Hariss Harun (#14) ended up playing in central defence to plug the gap left by the injured Safuwan Baharudin. Despite that, Hariss still managed to play a part in the first goal, picking out Gabriel Quak with a good pass which the latter took down well to finish off with composure for the first goal just before half time. (Photo 1 by Chris McGrath/Getty Images for SSC)
Jakarta, Thursday, November 17, 2011 — Singapore beat Thailand 2-0 but then could only watch as Malaysia sent them home with a 1-0 win over Indonesia in the South-east Asian (SEA) Games football tournament.
Singapore laboured to get any meaningful shots on goal as captain Hariss Harun played in central defence to take the place of injured Safuwan Baharudin.
In first half extra time, Singapore finally got the first goal they longed for when Hariss Harun picked out Gabriel Quak with a pass. Gabriel chested the ball down, ran past a static Thai defence, waited for the goalkeeper to commit and calmly placed the ball into the net with a composure not seen often in our age-group strikers.
The Young Lions needed not just a win, but also a bagful of goals. However, they could not find another until the 87th minute. Substitute Safirul Sulaiman hit a wild, looping shot that dipped luckily into goal over a stranded Thai goalkeeper.
The Young Lions missed at least four good chances in the second half. Gabriel Quak was through on goal but his first touch failed him, drawing him away from goal and his final shot across the keeper went past the post.
Fazli Ayob also went one-on one with the Thai keeper when he finally beat an offside trap. His first touch was good but his final shot went whizzing past the upright.
Zulfahmi Arifin too had his chance on goal with a clear a chance for a clear shot on goal from the edge of the box but his shot was more like a back pass. He was shown on television rightly frustrated with his effort.
Faris Ramli then had a final chance in injury time as he ran into the box. However, the substitute could not pick out Shahdan Sulaiman in the six yard pass with an accurate pass.
2-0 was how it ended and the margin of victory meant that Singapore needed Indonesia to beat Malaysia by a clear four goals in their later match. Not only did Indonesia not beat Malaysia, they found themselves at the wrong end of a 0-1 score line in front of their 90,000 fans.
Singapore finished third on the table while Malaysia topped the table, with Indonesia second. Malaysia will play Myanmar in one semi-final while Indonesia will play Vietnam in the other.
The Singapore squad failed to reach their pre-games target of a place in the final, but head coach Pavkovic Slobodan focused on the positives of this match.
“This is our best performance of the competition. Our boys showed discipline, showed motivation and determination. I’m happy with this performance, how they played, how they fought for the country,” said Pavkovic.
Singapore Under-23 Starting Lineup
Izwan Mahbud, Afiq Yunos, Gabriel Quak, Hafiz Sujad, Shahdan Sulaiman, Irwan Shah, Yasir Hanapi, Fazli Ayob, Hariss Harun (C), Firdaus Kasman, Khairul Nizam
Thailand Under-23 Starting Lineup
Seeket Madputeh, Attapong Nooprom, Ronnachai Rangsiyo (C), Naruphol Ar-Romsawa, Isarapong Lilakom, Kroekrit Thawikan, Phonlawut Donchui, Sutjarit Jantakol, Pokklaw A-Nan, Ukrit Wongmeema, Komkrit Cumsokcheak
With regard to Singapore's 2-0 win over Thailand at the 2011 SEA Games football tournament ...
- The Young Lions were poor. (48%, 73 Votes)
- The Young Lions were average. (31%, 47 Votes)
- The Young Lions were good. (22%, 33 Votes)
Total Voters: 153
Loading ...SEA Games 2011 Football — Group A Fixtures
Venue for all matches: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. Time shown is Singapore time. Jakarta time is one hour behind.(cross-flag-pins.com)
| Day/Date | Team A | Team B | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 7 | Singapore  | 0 | Malaysia  | 0 | 5pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Indonesia  | 6 | Cambodia  | 0 | 8pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Malaysia | 2 | Thailand  | 1 | 5pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Cambodia | 1 | Singapore | 2 | 8pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Singapore | 0 | Indonesia | 2 | 3pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Thailand | 4 | Cambodia | 0 | 6pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Malaysia | 4 | Cambodia | 1 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Indonesia | 3 | Thailand | 1 | 8pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Thailand | 0 | Singapore | 2 | 5pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Indonesia | 0 | Malaysia | 1 | 8pm |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group A Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| Indonesia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| Singapore | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Thailand | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Cambodia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group B Fixtures
Venue for Nov 3rd matches: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. Venue for all other matches: Lebak Bulus Stadium, Jakarta. Time shown is Singapore time. Jakarta time is one hour behind.(cross-flag-pins.com)
| Day/Date | Team A | Team B | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 3 | Vietnam  | 3 | Philippines  | 1 | 5pm |
| Thu, Nov 3 | Laos  | 2 | Myanmar  | 3 | 8pm |
| Sat, Nov 5 | Brunei  | 1 | Timor Leste  | 2 | 5pm |
| Sat, Nov 5 | Myanmar | 0 | Vietnam | 0 | 8pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Timor Leste | 2 | Philippines | 1 | 5pm |
| Mon, Nov 7 | Laos | 2 | Brunei | 2 | 8pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Myanmar | 4 | Brunei | 0 | 5pm |
| Wed, Nov 9 | Vietnam | 2 | Timor Leste | 0 | 8pm |
| Fri, Nov 11 | Philippines | 3 | Laos | 2 | 5pm |
| Sat, Nov 12 | Brunei | 0 | Vietnam | 8 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Philippines | 0 | Myanmar | 5 | 5pm |
| Sun, Nov 13 | Timor Leste | 0 | Laos | 3 | 8pm |
| Tue, Nov 15 | Myanmar | 1 | Timor Leste | 0 | 5pm |
| Tue, Nov 15 | Philippines | 1 | Brunei | 1 | 8pm |
| Thu, Nov 17 | Laos | 1 | Vietnam | 3 | 5pm |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Group B Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 13 |
| Myanmar | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Timor Leste | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Laos | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 4 |
| Philippines | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 4 |
| Brunei | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 2 |
SEA Games 2011 Football — Semi-Final and Final Fixtures
Venue for matches: Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. Time shown is Singapore time. Jakarta time is one hour behind.| Day/Date | Team A | Team B | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Finals | |||||
| Sat, Nov 19 | Malaysia | 1 | Myanmar | 0 | 5pm |
| Sat, Nov 19 | Vietnam | 0 | Indonesia | 2 | 8.30pm |
| Bronze Medal Match | |||||
| Mon, Nov 21 | Myanmar | 4 | Vietnam | 1 | 5pm |
| Final | |||||
| Mon, Nov 21 | Malaysia | 1 (4) | Indonesia | 1 (3) | 8.30pm |
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