BY CHIA HAN KEONG

SINGAPORE'S four-year, 19-match unbeaten run under coach Raddy Avramovic in the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup is over.

They succumbed to 10-man Vietnam 0-1 in the second leg of the semi-final at a packed National Stadium yesterday, and thus ended their reign as two-time defending champions of the tournament.

The resultmeans Vietnam enter the final with a 1-0 aggregate win over two legs. They will meet Thailand, who defeated Indonesia 3-1 over two legs.

For Singapore, however, It was a cruel blow, as they had dominated the game and missed several good chances. They will rue the numerous injuries that had decimated the squad before and during the tournament.

As they slumped to the pitch in despair at the final whistle, they might also contemplate why they failed to take the numerous chances that fell their way.

Striker Noh Alam Shah, recalled to the starting line-up, had two golden chances early in the first half.

However, his 20th-minute shot was deflected for a corner, and his one-on-one attempt three minutes later was tame enough for goalkeeper Duong Hong Son to collect.

The Lions' best chance in the first half came in a 44th-minute corner by Shi Jiayi, as Pham Thanh Luong nearly sent the ball into his own net but for a desperate goal-line clearance.

It was a one-way traffic in the first half, and the second half started similarly. Midfielder Shi had a 25m attempt in the 47th minute palmed away by Duong.

Vietnam's swift counter-attack undid the Lions, stunning the 55,000 fans into silence.

Despite a late flurry of attempts, Singapore failed to find the net and Vietnam held on despite Doan Viet Cuong being sent off in the dying minutes.

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