Singapore increases pressure for Vietnam - Malaysia match

Although playing on the Laos field, Singapore dominated. They took advantage of the host's mistake to win 2-0, thereby catching up with the top of the Malaysian table and temporarily occupying the second place of Vietnam right before these two big men faced off at My Dinh Stadium.

The schedule is somewhat disadvantageous for Laos when they have to receive strong opponents in a row. After losing to Vietnam 0-6 in the opening match, the team of millions of elephants continued to be defeated by host Malaysia 0-5. Therefore, their mental fatigue and constant travel made them tired, not physically able to deal with Singapore - a team that excels in both physical and mental health.

The home team only focused on defending in the first 30 minutes before conceding a goal. In the 33rd minute, from a situation of free kick coordination, the ball was hung in the penalty area for Irfan Fandi to head to Laos to open the scoring.

Laos tried to bounce back after the goal, but the phases on the ball were monotonous, lacking in mutations, so they could not threaten the away team's goal. The most significant situation they created was Waenpaseuth's goal at the end of the first half.

After the break, Laos was still stuck in attack and had to ask goalkeeper Keo Souvannasangsgo to play bravely and have good judgment so as not to widen the gap. But in the second minute of compensation, it was Keo who lost the ball, allowing Muhammad Anuar to steal a shot into an empty net to seal a 2-0 victory for Singapore.

Losing the third match in a row, Laos was eliminated. They have not scored yet but have conceded 13 goals in three matches.

Meanwhile, Singapore with three points won opens the opportunity to compete for tickets to the semi-finals with Vietnam and Malaysia. On December 30, they returned to their home ground to receive Vietnam. Then, on January 3, 2023, Sinagapore made a guest before Malaysia.