ARCH-rivals Malaysia and Singapore played a physical game yesterday but could only muster a scoreless draw as the 12th Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship got going at the rainswept Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Neither squad could score a breakthrough and gained a point each in the opening match of Group A in the tournament hosted for the first time by the Philippine Football Federation.
Malaysian striker Henrietta Justine had a clear shot in the waning seconds of the match but her last-gasp attempt from 10 yards was off the mark.
Singapore had its clearest chance in the 59th minute when forward Danielle Tan Li Ern broke away from the Malaysian backline, but Myanmar referee Aung Sein Cho ruled her offside.
There were some scary moments for Singapore as goalie Nurul Azurin Mazlan and skipper Steffi Singh collided in mid-air in the 29th minute as they scrambled to clear the ball inside the penalty box.
Looking shaken, Mazlan lay on her back for a couple of minutes before finally getting up, looking none the worse for wear.
The two squads resume their campaign tomorrow with Singapore playing the Philippines at the Rizal Stadium while Malaysia takes on debuting Indonesia at the Imus Stadium in Cavite in the event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
