Singapore's glamour friendly at the National Stadium on Tuesday evening ended in a heavy defeat as they were beaten 6-0 by South American giants Argentina.
Federico Fazio and Joaquin Correa struck in the first half to put Jorge Sampaoli's charges firmly in control at the break.
The visitors turned it up a notch after half-time with further strikes by Alejandro Gomez, Leandro Paredes, Lucas Alario and Angel Di Maria helping them to an emphatic victory.
Positives
The Lions began the game in determined fashion. They restricted the opposition to few chances, owing to a combination of disciplined adherence to coach V. Sundramoorthy's game plan, as well as a lacklustre start from Argentina.
While they were ultimately over-run, there were a number of individual displays that would have pleased Sundramoorthy.
Negatives
While they were coming up against the world's second-ranked team, the Lions could have perhaps displayed more adventure considering it was, after all, a friendly.
They would also be disappointed with how they dozed off to allow the Argentines to score twice in the first half, leaving themselves with a monumental task thereafter.
Manager rating out of 10
6.5 -- The structure deployed by Sundramoorthy at the start was relatively effective, and they might have even threatened the Argentina goal had his charges been more economical with possession on the counter attack.
Perhaps the only thing which he might feel he could have done differently was to introduce a number of his substitutes earlier in a bid to grab a consolation goal, especially when there were a number of players who were glaringly underperforming.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hassan Sunny, 6.5 -- The Home United custodian would have been expecting a busy evening but was largely equal to the task when called into action. Hassan could do little to prevent both goals he conceded in the first half. Unfortunately, his night came to a premature end when he pulled up with an injury shortly after half-time.
DF Faritz Hameed, 6.5 -- Faritz showed good energy in tending to his direct opponent and offered bite in the tackle. There will be a number of players who would feel they could have given a better account of themselves. Faritz will not be one of them.
DF Daniel Bennett, 6.5 -- Was the most experienced member of a backline that would have felt it could have done better for Argentina's opening two goals. However, Bennett also provided a calming influence and won his fair share of aerial duels.
DF Irfan Fandi, 7 -- Like Hassan, Irfan's outing ended early through injury. But, before that, the 19-year-old acquitted himself admirably. Despite his tender years, he was not overawed by the occasion and halted a few Argentina attacks with good reading of the game.
DF Shakir Hamzah, 6 -- Shakir must have known he would be in for a tough time from the first minute when he saw Angel Di Maria lining up opposite him. Still, the fearless defender is the kind of player who would relish such a challenge. While he was exposed a couple of occasions, he did try his best to give Singapore some impetus going forward.
MF Hariss Harun, 7 -- Hariss has long been tipped for a move to Europe and he certainly showed why. Not once did the Singapore midfield general look out of place against more-illustrious opponents, and he never shirked away from the challenge.
MF Zulfahmi Arifin, 5 -- Given the nature of the game, the playmaker had little opportunity to do what he does best as Singapore rarely had enough possession to string together an attack. Instead, he spent most of this time chasing Argentina shadows.
MF Safuwan Baharudin, 5.5 -- Safuwan looked good on a physical level as he out-jumped his taller opponents to win a couple of headers. Nonetheless, the PDRM star had less of an impact when the ball hit the ground. It remains to be seen what his best role is, but it is unlikely to be as a No. 10 just behind the main striker.
MF Nazrul Nazari, 7.5 -- The fleet-footed winger was Singapore's best performer along with Hariss. Drew cheers from the crowd in the opening 45 when he sold candy to both Gomez and Paulo Dybala. Nazrul looked less lively after half-time but would still have been a bright spark for Sundramoorthy.
MF Hafiz Abu Sujad, 5 -- Usually one of the most reliable players when it comes to offering industry, Hafiz had a disappointing game. His cause was not helped by the fact that he has not had much match practice after his previous club BBCU abruptly withdrew from the Thai League 2 in the middle of the season.
FW Khairul Nizam, 5.5 -- Nizam had a quiet game, although of no fault of his own. He was isolated up front throughout, but never stopped applying pressure on the opposition centre-backs. Replaced shortly after the hour mark by Shahril Ishak.
Substitutes
GK Izwan Mahbud, 6.5 -- Similar to Hassan, Izwan could not be faulted for any of the goals he conceded. Appeared to have been carrying an injury as he refrained from kicking with his dominant right foot.
DF Fahrudin Mustafic, 7 -- Sundramoorthy recalled Bennett and Mustafic from the international wilderness and both continue to show they can still do a job at this level. In the half an hour he was on the field, Mustafic made a number of vital interceptions that saved the scoreline from getting uglier.
FW Shahril Ishak, 6 -- Shahril was introduced with the result effectively over and might have been looking forward to the freedom to make some sort of impact for the hosts. However, he did not get enough service to really get going.
DF Safirul Sulaiman, 5 -- Safirul was perhaps slightly unlucky that he was suddenly called into action after an injury to Shakir. Was out of his depth, but is still relatively young should learn from this experience.
MF Izzdin Shafiq, NR -- It was a surprise that Izzdin did not start, nor come on earlier, given he would have provided the determination and tenacity that was lacking in the engine room.
MF Faris Ramli, NR -- Faris was brought on late in the game with little time to get a chance to delight the crowd.