It was former Lion Nazri Nasir's first game in charge as interim head coach, and what better way to make your debut than to beat our northern neighbours.

According to Channel NewsAsia, Singapore beat Malaysia by one goal to nil in the Airmarine Cup on March 20, courtesy of a late strike in the 83rd minute by Faris Ramli.

One goal for glory

The 26-year-old forward, who plays for Hougang United, was the hero of the night after a sublime pass by teammate Khairul Amri sliced the Malaysian backline to ribbons.

Faris still had to finish the job and he kept his cool slotting the ball home past the goalkeeper, dealing the Tigers a knockout blow.

It was a great moment for Faris, who previously played in the Malaysia Super League for Selangor side PKNS FC.

According to the Straits Times, the crowd at the 90,000 capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur was "sparse", perhaps due to Malaysian fans boycotting the match because of the ticket price of RM35 (S$11.60).

Oman up next

The result sees the Lions through to the final, where they will take on a dominant Oman team.

The Middle Eastern team demonstrated their quality by beating Afghanistan 5-0.

Singapore will now take on Oman in the final on March 23, at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Meanwhile, Malaysia will have to be content with competing for a third-place finish against Afghanistan.

If Nazri manages to win the Airmarine Cup, he will have made a strong case for keeping the job permanently.

Top image from Faris Ramli's Instagram and Nazri Nasir's Facebook pages.