PKNS end LionsXII's unbeaten run

Football: PKNS end LionsXII's unbeaten run

League leaders LionsXII's 10-match unbeaten streak ended on Saturday night after a 1-0 defeat to PKNS.

The match was the LionsXII's 11th game in the last five weeks and, perhaps sensing that lethargy was creeping into the visitors' play, PKNS pressed forward from the kick-off.

Nevertheless, the Singapore side were superbly marshalled at the back, with Sevki Sha'ban and Safuwan Baharudin resolutely repelling everything the hosts threw at them. Sevki, in particular, was impressive, making several crucial goal mouth clearances to prevent a lively PKNS side from opening the scoring.

LionsXII captain Shahril Ishak was deployed as a lone striker and he hardly had a sniff at goal, with PKNS flooding the middle of the park to starve him of service.

The visitors were on the back foot for most of the first half as PKNS pressed incessantly, but the hosts just could not convert their chances.

Shahril wasted the LionsXII's best chance of the match right after the restart when he shot just wide of the PKNS goal.

The home side's French striker Michael Nicoise was a constant threat with his powerful bursts into the penalty area and he made sure LionsXII goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma'at had a busy night.

The Frenchman finally broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he headed home from a corner, with Hyrulnizam furiously protesting the goal, claiming that he was impeded by Mohd Helmi.

The LionsXII came agonisingly close to equalising in the 84th minute, Agu Casmir charging into the penalty area only to collide with the PKNS goalkeeper who dived at his feet. Agu got hold of the ball following the collision but his shot was deflected wide by a PKNS defender.

The LionsXII will not have to wait long to gain a measure of revenge for this defeat: Their next MSL fixture pits them against PKNS again on April 17 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~