Lions lose 0-3 to Albirex in final Japan training tour friendly

SINGAPORE - V. Sundramoorthy's Lions ended their training tour of Japan on a losing note when they were outclassed 0-3 by J-League side Albirex Niigata at the Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata City on Sunday afternoon (July 24).

The Japanese side sealed their win within the first 15 minutes  of the game - that was how long it took for them to slot the three goals past the Lions.

Midfielder Hayama Go found the net as early as the third minute before former Sevilla forward Ibusuki Hiroshi, who came on as a late substitute for Albirex in their J-League match against Omiya Ardija on Saturday (July 23), made it 2-0 just nine minutes later.

Brazilian forward Leonardo Kalil Abdala then put the match beyond the Lions with a 15th-minute goal.

Albirex players celebrating after scoring against the Lions. Photo: Albirex Niigata Facebook page

The result was Singapore's second loss in their training tour of Japan. They had suffered a 2-3 loss to the Niigata University of Health and Welfare last Wednesday (July 20) before bouncing back with a 2-0 win over the Japan Soccer College on Thursday.

National coach Sundram credited Albirex for giving his side a footballing lesson.  "I give full credit to Albirex Niigata for a very good game," he said in a media statement.

"It is beneficial that my team got to test themselves against an opponent in the J1 League, one of the top leagues in Asia, with fast, fit and technically adept players."

Despite losing two matches, Sundram declared that he was satisfied with what he and the Lions achieved during the training tour, and stressed again that results were not the objective of the tour.

An Albirex player trying to get past the Lions' backline. Photo: Albirex Niigata's Facebook page

"The past three matches have allowed me to try different formations and test varying tactics, and the players have also had valuable match-time together," he said. 

"Results are not the objective of this training camp, but we will work on our areas for improvement. We are now preparing for Thursday’s international friendly against Cambodia (in Phnom Penh), and we are focusing on our lessons learnt from this camp."