SINGAPORE – The LionsXII suffered their second straight defeat in the Malaysian Super League after they were defeated 1-3 by Sarawak at the State Stadium in Kuching tonight (March 15).

LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad tweaked his starting lineup in a bid to improve his side’s fortunes. Centre-back Safuwan Baharudin partnered Khairul Amri up front while Madhu Mohana replaced him in the heart of defence. Nazrul Nazari was also given a rare start on the right wing ahead of Faris Ramli and Gabriel Quak.

The match was played in very wet conditions and Sarawak dominated proceedings right from the first whistle.

They were duly rewarded in the 15th minute after a flick on from a long throw found S Chanturu unmarked at the far post, and the winger easily headed his side into a 1-0 lead.

But the LionsXII equalized in the 36th minute after Nazrul’s header from the edge of the area floated into the back of the net to level the scores.

The visitors’ joy was short lived however as Sarawak regained the lead less than five minutes later. Chaturu grabbed his second of the night with a cool finish after a swift counter-attacking move dissected the LionsXII defence.

The Singaporean side enjoyed more possession in the second half but struggled to test Sarawak goalkeeper’s Sani Kamsani.

The result was put beyond doubt in the 77th minute when Rashid Aya fired past LionsXI goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud to give his side a two-goal cushion.

Substitute Khairul Nizam could have reduced the deficit in the 89th minute but somehow managed to miss when good work from Safuwan presented him with an open goal, a miss that could go down as one of the worst this season.

The LionsXII will next play Selangor PKNS on March 22 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.