KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Football fans’ eyes will be trained on the clash between traditional rivals, Malaysia and Singapore, in the Group B final match in the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup, at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tomorrow (January 3).
Dubbed the Causeway Derby, the match between the two rivals is never ordinary because whenever they meet there will definitely be drama, both on and off the pitch, with emotions running high among supporters.
After Singapore tied Vietnam to a scoreless draw last Friday, coach Kim Pan Gon knows he has no choice but to tell the players that losing is not an option.
The team must qualify for the semi-final to avoid being eliminated early in the tournament for the second consecutive time.
Four-time champion Singapore only needs a draw to qualify.
The Lions come with their reputation intact, winning in all their meetings in recent years, while Malaysia has shown a less-than-impressive record.
In their last meeting, Singapore won 2-1 on home ground in an international friendly match in March last year, which also saw Pan Gon losing for the first time with the Malaysian team.
Malaysia, the 2010 AFF Cup champions, previously lost 0-1 at the 2019 Airmarine Cup in Bukit Jalil, and a scoreless draw in a friendly match in 2016.
The last time Malaysia defeated Singapore was in the 2014 AFF Cup final match in Group B, which saw two epic goals scored late in the game – a penalty by Safiq Rahim and a long-distance kick from Indra Putra Mahayuddin – which helped the team win 3-1 at the Singapore National Stadium to reach the semi-finals.
Akin to a repeat of the 2014 group match, the pressure was clearly felt, based on the group standings, when Singapore had only a one-point advantage in second place while Malaysia was placed third by collecting six points.
A similar approach used against Vietnam is expected to be deployed by Singapore in Bukit Jalil tomorrow, with Malaysia having to start fiercely hunting for early goals to put pressure on Nishigaya’s men.
Pressure may force Singapore to play a more open game, while Malaysia, led by sensational player Mohamed Faisal Abdul Halim, must use the opportunity to find a second goal and kill the opponents’ momentum.
However, Malaysia’s defence is urged to stay focused throughout the game and avoid making mistakes near the goal area, because Singapore is deadly and never misses the opportunity to score goals in dead-ball situations.
Among the players to look out for are defender Irfan Fandi and his striker brother Ilhan; both have their names listed in the score sheet with one goal each, and Singapore’s top scorer Shawal Anuar has collected two goals thus far.
Based on FIFA’s rankings, Malaysia is better-placed at 145th while Singapore is 160th, but the Causeway Derby clash doesn’t care about past records as both teams are constantly racing to create a new history.
— Bernama
