SURABAYA (9 Sept 2013) – Timor Leste and Singapore shared points after a 1-1 draw in their opening Group A match of the AFF Under-19 Championships at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo tonight. Timor had a promising start when they scored very early in the game, but Singapore replied with a penalty to ensure they walked away with a point.
Timor and Singapore are now second behind Laos who had beaten the Philippines 3-1 in the first match of the evening.
Tonight, the handful of Timor Leste fans gathered to support their team did not have to wait for long to start celebrating. Just over a minute into the game, Timor shocked the Singaporeans with a brilliant goal from Marcos Gusmao. Nathaniel Reis weaved through the defence and setup flanker Adelino on the left. He whacked the shot but it was pushed out and landed in the path of Marcos who volleyed his team ahead.
The Timor players continued to wreak havoc, forcing their opponents to fall back. But to their credit, the Singapore players soon got their act together and began pushing up. In the 23rd minute, Jonathan Tan relayed back to Muhammad Hazim but his shot took flight and Singapore were left searching for the equalizer.
It did not take long as Singapore earned a penalty three minutes later when Muhammad Muhaimin Suhaimi was brought down in the box by Candido Oliveira. Hazim sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with low shot to the left.
The second half saw both sides having a fair go at each other but none were able to convert their chances. Singapore’s Jonathan and Hazim had several great attempts but were simply unable to control their shots.
At the other end, the nippy Nathaniel and Frangcyatma Kefi also failed to make good their chances and blew their hopes of collecting full points.
RESULT – Group A
Laos 3 Philippines 1
Timor Leste 1 Singapore 1
Group A Current Standings
| Teams |
P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
| LAOS |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
+2 |
3 |
| SINGAPORE |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
= |
1 |
| TIMOR LESTE |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
= |
1 |
| PHILIPPINES |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
-2 |
0 |
| CAMBODIA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
