Goals from Faris Ramli and Shawal Anuar secured the the three points for Singapore, who now sit third in Group B of the Mitsubishi Electric Cup Standings
In a group consisting of tough rivals Thailand and Malaysia, Singapore had to pull the strings against Cambodia at home for their tournament opener — and that, they did. The Lions got off to a winning start in their 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup (AMEC) with a 2-1 victory against Cambodia on Wednesday evening at the Singapore National Stadium.
Backed by a passionate crowd of 12,391, Singapore seized on two costly errors by Cambodian goalkeeper Vireak Dara to secure the lead and ultimately claim all three points.
Though the home side cruised to their 2-0 lead, it was anything but a comfortable win as The Lions struggled to stay afloat in the second half.
The three points proved its significance as Malaysia went on to beat Timor-Leste 3-2 two hours later, propelling Singapore's Causeway Rivals to the top of the Group B standings.
Singapore's victory over Cambodia brings them level on points with Thailand but places them third in the standings due to an inferior goal difference.
The visitors were quickly subdued just nine minutes after the referee's whistle. Though many expected Shawal Anuar to bag Singapore's first goal at the tournament, it was Tampines Rovers' Faris Ramli who had the honours.
A miscommunication between Nicolas Doeung Taylor and Vireak Dara resulted in a poorly executed back pass, leaving the custodian on the ground after failing to control the ball. The mishit touch redirected the ball into the path of an onrushing Ramli, who effortlessly slotted it into an empty net.
Just seven minutes later, Dara again misjudged his pass, failing to deliver the ball to his teammate. Instead, his weak pass finds Shawal, who pummelled it into goal to make it 2-0.
With the National Stadium now electrified, all luck seemed to be with the home side as they were given another chance in the 25th minute with a dangerously-positioned freekick.
Shahdan Sulaiman stood poised over the ball, evoking memories of his iconic free-kick three years ago that gave a nine-man Singapore the lead in their unforgettable AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final clash against Indonesia.
Though the ball came close to crossing the line, it wasn't meant to be for Shahdan this time as Dara found redemption through a diving save.
Cambodia came out of the tunnels for the second half as the hungrier team. Throwing attack after attack in an attempt to subdue The Lions, it all came to fruition in the 59th minute.
Sa Ty's persistence on the right flank led him unmarked in the box. Cutting the ball back to Sieng Chanthea in the middle, the forward fired a first-time shot too powerful for Izwan Mahbud, pulling a goal back for his side despite the goalkeeper's otherwise solid performance.
Despite Cambodias's relentless attempts at equalising, some of which came very close, The Lions were able to close off the game with a 2-1 win.
They take on Timor-Leste next away from home on 14th December, before returning to the National Stadium to challenge Thailand on 17th December.
Here are more highlights from the clash against Cambodia.
Izwan makes his return to the regional stage as Singapore's number one goalkeeper following the retirement of Hassan Sunny.
The Lion City Sailors custodian was first of the two goalkeepers on the pitch to be tested, after he was forced into action to stop a shot from Yudai Ogawa in the eighth minute. The 34-year-old made his presence felt with a commanding performance, pulling off several crucial saves to preserve Singapore's lead.
Christopher Van Huizen hunts down Lim Pisoth before tackling the latter for the ball.
The two were seen in constant battles out on the flank.
Shahdan Sulaiman made his return to the pitch in national colours after 13 months. Having last played with the Singapore National Team in November last year, the veteran midfielder was then plagued with injuries.
Ecstatic at being called up once more, the 36-year-old hopes for one last hurrah at the AMEC, and was welcomed back with a chorus of cheers yesterday evening.
Safuwan Baharudin, other than a single mishit pass that could have been costly, played an essential role in Singapore's defence last night. The towering defender was seen leaping for the ball on more than several occasions.
Initially unreleased from his club Selangor FC for the AMEC, Safuwan was due to be a huge miss for Singapore. To the relief to the fans and the team, the Selangor captain was allowed to participate in the tournament just a few days prior.
With Hariss Harun dropped to the bench, Safuwan was given the captain's armband at kickoff, before handing it back to de-facto captain Hariss when the midfielder came on late in the second half.
In the lead up to the AMEC, Kyoga Nakamura was in the spotlight having become the second neutralized player (after Song Ui-Yong) to don the red shirt.
The Tampines Rovers midfield maestro made his regional debut yesterday and played a key role in pulling the strings in the middle.
Nakamura had previously played international football with Japan's youth teams.
Hami Syahin, who came bursting onto the scene in the second half, battles with Yeu Muslim for the ball.
Singapore had a slim one goal lead, and was desperate to hold on to the three points.
Taufik Suparno takes on one of five neutralized Cambodian players, Hikaru Mizuno one-on-one. The Singaporean then plays a cross into the box, which was narrowly missed by Hami Syahin in what was a golden opportunity for Singapore to bag a third.