KUALA LUMPUR (8 Oct 2011) – ASEAN champions Malaysia were served with several doses of reality with a 5-0 beating at the hands of Australia as Singapore made it all too easy with a 2-0 win over the Philippines in the several friendlies that was played yesterday.
Vietnam on the other hand continued their rebuilding under new chief Falko Goetz with an inspiring 1-0 loss to Japan as a second string Thai side held Jordan to a scoreless draw.
In Canberra, the visiting Malaysian side showed that they are nowhere close to the highly-rated Aussies when they conceded a 5-0 defeat despite fielding their best squad since winning the AFF Suzuki Cup last year.
Luke Wilkshire gave Australia the best of start with the lead in the second minute before the homesters added further goals off Josh Kennedy (32nd and 45th minute) and Alex Brosque (38th and 68th minute).
In Singapore, the Lions showed their competitive edge when they outlasted Philippines 2-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Following a first half deadlock, Singapore prised open the lead with the first goal of the game off Shaiful Esah in the 50th minute as veteran striker Aleksandar Duric then added the finishing touch with the second goal on 64 minute.
At the Kobe Wing Stadium, Vietnam put up their best performance to date with a close 1-0 loss to Asian powerhouse Japan.
The Japanese nailed the winner in the 28th minute when midfielder Makoto Hasebe came in from the left for a pass to Tadanari Lee who tapped it into an empty net.
At the Rajamangala National Stadium, Thai coach Winfried Schaefer was more than pleased with the performance of his second-string side who drew 0-0 with Jordan.
“We did not play well in the first half but did well in the second half after we made some changes,” said the German.
“But our strikers were not sharp and that’s our problem.”
