Hail Hariss
GROUP B
SINGAPORE 4
(Shaiful Esah 16, Hariss Harun 35, 42, Khin Maung Lwin 75-og)
MYANMAR 2
(Kyaw Zayar Win 55, Kyaw Ko Ko 62-pen)
At the sidelines of the National Stadium, Radojko Avramovic pulled his right arm back, shaping up to slap Shaiful Esah as the Lions left back approached him after the match.
Both men immediately broke out in laughter, before sharing the warm embrace of a lieutenant and his former general.
Shaiful's laser-guided left boot was responsible for two of the goals in Singapore's 4-2 win over Avramovic's Myanmar in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group B clash at the National Stadium last night, but the Serb - Singapore's most successful coach before leaving in 2012 to join Myanmar - saved his most emotional hug for the last man who approached him - Hariss Harun.
The two share a special relationship and, last night, the student showed his mentor just how much he has grown, scoring Singapore's two other goals on the night.
Avramovic made Hariss the Republic's youngest international in 2007 in a friendly against North Korea, aged just 16 years and 217 days.
Gone is the wide-eyed rookie, replaced by a bearded, fully-fledged Lion King.
"Hariss is playing like a (defensive) midfield player. Before, I was trying to push him forward, and it looked like this cost us (tonight)," said a smiling Avramovic, paying tribute to the development of his protege.
Breaking up Myanmar's attacks as he patrolled the area in front of the Lions' defence last night, Hariss stood the tallest among the Lions.
He took charge of the midfield, urging his team forward, threading passes through opposition defenders and, most importantly, finding the back of the net.
The 24-year-old did that twice. The first was a rocket off his right boot, from the top of the box in the 35th minute, Singapore's second on the night after a Shaiful free-kick opener.
The second was a thumping left-footed volley into the top corner after Myanmar failed to clear their lines, just seven minutes later.
SPECIAL
"I remember my first game at the old National Stadium, that was a special moment," said Hariss.
"(Last night) was special too but, in a different way, scoring in front of our own fans.
"There was a lot made of this match, that it was Singapore against Raddy and all that.
"For me, scoring in front of a packed stadium is something you dream of as a kid and, to do it as a player, is special."
The goals were only his second and third strikes in a Singapore shirt after a goal against Laos in a friendly last year but, more than just the development of his game, it was the leadership that Hariss showed on the pitch that stood out.
Against a Myanmar team that dominated possession after going in at the break trailing 0-3, he kept plugging away even after the opponents scored twice.
Even off the pitch, after the game, he spoke with maturity.
"My thoughts are with Shahdan (Sulaiman). All I can say is that I dedicate the goals and the win to Shahdan and his family," he said of the midfielder, who dislocated and broke his right ankle.
"There are some things more important than football."
His current coach, Bernd Stange, knows just how big a player he has in his stable.
"Today, he made a big step," said Stange of his Lion King.
"He's 24 years old, and he was the best man on the pitch today."
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