October 14, 2004

Khairul Amri wide smile after the match said it all.

The 18 year-old while still grinning said he was initially nervous then remembered what the coach told him - keep cutting in & try to shoot.

That was exactly what he did as he beat the Indian defenders & fired an unstoppable shot into the net.

He added he cannot describe the feeling when the ball went in & he was just so happy. It is a great feeling to score in front of home fans. The goal he scored is for all the football fans who have continued to support Singapore even when not playing well.

With his performance, he has certainly staked a strong claim for a place in the squad for December's Tiger Cup.

National coach Radojko Avramovic had turned to the youngster in the second-half, after Ridhuan Mohd had been ineffective in the opening period.

Avramovic said Khairul knew what he had to do & he did it well. It was a well-taken goal & he also continued giving the defenders trouble with his speed & his quick feet. His overall performance was impressive - he distributed the ball well, took on players & made good runs.

Still old problems persist as Avramovic felt Singapore still gave the ball away too often & it caused ourselves problems

But there was no problem with the attitude of the players as it pleased Avramovic for the last 2 matches he has seen Singapore fought hard & played hard for the nation & team

Avramovic certainly believed so as he said it was good for us to win this game. The players tried very hard & they played very hard. They showed a good attitude for the full 90 minutes of the game & he is delighted with that.

Also a parting word he want Singapore to know the team is improving it will continue.