LionsXII lack finishing and visionary leadership: Fandi

SINGAPORE — Fandi Ahmad feels a lack of leadership on the field caused the LionsXII to fall to Kelantan in stoppage time on Saturday at the Jalan Besar Stadium and suffer their first Malaysian Super League (MSL) defeat in 20 months.

Despite leading 1-0 through Khairul Amri, the Singapore side lost that advantage when Kelantan’s Fakri Saarani pounced on a miscommunication between LionsXII goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud and his defenders to score in the 51st minute.

Then, a defensive lapse in the dying seconds enabled Liberian striker Francis Forkey Doe to beat the offside trap and score to silence the 7,187-strong crowd.

“No finger pointing. We played above ourselves and my players gave it their all,” Fandi told TODAY. “We dominated and looked good enough to collect three points. So the loss was heartbreaking for me and the team.

“I feel we did not have someone who could see the danger developing, who could sense what was coming and what was needed to be done, especially in crucial moments. But we will learn from it, though it was a heavy price to pay.”

While he was pleased with his team’s overall performance, Fandi also rued the LionsXII’s poor finishing. “I am very sure that if we had better finishing, Kelantan would have been buried a long time ago,” he said.

“We created all the openings and Kelantan could not cope. But we just did not have someone upfront there who could finish the job for us.

“I have always challenged the strikers I have to raise their game and do me proud. Unfortunately, I am still waiting.” The LionsXII’s next game is against Sarawak in Kuching this Saturday. DAN GUEN CHIN