With Group A providing some real exciting action on Saturday, seeing a total of nine goals being scored across two matches, Group B was far more mellowed when it kicked off yesterday.
Malaysia’s match against Myanmar in particular, was a rather frustrating affair. Myanmar were the better side in the opening 10-15 minutes of the game, exploiting Malaysia on countless occassions via the flanks in particular.
However, the Malaysians stood strong and bounced back impeccably at certain points in the game, showcasing their grit and determination. Amri Yahya and Norshahrul had several attempts from within the box, but they both missed the target.
But upon Gary Steven Robbat’s sending off for a second bookable offence, the onus fell on Myanmar, as they began to pile on the pressure. Kyi Lin was absolutely sensational on the flanks, leaving the Malaysian defence flat-footed on so many occassions, but Afif Amiruddin was equally astute at the heart of Malaysia’s defence.
Eventually, the Malayan Tigers held on and secured a 0-0 draw, which is perhaps valuable enough considering that they were playing with 10 men.
Meanwhile, Thailand got their Suzuki Cup campaign of to a positive start, defeating hosts Singapore 2-1 at the brand new Sports Hub. Mongol Totsakrai initially put the Thais ahead on the 9th minute mark, before Khairul Amri equalized the score for Singapore on the 20th minute, much to the joy of the home fans.
But the Thais kept pushing in search of that coveted winner. Amri himself almost did that for Singapore on the 36th minute, except that Kawin was equal to it in between the Thailand sticks. But eventually on the 89th minute, Thailand earned a penalty after Safuwan was caught handling the ball inside the box, and Charyl Chappuis stepped up to fire home and seize valuable three points for the Thais.
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