Young Lions head to SEA Games on winning note

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s national under-23 football squad will head into the South-east Asian (SEA) Games on a high after a 2-0 win over Timor Leste’s national under-23 side in a friendly at the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday night (May 26).

An 18th minute free-kick from Shahfiq Ghani and a header after 84 minutes from Irfan Fandi sealed the win for the Young Lions.

The match — a closed door session — comes after wins over Japan’s Shizuoka Sangyo University (3-0) and the Laos under-23 side (5-1), and is the Young Lions’ final warm-up match before they kick-off their SEA Games campaign with their opening Group A match against the Philippines on June 1 at the same venue.

“It was a good result for us, and the boys put in a good performance,” said assistant coach S Subramani. “They are continuing to gel and the teamwork and understanding on the pitch was pleasing to see. They also showed a lot of hunger tonight.

“The learning point tonight is that our players must learn to keep their cool, stay focused and not let themselves get carried away by the heat of the moment.

“This is especially important in a football tournament like the SEA Games. When there are only six matches to play, cards and suspensions will be a crucial factor affecting the team’s fortunes and ability to be at full-strength. So the players must learn to avoid getting into card trouble.”

Also in Group A of the SEA Games men’s football tournament — it is an under-23 competition — are Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Defending SEA Games champions Thailand are in Group B with Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste.

The group matches will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium and Bishan Stadium, with the semi-finals and final at the National Stadium.