Singapore U16 boys triumph over Hong Kong in the Lion City Cup finale
The national team finished the tournament with six points from the three matches. They secured second place after a 2-0 loss to the champions, the Philippines.
Singapore's head coach, Ashraf Ariffin, was inspired by the progress of his team throughout the six-day tournament. 'Against the Philippines, the boys showed their potential; the game against Cambodia (3-0 win) was us showing our progress; and today we showed our consistency – and that we are developing and improving every step of the way,' he said.
The coach added: 'Now I can say that the result against the Philippines was a glitch.'
Ariq Rizzuwan, the player of the match, was joyful to be on a strong team that improved during the competition. The athlete admitted: 'We didn't achieve our goal of winning the Lion City Cup… But I think we can be proud of ourselves. We are happy with our development and performances.' See also 26 athletes to represent Singapore at 12th ASEAN Para games
'At the start of our centralised training, most of us (the players) were not close to each other. Eventually, we grew closer. It helped us to improve on and off the pitch,' he added. Highlights of the match
Unity showed on the field when the Singapore U16 team had an early lead in their final game. Defender Aaryan Hermi delivered a perfect cross to Ariq, who then headed the ball into the net to score the first goal.
The national team scored a second goal in the 31st minute, all because of striker Lukyan Tan. In the 65th minute, Singapore's goalkeeper Ilhan Rezal made an amazing save by stopping three shots in a row, helping keep his team's small lead.
Striker Izzan Farid increased the lead, getting the ball low past Hong Kong's goalkeeper, Tang Pui Chun. With six minutes left, substitute Aidan Irfan scored a powerful long-range goal. Goalkeeper Ilhan made another great save, reaching out to stop a hard shot from substitute Sephrey Ma.
On social media, the Football Association of Singapore shared a post: 'Good crowd. Great vibes. Convincing finish. Our boys wrap up their Lion City Cup campaign in second place.'
Netizens expressed their support by saying: 'Congratulations Team Singapore. Spirits First, Results Second Respect Thank you very much', and 'Overall good show by the boys, just try to be more consistent.'
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