Football: Singapore knocked out of SEA Games after goalless draw with Laos

SINGAPORE: Singapore's men's football team were dumped out of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Saturday (May 6) after a 0-0 stalemate with Laos that saw them miss a penalty.

The third straight SEA Games draw between the two sides left Singapore's Young Lions with one point after three matches and second from the bottom of the group, with only Laos below on goal difference.

With Thailand and Vietnam on top with six points each, and only one match left for Singapore to play, the Young Lions are assured of early elimination for the fifth consecutive Games.

It has now been 10 years since Singapore progressed out of group stages.

Aware that nothing less than a win would do, the under-22 footballers kicked off against Laos with all of the verve and none of the sluggishness on display in earlier losses to Thailand and Vietnam.

Though not for lack of trying, their attempts to move the ball quick and switch play between Jordan Emaviwe and Elijah Lim on the flanks often fell flat, with passes misplaced and touches too heavy.

It was left to the TV commentator to remark how Philippe Aw's charges could do with some inspiration from their compatriots in the swimming pool, who clinched Singapore's 1,000th gold medal.

The second half picked up where the two teams left off - showing all the urgency for three points yet sloppy in possession and poor in delivery.

To Singapore's credit, they generated more opportunities, with midfielder Ajay Robson clean through on goal only to shoot high and wide.

It was then Laos' turn to come close, with Chony Wenpaserth gifted the ball outside the penalty box by some slack Singaporean defending. The forward was unlucky to hit the post.

The Young Lions' best chance came in the 63rd minute when substitute Nicky Melvin Singh, within seconds of coming on to the pitch, earned a penalty after going to the ground from a challenge just inside the box.

It was up to No 9 Syahadat Masnawi to give Singapore a glimmer of hope but he never looked certain and after a half-hearted attempt to fool the goalie with a stuttering run-up to the ball, only succeeded in smashing it high into the stands.

The prevailing sentiment among the Young Lions was perhaps best captured by Emaviwe, who kicked a water bottle away in sheer frustration when substituted in the 78th minute.

Deep into injury time, it was Laos who were still going, with winger Anousone Xaypanya bamboozling his defender with a sublime piece of skill and laying it across for Athit Louanglath, whose goal-bound shot was kept out by Aizil Yazid as his backline stood watching. 

Singapore and Laos drew 2-2 at the last SEA Games in 2022, and battled to another goalless stalemate at the edition before that.

The Young Lions' last medal was a bronze in 2013, and the last time it made it as far as the finals was in 1989, when they were beaten 3-1 by Malaysia.

The Causeway rivals will meet on Thursday (May 11) as Singapore heads into its last group match with only pride to play for.

Catch the 32nd SEA Games Cambodia 2023 live with three dedicated channels on mewatch. Sign in now at www.mewatch.sg/seagames to catch all the action for free, or catch highlights on Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.