Soccer-Sluggish Singapore leave it late to grab top spot

JAKARTA, Dec 5 - Defending champions Singapore served up a second-half goal feast to thrash Cambodia 5-0 and make the early Group A headway in the Southeast Asian Championship on Friday.

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In the other group match, co-hosts Indonesia scored three stunning goals to trounce Myanmar 3-0 and go second.

Singapore were a goal ahead after an hour of dismal play before leaping into another gear to put four past the hapless part-timers.

Agu Casmir converted from close range on the stroke of halftime but it was the introduction in the final half hour of 2007 player of the tournament Noh Alam Shah that proved decisive.

The feisty forward transformed the match and had a hand in a 12-minute onslaught where Mustafic Fahrudin , Indra Sahdan found the net to spare the Lions' blushes.

Returning from a one-year ban for violent conduct, Alam Shah hit the post twice but finally found his goal on 90 minutes when he surged past the sleeping defence to slot home from 12 metres.

"I'm happy. We took a while to get going, we couldn't score, but we were patient and got what we wanted," Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic told Reuters.

Buoyed by some rowdy home support, Budi Sudarsono beat two defenders and netted from just inside the box to put Indonesia ahead against Myanmar in the 25th minute.

Moments later, Firman Utina scored on the turn with a sweet strike from 14 metres and Bambang Pamungkas sealed the win with a superb long range effort just past the hour.