"Heartlands Series" at Toa Payoh |
This match was part of the two-match series arranged this week for the SEA Games gelling process.
Speaking to the media after the match, Cubs coach Aide Iskandar revealed he is "more or less" have in his mind who will be his starting eleven in the Myanmar adventure.
Said the former national captain:"More or less this team that played tonight will be the first eleven, around 80 percent of them,"
"Overall, I am quite happy with what I saw today with the chances we created but I am not pleased with the end product that I think we need to work it out on that." added Coach Aide on those rued chances his side had during the match.
Aide Iskandar is the coach of the Cubs |
Following the match against the Cambodian Under-23 side on the same venue this Friday, the squad of 28 will gradually trim to the number to the final 20 players to represent the Republic.
While in the meantime, the rescheduling of the SEA Games football fixtures does allow some breathers for the Cubs in their preparation for the most coveted event in the biennial regional meet that the team are likely to play one more friendly match on the 1st of December before their first match against Laos on the 8th (the first match was originally slated on the 4th).
"We are trying to arrange another friendly match on 1st December before the Games and we are talking to some teams now." said the 38-year-old who is planning to try out a few more players in the running up for the football tournament.
For the record, Sahil Suhaimi opened the scoring in the 24th minute for the Cubs, before Saseetharan Kaleemuthu equalised for the Cheetahs in the 57th minute.
The Cubs will be represented by the national U23 "B" squad this coming Friday (22nd November) against their Cambodian counterparts in the second friendly match of the week at Toa Payoh Stadium, the match will kick-off at 7.30pm with free admission.
(P.S: I tried to look for the team sheet during the match but to not avail that I couldn't confirm who were the players featured due to poor visibility)
The media released issued by the Football Association of Singapore on this match at 12.59am on 20th November 2013 reads:
ReplyDelete"Singapore Under-23 1-1 Hougang United
SINGAPORE, 19 November 2013: In the first of a series of warm-up friendlies before the SEA Games, the National Under-23 team took on Hougang United earlier this evening at the Toa Payoh Stadium, with the game finishing 1-1.
Sahil Suhaimi opened the scoring midway through the first half for the Under-23s, but Hougang United's Saseetharan Kaleemuthu evened things out 12 minutes into the second half.
After the equaliser, the Under-23s upped the ante in search of the winner but they were unable to breach a solid Hougang defence led by Syaqir Sulaiman. Captain Hariss Harun even had one opportunity deep into injury time, but his shot from just outside the box was well held out by Hougang's substitute goalkeeper, Nazri Sabri's. Eventually, the Under-23s had to be contented with a draw for the night.
The next match will see the Singapore Under-23 ‘B’ team take on their Cambodian counterparts on 22 November 2013, at 7.30pm at the Toa Payoh Stadium.
Fans will enjoy complimentary entry to this match."
- No mentioning of the team line-ups