SINGAPORE: He slipped, he fell and then he scored.
A composed, clinical finish from substitute Ikhsan Fandi was enough to hand Singapore’s U22 side the win as they beat Thailand 1-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (Jun 9) to win the Merlion Cup.
A 36th minute goal from Ikhsan separated the two sides, who faced off in the final following comfortable wins over Philippines (3-0) and Indonesia (2-1) on Friday.
Ikhsan Fandi rounds the Thailand goalkeeper en route to scoring. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
The home side had the first chance of the game as Irfan Fandi’s acrobatic effort off a set-piece came close.
The away side fired back with a salvo of their own almost immediately as a cross-field pass found a Thai attacker onside but the combination of Irfan and Singapore custodian Zharfan Rohaizad thwarted the opportunity.
Thailand grew into the game, and continued to dominate possession but a series of crunching tackles from Singapore midfielder Joshua Pereira stemmed the tide.
Joshua Pereira attempts a tackle during the match. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
Then came the moment of brilliance from Ikhsan who rounded the Thai goalkeeper, and tucked home a left-footed strike despite losing his footing seconds before.
The second half followed more of the same as Singapore’s rearguard held watertight.
Singapore’s Joshua Pereira tussles for the ball. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
The Young Lions reduced the Thais to half-chances, with playmarker Hami Syahin dictating the tempo. Fandi Ahmad’s side ultimately held on for the victory, to the delight of the partisan home crowd.
In the day’s earlier game, Indonesia hammered the Philippines 5-0 to finish the competition in third place.
