A treat from Fandi boys

A record crowd in a pandemic witnessed a piece of history and some sublime mastery from Lions forward Ikhsan Fandi, as the 22-year-old's brace propelled the Lions to a 2-1 win over arch-rivals Malaysia in a Football Association of Singapore Tri-Nations Series friendly match last night.

Ikhsan's remarkable winner at the National Stadium came in front of 14,896 fans - a record number amid the Covid-19 pandemic and on a night the Fandi family will mark on their calendars as Irfan, 24, and Ilhan, 19, shared the pitch with him for the first time in an international match.

The previous record crowd was 9,982 at the Lions' last outing - a 4-2 second-leg, semi-final loss to Indonesia in the AFF Suzuki Cup at the same venue last December.

A jubilant Ikhsan, whose 76th-minute winner came five minutes after Ilhan's introduction, said after the match: "The atmosphere was great. Scoring goals is my job but today was extra special because it was a derby match and a special moment for us as brothers.

"The moment I saw Ilhan coming in, I was really excited. You could see how much the goal meant to my brothers as well. We have talked about this moment since we were boys."

Due to security checks at some entrances of the stadium, a sizeable group of spectators had yet to take their seats when Ikhsan scored the opening goal after a blistering counter-attack in the 30th minute.

Following Irfan's headed clearance in his own box to intercept a cross, the Lions took just 12 seconds for Ikhsan to apply the finishing touch to a low cross from Song Ui-young at the other end.

The Malaysians came out in search of an equaliser after the break and their blistering start looked to be rewarded when Lions defender Safuwan Baharudin was adjudged to have brought down Safawi Rasid in the box.

The Johor Darul Takzim winger however saw his spot kick crash off the crossbar, much to the delight of the Singapore supporters.

But it was a warning that was not heeded by the Lions.

In the 57th minute, the visitors equalised after some sloppy defending from the hosts. Shahdan Sulaiman's casual pass was intercepted in midfield before Akhyar Rashid's pass to substitute Liridon Krasniqi caught out a flat-footed Irfan in the backline.

Krasniqi then slotted past Hassan Sunny for his first international goal.

But Ikhsan would have the last laugh when he scored a goal that saw the fans in red rise to their feet 19 minutes later.

Receiving the ball just outside the box, the BG Pathum United forward ghosted past three Malaysian defenders and unleashed a fierce effort that left custodian Farizal Marlias with no chance.

It was Ikhsan's 13th goal in 26 appearances for the Lions but it may be his most memorable yet, given that it helped the Lions secure a fourth win against their Causeway rivals in their last 10 clashes.

Malaysia coach Kim Pan-gon, who led his side to a 2-0 win over the Philippines in his first match in charge on Wednesday, said: "It is difficult to say if Singapore deserved the win.

"I thought it was a good game from us. I feel sorry for the Malaysia fans but I am very proud of the players because I thought they played very well."

Similarly, Lions interim coach Nazri Nasir was very satisfied with his charges' performance, saying: "We didn't give up and every player gave their 100 per cent."

On bringing Ilhan on as a substitute, he said: "It's a moment that I know they won't forget. I brought Ilhan on because I knew he would give his all for me. As a coach, I am proud of them."

The Lions will next face the Philippines at the National Stadium on Tuesday.