Football
Jason Dasey 8y

Safuwan Baharudin calls for attacking edge after Malaysia stalemate

Midfielder Safuwan Baharudin says that Singapore "aren't there yet", but are determined to put the frustration of Friday night's home stalemate against Malaysia behind them.

Despite hitting the woodwork three times, and enjoying the majority of possession, the Lions had to settle for a share of the spoils in front of a crowd of almost 25,000 at the Singapore National Stadium.

"It shouldn't have been 0-0," Safuwan told ESPN FC. "It's not easy. They know how we play, and we know how they play, so both teams were a bit cautious.

"I tried to create a few chances. We tried to win it at the end, but we're not there yet."

For Safuwan, it was his first meeting with Malaysia at international level since joining Malaysia Super League (MSL) club PDRM FA before the start of the 2016 season.

He played the full 90 minutes in a central midfield role, pushing forward as Singapore searched in vain for the winner against a limited but resilient Malaysian side.

"I felt something different tonight," the former LionsXII star admitted. "Always listening to [Malaysia national anthem] Negaraku [when playing for PDRM], now I get a chance to hear both [anthems] at the one time.

"It was really a special night for me. There were two players in the squad who were from PDRM, so I am happy for them."

Singapore travelled to Hong Kong on Saturday where they will prepare for Tuesday's friendly against the former British colony.

"It will be a very tough game because Hong Kong have improved a lot, and we've had troubles beating them in the past," he said.

On the domestic front, Safuwan will hope to help PDRM qualify for the 2016 Malaysia Cup final. Ahead of the home leg of their semifinal on Oct. 14, they trail 2-1 from the first leg against 2015 finalists Kedah.

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