Ikhsan Fandi double fires Singapore to 3-0 win over Myanmar in Suzuki Cup opener

Prior to the game, the Football Association of Singapore had announced that all seats allocated for Singapore fans had been sold out, and these supporters were soon roaring with delight when Safuwan’s header evaded the Myanmar goalkeeper in the 34th minute.

Then it was the Ikhsan show, as the FK Jerv striker scored a clinical double – the first an angled drive and the next a solid header from a Shahdan Sulaiman set piece to give Singapore the lead going into the half.

Myanmar tried to claw their way back in the second 45, but struggled to fashion a clear-cut chance early on. The closest they came was the 55th minute when Hassan was forced to a save down his right.

But Singapore were still in control of the game and also created a couple of chances of their own, with Song as well as Safuwan going close.

Then came Myanmar’s best chance of the game as substitute Win Naing Tun cut in past his man, only to hammer a shot straight at Hassan Sunny.

With Singapore loose with possession on a few occasions, Win would come close again several minutes later, this time flicking a header just wide.

The Lions will be aiming to make the knockout stages of the Suzuki Cup for the first time since 2012, when they went on to lift the trophy under coach Raddy Avramovic.

In the last edition of the tournament in 2018, the Lions were knocked out in the group stages. Despite wins over Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Singapore fell to a 1-0 defeat to the Philippines and were beaten 3-0 by Thailand.

The Lions finished third in the group with six points, with the top two nations progressing.

Singapore will next face the Philippines on Wednesday. The Azkals have yet to play a game at the tournament. 

The AFF Suzuki Cup was set to be held last year, but was later pushed back to April this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later rescheduled for a second time.

It will run from Sunday to Jan 1 next year.

Unlike the 2018 tournament which was held on a home-and-away basis, this year’s edition is only held in one country – Singapore –  due to the pandemic.

Catch the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 LIVE on meWATCH. Sign in now at mewatch.sg/affsuzukicup2020 and get into the action with Mediacorp, Singapore’s official broadcaster of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020.