S’pore will show no fear: Selvaraj

SINGAPORE — A humbling 5-0 defeat by Thailand on Wednesday was not the start Singapore’s Under-15 squad had in mind for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship Group H qualifiers. And the young footballers’ task is about to get tougher as they face defending champions North Korea at the Jalan Besar Stadium tonight.

Defeat by the North Koreans will end the Republic’s hopes of progressing to the next stage, as only the top team from each of the 11 groups, and the four best runners-up, will advance to the final in India next year.

The North Koreans, who won the tournament last year after beating South Korea 2-1 in the final, got their title defence off to the perfect start on Wednesday with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Cambodia.

The strong, technically-proficient Koreans are expected to take the fight to the Singaporeans on the field, but Singapore U-15 head coach V Selvaraj insists his charges will not be cowed by their opponents.

“We know what threats the Koreans can pose and we saw what they could do in the last game,” said Selvaraj, 46. “Technically they are as good as the Thais, they show a lot of maturity on the ball and move it well, and they also have got good height, which they use to their advantage.

“But we will prepare to compete and battle, as well as approach the game with confidence and trust in each other. We know it is going to be a tough game, but there will not be any fear. North Korea is one of the best teams in Asia, so it’s a good learning opportunity for us.”

Selvaraj had bemoaned his team’s lack of “killer instinct” in front of goal against the Thais, and spent much of training last evening at the Jalan Besar Stadium aiming to rectify that as he drilled his team on passing and attacking combination play.

“Against Thailand, we were able to play some penetrative passes down the flanks when we had the ball and posed a threat going forward,” said the former national player.

“We did some good combinations with the ball, so this is what I’m looking for when we take on North Korea as well. I want them to be more confident on the ball, take on players, work on their passes and when we create chances, to be more composed in front of goal.

“Of course, when you play big teams like the Koreans, you are naturally more cautious, especially in defence. But it doesn’t mean we should just kick the ball up-field whenever we have it and just focus on defending. This is where we have to make good decisions and pass intelligently whenever we win the ball back.”

Tonight’s matches (Jalan Besar Stadium):

Cambodia v Thailand, 5.00pm

Singapore v North Korea, 8.00pm