A comeback 3-2 win over Myanmar has given Tsutomu Ogura not only his first international victory as Lions coach, but also plenty of food for thought, after his side needed a late rally to beat their rivals at the National Stadium on Nov 14.
While it ended a winless run that had stretched to four international games under the Japanese, it was a performance that also laid bare the Lions' dire need for improvement, with less than a month before the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, also known as the Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
The Lions had led 1-0 at the break, thanks to Hougang United winger Farhan Zulkifli's first international goal, but were guilty of missing several chances as well. After a sloppy start to the second half, they allowed Myanmar to wrest the lead with two goals in five minutes.
But strikes by substitutes Shawal Anuar (84th) and Naqiuddin Eunos (86th) gave the Lions supporters among the 6,061 fans much to cheer about.
Ogura admitted their shortcomings, saying: "In the beginning, we were not so bad but after we scored the goal, we stopped playing football. We must improve.
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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