NGAPORE, January 15 (Asean Football Championship) - Noh Alam Shah scored seven goals as defending champions Singapore hammered Laos 11-0 on Monday to put themselves in pole position in Group B in the Asean Football Championship.
The Tampines Rovers forward scored twice in the first half after Muhammad Ridhuan had opened the scoring and added four more after the break as the Lions scored eight second-half goals to secure an easy three points for the home side.
Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri and Itimi Dickson also found the net in Singapore's biggest ever win in the tournament.
The margin of the victory could prove crucial for the city state side who only need a draw against Indonesia in their final group game on Wednesday to advance to the semi-finals.
With Indonesia drawing 1-1 with Vietnam earlier in the day, Singapore went into their game knowing that goal difference could be the deciding factor in the group and Lions head coach Radojko Avramovic brought in striker Indra Sahdan and defenders Hafiz Osman and Baihakki Khaizan in place of skipper Aide Iskandar, S.Subramani and Khairul Amri.
Singapore's opener against a Laos side unchanged from the one that lost 3-1 to Indonesia came after 10 minutes when winger Muhammad Ridhuan tucked the ball home from the six-yard area after goalkeeper Sengphachan Bounthisanh had spilled a low cross from stand-in skipper Indra Sahdan.
A minute later Alam Shah scored his first of the night, rising high to head in Mustafic Fahruddin's lofted pass.
He could have added a second shortly afterwards when he rocked the crossbar with a header but he did find the net again on 24 minutes when Ridhuan's cross from right was nodded back at the far post for the striker to finish from close range.
Bounthisanh was spared further agony when he was replaced on the half-hour by Phoutpasong Sengdalavong but the substitute goalkeeper would have a torrid second half.
It was 4-0 just two minutes after the break when a low cross by Hafiz Osman found its way past the entire Laos defence to Shahril Ishak, who stretched to turn the ball home from inside the six yard box.
Sengdalavong brilliantly turned aside Indra Sahdan's curling effort in the 59th minute but was helpless a minute later when substitute Khairul Amri surged past Chandalaphone Liemvisay before laying the ball into the path of Alam Shah to complete his hat-trick.
Amri shot home Singapore's sixth in the 71st minute before turning provider for Singapore's next four goals as he set up Alam Shah in the 72nd, 76th and 88th minutes and also crossed for Dickson to fire home in the 78th minute.
Alam Shah set the seal on a memorable performance by scoring with an acrobatic scissors kick in the second minute of stoppage time after his first effort came back off the crossbar.
The quality of Asian Football.
The Tampines Rovers forward scored twice in the first half after Muhammad Ridhuan had opened the scoring and added four more after the break as the Lions scored eight second-half goals to secure an easy three points for the home side.
Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri and Itimi Dickson also found the net in Singapore's biggest ever win in the tournament.
The margin of the victory could prove crucial for the city state side who only need a draw against Indonesia in their final group game on Wednesday to advance to the semi-finals.
With Indonesia drawing 1-1 with Vietnam earlier in the day, Singapore went into their game knowing that goal difference could be the deciding factor in the group and Lions head coach Radojko Avramovic brought in striker Indra Sahdan and defenders Hafiz Osman and Baihakki Khaizan in place of skipper Aide Iskandar, S.Subramani and Khairul Amri.
Singapore's opener against a Laos side unchanged from the one that lost 3-1 to Indonesia came after 10 minutes when winger Muhammad Ridhuan tucked the ball home from the six-yard area after goalkeeper Sengphachan Bounthisanh had spilled a low cross from stand-in skipper Indra Sahdan.
A minute later Alam Shah scored his first of the night, rising high to head in Mustafic Fahruddin's lofted pass.
He could have added a second shortly afterwards when he rocked the crossbar with a header but he did find the net again on 24 minutes when Ridhuan's cross from right was nodded back at the far post for the striker to finish from close range.
Bounthisanh was spared further agony when he was replaced on the half-hour by Phoutpasong Sengdalavong but the substitute goalkeeper would have a torrid second half.
It was 4-0 just two minutes after the break when a low cross by Hafiz Osman found its way past the entire Laos defence to Shahril Ishak, who stretched to turn the ball home from inside the six yard box.
Sengdalavong brilliantly turned aside Indra Sahdan's curling effort in the 59th minute but was helpless a minute later when substitute Khairul Amri surged past Chandalaphone Liemvisay before laying the ball into the path of Alam Shah to complete his hat-trick.
Amri shot home Singapore's sixth in the 71st minute before turning provider for Singapore's next four goals as he set up Alam Shah in the 72nd, 76th and 88th minutes and also crossed for Dickson to fire home in the 78th minute.
Alam Shah set the seal on a memorable performance by scoring with an acrobatic scissors kick in the second minute of stoppage time after his first effort came back off the crossbar.
The quality of Asian Football.
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