S'pore force draw with Oman to retain hopes
Singapore's Under-23 football team kept their Asian Games Group C hopes alive after coming from behind to snatch a 3-3 draw against Oman at the Hwaseong Stadium in South Korea on Wednesday.
The odds looked stacked against Aide Iskandar's side when Hamhami Hatem Khamis Jamaial put Oman - whose senior team are 67th on the Fifa world rankings - ahead after 10 minutes.
Courts Young Lions striker Sahil Suhaimi fired home the equaliser barely a minute later when he capitalised on some slack Omani defending.
But Singapore, who are 152nd in the world, were punished for some suspect defending of their own.
Shamas Abdul Majeed Said Dawil restored Oman's lead in the 24th minute before Farsi Saud Khamis Eid gave them a two-goal cushion four minutes later with a well-worked header.
LionsXII midfielder Faris Ramli then pulled one back just before half-time with a spectacular curling effort on 42 minutes.
Late equaliser
After battling through most of the second half, Singapore finally got the equaliser in the 86th minute through defender Safuwan Baharudin, who positioned himself perfectly to guide home a Sahil free-kick with his head.
While the result confirmed Palestine's progress to the Round of 16 after their 2-1 win over Tajikistan, it leaves everything to play for in Group C with the final qualification up for grabs.
Singapore will next face Palestine on Sunday at the Ansan Wa Stadium, while Oman take on Tajikistan at the Incheon Football Stadium in a simultaneous kick-off.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now