SINGAPORE — They put on a gritty, battling display against a team ranked 33 spots higher than them. But it was not enough to prevent the Lions from falling to their third defeat in a row — a 3-1 loss to Bahrain in a friendly yesterday morning.

But despite the defeat, national head coach V Sundramoorthy said he was very much encouraged by his team’s display at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa. Indeed, it was only through the penalty spot that the hosts were able to beat Singapore custodian Hassan Sunny, with Mohamed Alromaihi, Abdulla Abdo and Isameel Abdul Latiff all scoring from the spot to seal the win for the Bahrainis.

With Singapore handed a tough group in the AFF Suzuki Cup in November — they were drawn in Group A alongside defending champions Thailand, hosts Philippines and Indonesia — Sundram, 50, said he is heartened by how his team are starting to gel together ahead of the upcoming biennial tournament.

“It was a good test for our players, who played well as a team and worked together, so I am pleased with our players’ efforts and performance,” said the former national striker. “Everyone played and covered well for each other in defence and midfield.

“It was harsh for our players to concede three penalties in the game, and we felt certain decisions during the game went against us. Overall, I believed we deserved a draw, but we will continue to improve and we can only get better as a team.

“We remain focused on our ongoing preparations for the Suzuki Cup and look forward to the upcoming international matches and training sessions.”

Reflecting on the closely-fought encounter, Lions vice-captain Hariss Harun said: “The second penalty awarded against us was certainly very harsh.

“This squad has a good mix of experience and youth, and we will become stronger as we continue to work hard in the lead-up to the Suzuki Cup.”

As part of Singapore’s preparations for the tournament, they will next take on arch-rivals Malaysia on Oct 7, before playing Hong Kong in another friendly four days later. They will officially kick off their Suzuki Cup campaign against the Philippines on Nov 19. NOAH TAN