Goalkeeper Izwan wins over Japanese fan

One Japanese football fan posted a video on YouTube to laud Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud for his sterling performance against the Blue Samurai.

In the title of the video, he credited the 24-year-old with making "god-like" saves to help his team earn a shock 0-0 draw in front of 57,533 spectators at the Saitama Stadium on Tuesday.

In all, the LionsXII custodian saved 18 shots on goal, the pick of which was a stunning block from AC Milan playmaker Keisuke Honda's bullet header in the 68th minute.

Not surprisingly, he was also singled out by Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic for his all-action display. He told Football Channel Asia: "I've never seen a goalkeeper stop that many shots before."

This article was first published on June 18, 2015.
Get The New Paper for more stories.