LionsXII defeated by 10-man Kelantan

SINGAPORE – Poor defending cost the LionsXII dear as they were defeated 2-1 by Kelantan in front of their home fans at the Jalan Besar Stadium tonight (March 8).

Khairul Amri gave the LionsXII the lead midway through the first half but defensive errors allowed forwards Ahmad Fakri and Francis Forkey Doe to secure all three points for Kelantan.

A moment of silence was held before the match in memory of those on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH730, which disappeared from air traffic control screens over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam early today.

The LionsXII dominated the first half and restricted the visitors to a handful of speculative shots from outside the area.

They deservedly took the lead in the 26th minute after Khairul Amri connected brilliantly with Shahfiq Ghani’s cross to smash the ball into the back of the net.

Faris Ramli thought he had doubled his side’s lead just before the break when he lobbed past Kelantan goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi but his effort was ruled out for offside.

The LionsXII continued to dominate in front of their home fans in the second half but it was Kelantan who equalized against the run of play. A terrible lapse of concentration by the LionsXII defence in the 52nd minute allowed forward Ahmad Fakri to sneak in between two defenders and slot the ball past goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud.

Kelantan were reduced to ten men in the 79th minute after striker Ahmad Shakir was shown a straight red card for stamping on Afiq Yunos.

But that did not stop them from getting winner. Forkey Doe slipped past the LionsXII defence after another defensive error to score in stoppage time and secure all three points for his side.

LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad said after the match: “We are disappointed in ourselves. We should have gotten at least a draw.

“We made a lot of mistakes and it’s very sad for the fans who came down. Kelantan are a very experienced and they deserved the win because they continued to push forward despite going down to 10 men.”

The LionsXII will next play Sarawak on March 15 at the Stadium Negeri Sarawak.