LionsXII player Isa Halim (C) kicks the ball past Kuala Lumpur FA players during their Malaysia Super League football …
COMMENT
LionsXII may have won their first match of the season, but looking back, coach V Sundramoorthy must have wished he could turn back time.
Because frankly, the home team badly needed someone like Sundram in his glorious heydays to inject a creative spark and convert the home domination into goals.
LionsXII found the net twice but it is evident that the team is lacking a natural front man -- a goalpoacher of Sundram's abilities during his heyday.
It says a lot when they needed an own goal in the first half to take the lead despite the domination and constant supply of crosses into the box.
Even Shahdan Sulaiman's goal in the second half was a gift from the visitors, after their goalkeeper fluffed a cross.
Other than that, LionsXII struggled to create any meaningful chance of note. Suffice to say, against more solid sides in the Malaysian Super League, the result would have been very different given the same performance.
The poor goal return of the team needs to be addressed but coupled by injuries to Agu Casmir and possibly Khairul Nizam, and the lack of ability to bring in new players, perhaps Sundram needs to think out of the box.
Option 1: Khairul Amri
Amri is of course recovering from a career-threatening injury and has yet to feature for LionsXII. However, many fans will remember the diminutive striker for his all-important goal against Thailand for the national team in the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship. His return to full fitness is crucial, but unfortunately that is not something within Sundram's control.
Option 2: Hariss Harun
Admittedly, Hariss is not renowned for his goal-scoring abilities. However, I have seen him play in advanced roles for the Young Lions and the U-23 team before and it's clear he can threaten with his charges into the opposition box. For a player of his attributes, perhaps all he needs is to be to mentally conditioned to play in a forward role.
Option 3: Gabriel Quak
Gabriel has most often played as a left-sided winger, but possesses the abilities to play upfront as well. His tireless running also makes him a tricky customer inside the box. While I have not seen him being deployed as a lone striker before, he is certainly useful as part of a striking duo should Sundram decide to play a more traditional 4-4-2.
So with the next match against Sabah in Kota Kinabalu less than four days away, the challenge is on Sundram to prove his tactical acumen to improve the goals return of LionsXII.
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Best moment of the match: The final whistle. Kuala Lumpur piled the pressure on LionsXII for the better part of the last 20 minutes and it was a relief for all when the home side held on for a historic victory after the 17-year hiatus in Malaysian domestic football competition.
Most heart-breaking moment: It was painful to see young striker Khairul Nizam stretchered off the pitch after coming on as a substitute himself.
Man-of-the-match: Captain Shahril Ishak enjoyed a great outing despite being played out of position. He did well enough to hold up play and thrilled the crowd with some of his silky footwork.
Funniest moment of the match: With less than ten minutes to go, Shahdan Sulaiman had to put the ball out to allow a team-mate to receive attention from the physio. From the middle of the park, he smashed a half volley… straight into the visitors' dugout. It earned some cheers and sniggers from the crowd while the player sheepishly apologised.
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