)
Substitutes
Kristoffer Petersson (#12), Yusuf Mersin (#13), Jerome Sinclair (#14), Yalany Baio (#15), Joe Maguire (#16), Daniel Trickett-Smith (#17)
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