Tam Cheong Yan

info@fas.org.sg

John Wilkinson scored his first senior international goal as Singapore earned a 1-1 draw with the United Arab Emirates in an international friendly match at Jurong West Stadium.

The result on Wednesday evening left both teams with positives to take with them as they prepare for the World Cup qualifiers, which will commence in October.

Wilkinson fired home for Singapore at the end of a flowing move in the first half, before the UAE equalized after the break through Faisal Khalil Mubarak.

LIONS READY: The Singapore starting eleven, led by captain Indra Sahdan (front row, third from left)

But the Lions, who had put up an enterprising display for much of the evening, held on for a draw that ended a three-match run of losses against the Middle Eastern side.

Rightback Faizal Abdul Hamid, who had featured in the last of those matches three years ago, was picked to start along with SAFFC teammates Wilkinson and Daniel Bennett.

Indra Sahdan meanwhile donned the captain’s armband for Radojko Avramovic’s side, which assembled for training just 48 hours before this match was to kick off.

Considering the haste with which this fixture had been arranged, it was understandable that the ASEAN champions, who had last played together in another friendly in June, showed signs of rust in the early minutes.

It did not take long for them to realize how much of a challenge they would face, as the UAE put their hosts on the back foot with some speedy footwork and sharp passing that illustrated their technical ability.

But Singapore gave a glimpse of what they were capable of in the 14^th minute, when Wilkinson, operating on the left flank, launched a long pass that Noh Alam Shah mat with a first-time shot just inside the box that glided just over the crossbar.

The midfielder served up another tantalizing delivery across the field to Ridhuan Muhammad just four minutes later, but the winger, left unmarked on the edge of the area, fluffed a good chance with a trap that took the ball away from goal rather than towards it.

SILKY: UAE forward Ismail Matar (in white) found the Singapore defence hard to crack

While neither moment ended in a goal, the 1,278 fans present at Jurong West appreciated the effort, particularly from Wilkinson, who offered plenty with his incisive passing.

The Lions nearly fell behind in the 28^th minute though, when Nawaf Mubarak latched on to a Saeed Hassan pass and fired a scorching shot that whizzed just past the goalpost.

That was the best of a smattering of shots the Emirates could come up with as, for all the eye-catching buildup work, they seemed distinctly lacking in terms of their shooting.

Buoyed by the observation, Singapore gradually got their attacking act together, stringing glimpses of positive play into a sequence that yielded a goal six minutes before the break.

A series of some eight or ten consecutive passes culminated in a Shi Jiayi cross from the right, which Indra nodded down for Alam Shah to shoot.

While the Tampines Rovers strike ace’s effort from six yards came back off the upright, Wilkinson – better known for his long-range crackers from outside the area – charged in from the left to slam the shot past Majed Naser and into the bottom corner.

It was the 28-year-old’s first strike in only his third appearance for the Lions, and his joy was clear for all to see as even Avramovic was moved to applaud his work.

The midfielder was nonetheless taken off at half-time along with Alam Shah, while Ridhuan joined them on the bench six minutes after the break as Avramovic decided to test out a few other options.

And right on the hour mark, Indra became the next to get an early shower, handing the armband to Bennett before making way for Fazrul Nawaz.

The 22-year-old was almost presented with an opportunity to double Singapore’s lead eight minutes after his introduction, but he was found just a touch short on pace to reach Shi’s long lob aimed for him.

The speed issue would hurt Singapore at the other end two minutes later, when half-time substitute Faisal latched on to a through pass down the middle ahead of Baihakki Khaizan.

Baihakki did his best to catch up with the striker, but was always left half a step behind as Lionel Lewis rushed off his line in a vain attempt to prevent the equalizer.

With the game level once again, both teams pressed in search for a late winner, Bruno Metsu’s side being the first to come close as Ahmed Mohamed Mubarak volleyed wide from an Abdulla Belal corner in the 78^th minute.

Shortly afterwards, Khairul Amri was foiled at the other end from pointblank range by custodian Waleed Salem, who like the young Singapore striker was a half-time substitute.

In the end, neither team was able to muster a second goal, as both had to settle for level scores at the end of the evening.

From Singapore’s perspective, however, the performance could only be encouraging under the circumstances, as they get themselves geared up for a tough double-header with World Cup qualifiers opponents Palestine in a month’s time.