Singapore and Myanmar defy odds to make semis
BY S. SIVABALANPETALING JAYA: The form-book was thrown out of the window after the completion of the group stages of the Tiger Cup on Thursday. Only two of the usual suspects - Indonesia and Malaysia- qualified for the semi-finals.
Indonesia cruised into the last four as Group A champions but Malaysia struggled to get in, barely making it as second placed finishers in Group B.
Pre-tournament favourites Vietnam and holders Thailand were surprisingly shown the exit, the first time in the series that either team had gone out so early.
Singapore, instead, are in the semi-finals, along with surprise package Myanmar, who topped Group B, ousting Thailand and relegating Malaysia to second place.
Indonesia are now the only team to have qualified for the semi-finals of every edition of the Tiger Cup since its inception in 1996. Indonesia are also the first ever team to qualify for the semi-finals without conceding a goal, which does not bode well for Malaysia, who face them in the semi-finals.
Indonesia scored 17 goals in a relatively harder group and conceded none, and this should send shudders down their opponents.
Malaysia were never convincing, even in their thumping wins over minnows Timor Leste (5-0) and Philippines (4-1). Then, Myanmar brought them down 1-0 and only a brave comeback in the second half saw them beat Thailand 2-1 and squeak into the semi-finals.
Malaysian coach Bertalan Bicskei's risk-taking – he dropped several key players and called back some who had been phased out earlier – reaped rewards but there was no such luck for Sigfried Held.
To be fair, the German, the fourth national coach in little over a year, had just over a month to prepare the team and he had to do it with only three seniors – midfielder Therdsak Chaiman, Sakda Joemdee and defender Jetsada Jitsawad.
“I feel sorry for the people back in Thailand - the team and officials share their disappointment,” said Held, a former German international. “The main reason for us not reaching the semi-finals is inexperience. A lot of the players were playing overseas for the first time and they found it a lot different from playing in the Thai League. I think they will learn.
“The team did not do a lot wrong. It was one minute against Myanmar and two minutes against Malaysia (that proved costly). You have to concentrate the whole match at this level or you will be punished,” said Held during the post match interview after defeating the Philippines 3-1 in their last Group B match.
“This is a young team and maybe we can find some stronger players from the Thai League to join the squad. I am hopeful that in the future we will have a better team,” added the German.
Things got a little rough back at home with the fanatical Thai fans demanding answers from the Football Association of Thailand (FAT). FAT general secretary Worawi Makudi had to give an explanation on a Thai talk show to calm things down.
The biggest casualty, though, was Brazilian Edson Tavares, who resigned after Vietnam lost to Indonesia 0-3. Tavares later clarified that he was asked to leave by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
“The resignation is not my decision,” explained Tavares. “The VFF decided this straight after the game on Saturday (the Indonesian match).
“They didn’t want to fire me but they also didn’t want to keep me, but they made it very clear that they didn’t want me to stay. I proposed to them that I stay until the end of the tournament but they refused my proposal,” added the Brazilian.
Myanmar coach Ivan Kolev is the success story of the tournament, with his team tactics proving to be the deciding factor. The rotation system used by the Bulgarian ensured that fresh legs were available in all matches. He revealed that special training was conducted to improve fitness prior to competing.
Myanmar never looked lethargic on the field, and were capable of scoring last-minute goals. The most important was the 90th minute equaliser by Zaw Lynn Tun against Thailand.
Myanmar could go all the way, the Bulgarian declared before the start of the tournament. Many took him lightly but he has proven as good as his word.
Meanwhile, it’s a return to the limelight for the Singaporeans who won the tournament back in 1998. They believe they have finally managed to overcome a mental block.
“I think we had an inferiority complex when we came up against ‘bigger’ sides before because we never really played that many international matches,” said Singapore skipper Aide Iskander. But things have changed now.
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