Sundram sorry for farcical second half

TNP PICTURE: NURJANNAH ZULKIFLI

THE LIONSXII drew jeers from the home crowd after their 0-0 draw with Johor FC at the Jalan Besar Stadium last night.

Though the result meant the Singapore side qualified for the quarter-finals as Group A winners, the 4,987 fans in attendance were incensed and frustrated at the home side's decision to play for a draw.

After 55 minutes, when Johor decided to shut up shop and put 10 men behind the ball, the LionsXII elected to sit back and stroke the ball around. They won zero corners and had zero shots on goal for the remaining 35 minutes.

At the post-match press conference, coach V Sundramoorthy had a message to the fans: "I'm sorry, the boys were tired."