October 9, 2004

Working with a patched up squad, many thought Avramovic & his boys would have been sunk without trace.

How they were proved wrong.

Even UAE coach Aad De Mos was left impressed by the Lions battling qualities & had only praises for them

While appreciating the praise, Lions' coach Avramovic felt his charges could have taken the game more to the visitors.

Avramovic said while Singapore did not play with our strongest team today, with quite a few regulars out, there is still the need to learn to keep possession & not lose the ball so easily

He also added Singapore back-four have to learn how to pass the ball out of defence better or else Singapore will still be giving away easy goals

Certainly the UAE second goal was proof of both count as a stray pass from Baihakki Khaizan out of defence was picked up by UAE’s Salem Khamis just outside the box. With Lions custodian Hassan Sunny caught by surprise and out of position, the striker needed no second invitation to deliver an immaculate chip into the net. It was a cheap goal to give away & it dealt a double-blow for Hassan, who had conceded the game’s first goal only a minute earlier, when he allowed Fahed Masoud’s 35m free-kick to beat him low at his near-post. From a goalkeeping point of view, it was a soft goal to concede & an aspect of Hassan’s game which needs to be further worked on.

Masrezwan, who worked hard all night long, had a hard time against the more physically-superior opponents but got his just reward as he pulled one back for the Lions  by hooking a delicate chip beyond UAE keeper Mohammed Abdulla.

The Lions' next challenge comes on Wednesday, when they face India in a Group 3 World Cup qualifying tie at the Jalan Besar Stadium