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Lions held 1-1 by Solomon Islands, as ‘sack the coach’ chants continue
Lin Tianbao
Jun 19, 2023 12:45 am
With seven changes to the starting line-up, the Lions looked livelier against the Solomon Islands on Sunday, compared to their previous match.
But eventually, they had to settle for another stalemate after being held 1-1 at the National Stadium, following Friday’s 2-2 draw with Papua New Guinea.
The Lions had held on to a slender 1-0 lead for over 80 minutes but allowed their opponents, who lost 4-1 to Malaysia last week, to grab a late equaliser.
Even though it was a slightly improved performance, there remained a portion of fans who chanted “sack the coach” after the match.
Coach Takayuki Nishigaya acknowledged that fans want to “better Singapore football and they feel that I cannot deliver to their standards yet”.
“It’s fine for me to accept the responsibility, but I want the players to focus and move forward to help Singapore football achieve greater heights.”
The Japanese tactician had included the likes of Irfan Najeeb, Naqiuddin Eunos, Joel Chew, Daniel Goh, Hami Syahin and Adam Swandi in the starting line-up. They were all aged 27 or below.
The first four have only six international caps combined, while besides Irfan and Adam, the others had started on the bench against the Papuans.
There were some positive signs as the team showed attacking intent in the first half, with crisp passing between the lines and decent off-the-ball movement.
The team played in a more spirited manner as a result. But ultimately, they struggled to contain their opponents, who were ranked 24 positions higher than the 158th-placed Lions.
Nishigaya was satisfied with the performances of his young charges, saying: “They have given me a high level of performance for national standard.
“But on a higher level of international competition, they need to absorb their experiences from today and apply them in the future.”
Adam pointed out that the players came from different teams and “needed time to gel with one another”.
The Lion City Sailors midfielder added: “From last game to this game, we can see progression and were much better. But there’s room for improvement for us to execute what (Nishigaya) wants.”
The Lions broke the deadlock through a dead-ball routine in the 31st minute.
Adam’s free kick was headed on by Irfan amid a sea of bodies, and Shawal Anuar was in the right position to tap into an empty net. This was the fourth straight game in which the team have scored from a set piece.
In the next nine minutes, Shawal had numerous chances to extend the Lions’ lead, but he was unable to provide the finishing touch.
Singapore started brightly in the second half, with Goh’s cross looping over goalkeeper Phillip Mango and narrowly pass the far post in the 46th minute.
There were few chances after that, but Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari, who was making his second appearance for the Lions, had to stay alert to repel efforts from Norman Ngahu and Bobby Leslie.
The Solomon Islands could not be denied in the 84th minute, though, as skipper Joses Nawo’s shot from just outside the box was deflected into the bottom corner.
Nishigaya attributed the late goal to a lack of game control. He added: “We need to secure the ball better, especially after the 65th minute of games.
“I hope that this experience will help the players grow in this aspect.”
