A spirited second-half was not enough to salvage a draw for hosts Singapore as they lost 2-3 to Oman in their International Hockey Federation World League Round 2 Tournament clash on Saturday.

Qasim Al Shibli opened the scoring for the visitors with a looping shot. His goal was followed by two penalty corner goals from Mohammed Bait Jandal, which was enough to see Singapore off in front of a vociferous home crowd at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium.

Ian Vanderput and Ashriq Ferdaus pulled two goals back for Singapore, but it was too little too late for world No. 36 Singapore, who gifted possession cheaply in the opening half to their world No. 22 opponents.

Said Singapore coach Solomon Casoojee: "We were too sloppy at the back, and didn't pressure their (players) enough. At half-time I reminded the players of their responsibilities, and in the second-half played with the right intensity, which was encouraging. We must beat Ukraine in our next match."