Young Lions win but fail to impress in friendly

Singapore 1

Cambodia 0

Different result, same lack of conviction from the Young Lions.

Yes, Singapore's SEA Games-bound squad may have gained a measure of revenge for Friday's 0-1 B international loss.

But even in defeating their Under-23 counterparts from Cambodia 1-0 last Sunday night, there was no masking the fact that they are far from being the finished product.

"I know that we have the quality," coach Aide Iskandar insisted.

"It's only a matter of time before the team start to click."

Time, however, is fast running out, with less than two weeks to go before the group stage kicks off in Myanmar.

In light of this, both sides fielded their U-23 sides in what was billed as a full international.

And playing in front of a paltry crowd of 426 at the Hougang Stadium, the Young Lions were made to labour against a Cambodian team regularly regarded among the minnows of South-east Asia.

Unsurprisingly, the visitors adopted a soak-and-strike approach, allowing Aide's men to enjoy plenty of possession.

But with few gaps to exploit within the opposition ranks, they spent long periods passing the ball around in their own half - prompting a frustrated "Get the ball up lah!" from one fan in the stands.

In fact, up until Shahfiq Ghani's winner in the 75th minute, the closest the hosts came to scoring was the attacking midfielder's inswinging corner which forced goalkeeper Sou Yati into an acrobatic save.

"It was a very tough game," Safuwan Baharudin admitted. "Cambodia were extremely good defensively - that's something we'll definitely see more of at the SEA Games."

Apart from a few hairy moments at the back which resulted from the Cambodians' pacy counter-attacks, the 22-year-old formed a solid central-defensive partnership with Afiq Yunos.

Aide has his work cut out going forward, though.

More will be expected of midfielder Zulfahmi Arifin, for one, who showed glimpses of his range of passing without truly stamping his authority on the game.

Meanwhile, Faris Ramli had a quiet game down the flanks by his usual lively standards.

But with Aide set to trim his squad to 23 today, before submitting the final list of 20 on Dec 7, the biggest question mark is the fitness of winger Gabriel Quak.

"He brings a different sort of quality with his quick feet and he can also play as a striker," the coach said of the 22-year-old who has a hamstring strain.

"We're waiting on him anxiously."

The Young Lions will face their Philippine counterparts in their final warm-up match on Dec 3.

fabiusc@sph.com.sg

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