Singapore mustered a 2-1 win at the National Stadium when they went head to head with Cambodia in the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.
Faris Ramli and substitute Fazrul Nawaz netted one each for the Lions while Sos Suhana pulled one back for the visitors.
In the post-match press conference, Bernd Stange began by thanking his backroom staff, coaches and the fans, but the mood changed quickly.
“We had a hard job to do. Six points in two games and that’s it,” he said.
Despite the victory, Stange was still adamant that Singapore’s quality of football is not up to mark.
“[Against Cambodia], I would describe it as a matter of little quality. I would have been pleased with a four or five-nil victory,” the 67-year-old added.
There is still a long way for Singapore football to reach the next level, but credit goes to the players for giving their all in the 90 minutes.”
Looking forward to the games against Syria and Japan, the German has only results on his mind.
“The most important match is versus Syria. We have to play much better against them,” Stange highlighted.
“For the next two home games, I target six points.”
In the Cambodian camp, Lee Tae-Hoon rued his side’s game fitness, which to him, was the main cause of the defeat.
“My players were not at their best,” he conceded.
“I was worried about their condition before the game, and even included young players into the team who have never played at this level.”
Tae-Hoon also added that it was the youngsters’ inexperience which led to the two goals and Cambodia’s eventual defeat.
When asked about Singapore’s chances for qualification to the next round, the Korean had only good things to say about the Lions.
“I hope Singapore go through to the next round,” he enthused.
“They played well against Syria [before], and if they beat them in the next match, they can go to the next round.
The Korean also singled out Sos Suhana who made history for Cambodia by scoring the team’s first goal in the current qualifying campaign and vowed to plan for a more attacking side in the upcoming games.
With the 2-1 result, Singapore currently have 10 points while Cambodia still have zero.
