Lions snapped losing streak just before flight to Manila

Coach Sundram (in blue jacket) facing the media

To sum up the Singapore National Football Team's final warm-up before heading off to Manila this coming Tuesday, to win the game, the feeling is great, but scoring a goal is a bonus.

The one-nil win over the visiting Cambodian national team at the Bishan Stadium was indeed a relief to everyone in the Lions setup whose preparation for the biennial regional showpiece – the AFF Suzuki Cup- hasn't been smooth sailing since national caretaker coach V Sundram moorthy took over back in May.

With most of the participating countries already confirming their list of 23 for the tournament, the former Lions striker decided to buck the trend by stating he would only do so when he arrives in the Philippines, in reply to a query from the media after the game.

“I will only reveal when we are in the Philippines,” said Coach Sundram during the post-match press conference on the to-be-finalised squad, which is now trimmed to 24 men with one more spot up for grabs after delisting the likes of 'keeper Zaiful Nizam, defender Irfan Fandi Ahmad, and forwards Shawal Anuar and Iqbal Hussain Hamid in midweek.

The recent inclusion of both Shahdan Sulaiman and Shahfiq Ghani, who both just recovered from serious injuries, would suggest the options are limited for the “Dazzler”, who tried several available players as he could in recent weeks via training tours to Japan and Bahrain.

Apparently, a number of those who thought would make the cut fell off the radar as the deadline drew closer, with many fans registered their concern via social media, questioning the selection criteria of the 51-year-old tactician.

Differing from the flair he was associated with during his playing days, Coach Sundram is known these days for being pragmatic, and it was said his inputs helped to engineer the Lions'goal-less draw against Asian powerhouses Japan in last June.

So it came as little surprise when he summarised his thoughts last night in Bishan, the one-time FC Basel marksman started off by saying: “A win is a win, but friendlies are just friendlies where you can win all the friendlies; however, the real test will come when we play our first game against the Philippines.”

“In modern football, there are no pushovers, and it is the performance of the day that matters,” he added.

Yasir Hanapi (left) scored the only goal (credit: Playmaker)

On the match that saw Tampines Rovers' Yasir Hanapi score the only goal in the 70^th minute to end the Lions' six-match losing streak in front of the sell-out crowds of 2,946, Coach Sundram opined it was a better display from his team in the second half as compared to the first.

“We came back strongly in the second half, where our players dominated the game,” said the former Negri Sembilan coach. “We showed more mobility and are getting more crosses into the box, although I felt we are losing the ball too cheaply in the game.”

At the end of the day, Coach Sundram also showed his appreciation to the fans who turned out to show their support.

He said: “I would like to thank the fans who always stand behind us, and we will do our best to show what we can achieve."