Young Lions’ SEA Games build-up get boost with win over Shizuoka Sangyo University

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s national under-23 football side completed their week-long tour of Japan with a 3-0 win over Shizuoka Sangyo University today (May 16).

Two goals from Shahfiq Ghani and another from defender Shakir Hamzah gave the Young Lions a much-needed morale boosting win in Gotemba, Shizuoka ahead of the upcoming South-east Asian (SEA) Games.

Head coach Aide Iskandar felt the result was the perfect answer to recent criticism of the team’s desire and ability to realistically challenge for their maiden SEA Games gold medal in football.

“I challenged the boys to prove that they have the heart and desire to represent the country and they responded in a great way,” he said.

“I am really happy with their performance today, especially with their intensity. It was far better than our first game. We settled in straight away and we set the tempo,”

“We need to play like this in every of our games - with hunger and desire.”

The win also comes two days after they suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Japanese fourth division side Azul-Claro Numazu.

Aide is set to trim his provisional squad of 25 to the final 20-man squad for the SEA Games.

“There are some things that need to be fine-tuned and we hope that the last two friendlies that we will play when we get back to Singapore will provide us with the opportunity to finish our preparations,” he said.

Shizuoka Sangyo University coach Kazuki Sakurada was also impressed by what he saw from the Young Lions.

“They pressed us from the first minute and muscled us off the ball, something we were not used to in Japan,” he said.

“We also lost out in set pieces as they are stronger and taller. Overall, it was a great game of football and these boys showed hunger to win despite this game being a friendly. I wish them best in the SEA Games.”

Singapore are in Group A of the SEA Games, along with Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, their first opponents on June 1.

The Republic last reached the SEA Games football final at the 1989 Games in Kuala Lumpur, where they lost 3-1 to hosts Malaysia.