Selayang, Thursday, October 11, 2012 — The Singapore LionsXII were leading on the verge of qualifying for the final of the Malaysia Cup before an injury-time goal by Marlon James tied it up 1-1 to give Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) a lifeline.
The first leg had ended tied at 1-1.
No goals in 30 minutes of extra time saw the game head into a penalty shootout. Shaiful Esah was the first to miss for the LionsXII but that did not prove fatal because of a corresponding ATM miss. Baihakki Khaizan then had a chance to send the LionsXII into the final but his miss gave ATM another lifeline.
In the end, it was Yasir Hanapi who missed his penalty to give ATM a 7-6 aggregate win and a place in the final.
Agu Casmir had given the LionsXII the lead in the 27th minute and despite immense pressure from ATM, the LionsXII looked like they had done enough to earn a place in the final.
However, five minutes of extra time at the end of 90 minutes turned into seven as the referee added more time on to account for injuries to Khairul Amri and Izwan Mahbud who went down under challenges in injury time.
The frustration of the last-minute equaliser by ATM was clearly seen as the bench argued with the officials on the touchline and Baihakki looked especially upset.
The LionsXII had finished second in the Malaysian Super League and this is the first time a Singapore team is playing in the Malaysian domestic league since 1994, a break of 18 years.
LionsXII Malaysia Cup fixtures and results
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