For close to 90 minutes, Singapore looked to be cruising towards victory over a subpar India, which had been reduced to 10 men after veteran centre back Sandesh Jhingan’s second-half dismissal, as the host dominated possession and peppered the opposition goal with shots.
As the clock wound down, chants of “Satu Nada” echoed around the National Stadium, with the home fans sensing an important three points in the bag courtesy of Ikhsan Fandi’s first-half strike.
But entirely against the run of play, a miscued back pass from substitute left-back Jordan Emaviwe gifted the ball to Indian substitute Rahim Ali. The Odisha FC forward raced past the onrushing Izwan Mahbud and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net in the 90th minute, sparking wild celebrations in the away section and silencing a majority of the 13,232-strong crowd.
“Credit to the boys, they worked hard. We have another game in a few days. It will be at home, we must prepare well and get a positive result… To play an away game with 10 players and get a point is an advantage for us. We must continue with this confidence,” said India head coach Khalid Jamil as the late 1-1 draw gave his side renewed belief heading into next Tuesday’s (Oct 14) clash in Goa.
His opposite number, Gavin Lee, was painfully aware of his side’s profligacy in front of goal, despite their numerical advantage on the field.
“We didn’t take further advantage of the extra man that we had for a good 45 minutes. Unfortunately, at the end, we allowed one action to determine the outcome and gloss over all the positive stuff that we did today,” he said.
“I thought there were very good moments in many phases, but we didn’t make it count at the end. The boys are hurting, but we will go to Goa with extra fuel in our bank.”
Singapore camped in India’s half for much of the opening period, dictating play with 69% possession and restricting the visitors to half-chances on the counter.
Most of the hosts’ attacks came down the right flank, where Shawal Anuar found joy and space, linking well with the Stewart brothers and receiving steady service from midfield.
And the Lions would eventually be rewarded for their persistence.
With just a minute of stoppage time added and the first-half clock winding down, Hariss Harun launched a searching ball from inside his own half.
Shawal brought it down with a deft touch in the box, taking it past Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, before Ikhsan reacted quickest to stab home the opener.
Scoring his 22nd goal in 42 international matches, Ikhsan was content to get back in the goals, but the full-time result undeniably left him smarting.
“Always really happy to score for my country. It’s a big honour, especially in big competitions like the Asian Cup qualifiers, but it was not enough. We need to do better, and I hope in the next game, I can contribute more,” the Ratchaburi forward said. “We’re really disappointed. We came to get all three points. We should have taken the advantage, but we have to reset our minds and prepare for the game away.”
Despite outnumbering their opponents in the second period, sloppy errors found their way into the Lions’ game as they gifted possession away cheaply in the danger areas.
The home fans had their hearts in their mouths in the 57th minute when a routine catch from a Lallianzuala Chhangte free kick slipped through Izwan Mahbud’s palms, but Hariss was on hand to boot it clear.
In the 72nd minute, substitute Ilhan Fandi had two glorious one-on-one chances, but he could not bury them on both occasions to put the tie to bed.
“I have to score this, I know it myself. But I know I will be stronger and I can do it, I just have to work harder,” Ilhan said.
“For me, I’m just really disappointed that I didn’t help the team score. Maybe it would have put us in a better position, 2-0. But this is football, I have to keep on working and I’ll be back.”
Then came India’s last gasp equaliser to deflate the home side.
“We were the better side in the second half. After we went down to 10 men, we played well. We deserved to get a goal, because if you work hard, you will be luckier,” Khalid said.
The result sent Singapore to second spot with five points halfway through the campaign, while Raphael Merkies’ stoppage time winner for Hong Kong in their 4-3 victory away to Bangladesh lifted them to the top of the group with seven points. India are third on two points while Bangladesh are bottom with a sole point.
