Myanmar lost to Singapore in the AFF Cup 2022
In the 80th minute, when the score was 3-2 in favor of Singapore, Nanda Kyaw collided strongly with Shah Shahiran. The Myanmar defender then used his hand to cool, leading to the players on both sides rushing into a scuffle. After stabilizing the situation, referee Kim Jong-hyeok showed a red card and directly punished Nanda Kyaw. This is the first red card at the AFF Cup 2022.
The lack of players is only part of the reason why Myanmar cannot earn points. In the 85th and 90th minutes, the two strikers who replaced Win Naing Tun and Ye Yint Aung had opportunities, respectively, but both ended incorrectly.
Those two misses continue to reflect Myanmar's great limitation in finishing, because this match they held the ball 56% and finished 15 shots, three more than Singapore, but only scored two goals. In the opening match at home to Yangon, Myanmar also held the ball 57% and finished 18 shots, twice as many as the opponent, but did not score and lost 0-1 to Malaysia.
Before the tense ending with a red card for Nanda Kyaw, the two teams gave the audience an attractive chase. Host Singapore pressed in the first 15 minutes of the match, but Myanmar opened the scoring. In the 34th minute, Maung Maung Lwin sped up the left wing and tricked a Singapore defender before shooting dangerously to score. Three minutes later, Maung Lwin nearly doubled the lead, but was denied by goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam.
Conceding the first goal made Singapore lose its temper but suddenly got an equalizer in the last minute of the first half. Christopher Van Huizen crossed the left wing to let young striker Ilhan Fandi head the visitors' net. Four minutes into the second half, substitute Hami Syahin received the ball close to the bottom and returned it to Shah Shahiran to finish in the box to give Singapore the first lead in the game.
Myanmar stepped up to attack minutes later and it was rewarded in 64 minutes. Maung Maung Lwin continued to shine when choosing the correct position to cushion the ball at close range, equaling 2-2 from a teammate's cross line. . The chase only ended in the 74th minute with goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam hitting the ball hard into the Myanmar penalty area, creating conditions for Shawal Anuar to score with his left foot.
Winning the final 3-2, Singapore started smoothly at the AFF Cup 2022 to rise to second in Group B with three points, equal to Vietnam but less than the goal difference. Meanwhile, Myanmar lost its second match in a row despite playing fairly against rivals. In the previous match, Myanmar almost drew Malaysia, if Win Naing Tun did not miss the penalty at the end of the second half.
The latest match of the second round of Group B will take place between Malaysia and Laos at Bukit Jalil Stadium at 19:30 tonight.
