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Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore U20 Women lost to Vietnam at the Asian Cup qualifying campaign, performance sparks optimism regardless
SINGAPORE: The Singapore U20 Women's Team unfortunately lost to Vietnam with a final score of 5-0 in the opening match of the AFC Under-20 Women's Asian Cup qualifying campaign. Despite the loss, Head Coach Fazrul Nawaz shows optimism for the squad's performance. 'Vietnam is a quality team and they have qualified for the U20 Asian Cup before – even their senior team has qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup before. So, yes, the girls should be proud of their performance (against Vietnam)… Against this kind of team, especially in the first half, I thought we really fought well,' Nawaz said. On social media, Nawaz also remarked: 'I want to take the positives of the first half of how they played and how they created the chances. We had a few chances in the first half, even second half, yes, a bit less… So I want them to believe that they can do it, and play the football that they want to play in the second and third match.' Highlights of the game The national team started strong in the first half of the match and opened many opportunities to score a goal. However, they went into halftime losing by only one goal. Chantale Lamasan, Singapore's goalkeeper, has exhibited good defensive skills and stopped many shots. Their opponent scored their first goal in the 15th minute after the ball bounced back to the player–the ball went through even as Chantale tried to stop it. Throughout the match, Chantale made more saves so that Singapore could attack more. However, as Yuvika Suresh ran fast and passed down the ball to Sarah Zu'rishqa, who tried to make a shot, Vietnam's goalkeeper stopped it. After the halftime break, Vietnam then dominated the game by scoring two goals–one at the 48th minute mark and another at the 50th minute. Moreover, Vietnam scored two more goals by the end of the game and eventually clinched victory. With the girls' performance, Nawaz admitted that the team needs to 'maintain focus throughout the game' and that the team needs to fully concentrate on their decisions and actions as they play the 90-minute match. Netizens have mixed reactions to the results of the match. One expressed that Singapore should now be open for foreign athletes if they want to succeed: 'Vietnam is a country with over 100 million population, and they (the Vietnamese) are hungry for success. This is a good example of why Singapore needs to be open to foreign talents.' Another netizen expressed hope and addressed that the match could have ended much worse and that the girls could do better in the next matches. One more netizen admitted frustration and stated: '5-0 is not a hard fight, it is a poor performance. Run around the field and do not know what to do.. Lack of creativity and ideas.' The national team will now battle against the Kyrgyz Republic on August 8, 2025, at 5 p.m. SGT. See also Slingers' Ng Han Bin embers of passion for basketball
Independent Singapore
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore U16 Girls finish Lion City Cup as runners-up after a win against Cambodia
Photo: SINGAPORE: Singapore's U16 girls wrapped up their Lion City Cup debut with an impressive performance, finishing as runners-up to Korea Republic when they defeated Cambodia 2-0. After the final match, head coach Yeong Sheau Shyan expressed satisfaction with the team's improvements throughout the competition. The coach declared: 'I think the girls did well to absorb as much as they could, and they followed (our) instructions really well. At the same time, when we gave them instructions, they trusted us and they dared to try.' Highlights of the match It was evident that Singapore controlled the first half of the game, even though Cambodia tried their best. Ain Salleh struck early to put Singapore ahead. The 15-year-old got a great pass from Liyana Rickit just five minutes into the game and shot the ball into the top of the net. The crowd also cheered when Yuvika Suresh scored a second goal, but it was called off because of offside. Ain had another chance to score just after 30 minutes, but her close shot hit the bar and didn't go in. Singapore's head coach said she boosted the players' spirits during half-time. She remarked: ' After we got back into the dressing room, we reorganised. You could see that the team came out with a different mentality. We started to play the ball more, we started to hold the ball and keep possession through the middle, through the sides, and that's when we really started to show a bit more of ourselves.' The home team stayed strong, with Verona Lim and Ain almost scoring a goal. However, Cambodia's goalkeeper Khann made an amazing diving save to stop it. Later on, Ain sent a high cross to substitute Risqya Rizqyqa. Khann couldn't catch the ball, and Risqya scored easily to make it 2-0. After the match ended, the players continued celebrating with their families and friends who came to support them. 'I think we have some die-hard fans in the stands — family members, relatives, and some of our players who missed out on the tournament. They have been very supportive throughout the tournament,' Yeong said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FAS (@fasingapore) After showing their mettle at the Lion City Cup, the Lionesses now prepare for the ASEAN U-16 Women's Championship and the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. Yeong mentioned that there will be changes in the team line-ups due to scheduling conflicts with other competitions and the players' academic commitments. She said, 'We will bring in some younger girls, and then there's a need to bond the team and maybe change some tactics. We're also missing a few players for O-level prelims, so it will be a different squad, but we are still gonna try our best. It's good for the younger girls to have a chance.' On social media, netizens expressed their support by saying: 'Congratulations!!! Such an inspiring week for all of our young female footballers in Singapore! Thank you for showing them what passion and hard work can do!', 'Well Done!!!! Congrats girls !🔥🔥🔥', and 'Well deserved! 👏.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by FAS (@fasingapore) () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
