Singapore’s Under-16 Girls are determined to bounce back quickly after a tough 9-0 defeat to Korea Republic, setting their sights on Thursday’s clash with Hong Kong, China.
The defeat to Korea may have given the hosts an indication of the work that lies ahead, but their unwavering fighting spirit has not gone unnoticed. Singapore Girls’ Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan remains positive in her team’s mindset and resilience.
“I am happy with the determination and the fight that the girls put up. The team is still very motivated and the reaction in the dressing room was not negative,” she said.
“They are already thinking of the good things to come in the next match, and seeing that attitude is very heartening to me.”
With the Hong Kong, China fixture today (10 July), Yeong wants her side to apply the lessons learned from their opening match.
“We have to correct the core mistakes we made against Korea and bring the learning lessons to the next game. We also hope to be able to show more of our style of play in the next two matches,” she added.
Hong Kong opened their campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win over Cambodia, but despite the positive result, Head Coach Chan Shuk Chi still feels that there is room for improvement.
“It’s a good start and we are happy to be able to get the result. However, we also missed a lot of chances, so I think we need to improve on our finishing,” she said.
“We will analyse how Singapore played and prepare the way that we have been doing. Our performance is always the first thing that we focus on.”
Meanwhile in the Cambodian camp, Head Coach Ouk Sothy is preparing his players for a tough encounter against group leaders Korea.
“It is important that I give all of my players playing time in the next two games,” he explained.
“For now, we will start preparing well for those matches. We will try our best.”
Day three of the Lion City Cup (10 July) will see the U16 Girls’ competition continue – with Korea facing Cambodia at 5pm, while the hosts play Hong Kong at 8pm.
Tickets are available from Ticketek and at the ticket booth at the North Gate of the Jalan Besar Stadium on matchdays.
