Indeed, a VERY insipid performance tonite, i think it was a huge mistake by Raddy to play Isa, having Wilkinson on the pitch woulda had the Vietnamese pinned back more. We coulda used his set-piece delivery too. Anyway, match ratings are up:
Lionel Lewis 8.5 Singapore's saviour on the night, he was absolutely solid in the air, and did well to deny the Vietnamese from aerial situations
Noh Rahman 6.0 An unspectacular performance, was beaten by pace time and again but did well on a couple of occasions to recover
Baihakki Khaizan 7.5 A colossus in the air as usual, was there to deny Le Cong Vinh time and again. Was exposed for pace quite a few times but each time he recovered well, although he could have done better on a few occasions
Precious Emuejeraye 6.5 Was exposed for pace like the rest of his defence but contained the Vietnam attackers well enough for the clean sheet
Daniel Bennett 6.5 A decent performance for the experienced stopper, a few good balls down the pitch but was also beaten for pace down his left flank. Recovered a few times but otherwise could do nothing against the pacier Vietnamese.
Mustafic Fahrudin 5.5 Gave the ball away too cheaply and his aimless long balls down the pitch did nothing to alleviate the pressure on his defence. That being said, he did do well on a couple of occasions to deny the Vietnamese midfielders but was otherwise given the runaround. Also earned himself a stupid yellow card for a needless challenge towards the end. Needs to improve his passing.
Isa Halim 4.5 One of the lost lambs on the pitch, the Young Lions skipper was made to look like a fool. Sluggish on the ball, he was guilty of losing possesion countless times, his passing often went astray and he was run ragged by the pacy Vietnamese midfielders. Made a few stupid challenges and was lucky not to be booked.
Muhammad Ridhuan 5.5 Another ineffective performer, he did produce some moments of brilliance but was otherwise marooned out on the right flank. Goaded into stupid challenges at times, he gave away free kicks in dangerous positions and was supremely lucky not to be punished for them. Rushed his crosses and must learn not be so impulsive in the challenge.
Shi Jiayi 5.5 Lost possesion of the ball too many times, like many of his counterparts. He wasn't himself on the night, and his usually solid set-piece deliveries were poor. Did not do anything of note, and was a letdown on the left. But he did his defensive duties decently, and Daniel Bennett would have been indebted to him during the last 20mins.
Agu Casmir 7.0 Was a willing runner all through the game, although he did not hassle the Vietnamese defenders much. Was closed out by the Vietnamese defence for much of the match but could have done better whenever he got the ball. Too bad about the lack of support up front. Was guilty however, of giving away possesion cheaply.
Indra Sahdan 6.0 Did nothing of note and also lost possesion one too many times. Wasn't able to use his pace much and could not penetrate the tight Vietnamese backline.
Subs:
Noh Alam Shah 8.0 Made an instant impact once he went on, galvanised the frontline by hassling the Vietnamese defence and nearly scored with a header that went an inch over the bar. Full of energy, he gave the frontline a much needed boost and also created some good chances. Showed his quality, although he is not in tip top condition.
Ismail Yunos 6.0 Shored up the backline in the dying minutes of the 2nd half and got in a few crosses, none of which were particularly effective. Helped Noh Rahman to pu a lid on the Vietnamese left winger.
Juma'at Jantan 6.0 Came on just to run down the clock and made 1 good clearance.
Again, i think Singapore aren't suited to defensive football, they have good attackers like Agu and NAS and i think the supply line, usually provided by Shi and John Wilkinson was missing, hence the Lions not being able to create any clear-cut chances. The defence is now beginning to settle down though, and i hope this bodes well for the return leg.
