The Singapore Under-16 Girls reignited their Lion City Cup campaign with a commanding 2-0 win over Hong Kong, China, on Thursday (10 July), and will look to carry that momentum into their final outing against Cambodia on Sunday (13 July).
With the team displaying positive signs both individually and collectively, Singapore U16 Girls’ Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan was pleased with how her charges have bounced back after their opening 9-0 loss to Korea Republic.
“It was good that we were able to hold onto possession and play our style of football,” Yeong reflected.
“Rather than thinking of getting the result or goals, the team was focused on meeting the training targets and what we wanted to achieve tactically as a team.”
While Yeong felt that there was no pressure on the team to secure a win in their final match, she emphasised the need for her players to stay grounded and focused on delivering on the game plan.
“This result has given us the confidence that we will bring forward to Cambodia. However, we cannot allow ourselves to relax because they can beat us if we are complacent,” she said.
Unable to build on a 4-0 opening day win, Hong Kong, China Head Coach Chan Shuk Chi acknowledged the challenges her team faced while playing in front of a vocal home crowd.
“It’s difficult to play against the host team when they have a lot of fans supporting them in the stands. The girls are young and they tried their best, but they lack experience,” she said, shifting her focus to their final match against group leaders Korea on Saturday (12 July).
“We know Korea is a strong team to play against, but we will analyse the match and try our best to perform better in the last game.”
Having recorded 21 goals and conceded none in their two matches, Korea Head Coach Kim Eunjung and her team will head into their last game full of confidence.
“We are giving most of the players equal opportunities, and now we have many different goal scorers. There is a positive atmosphere in the squad, which puts us in a good position to prepare for the next game,” she said.
Refreshing their squad has also been a priority for Cambodia Head Coach Ouk Suthy, who is hoping to end his side’s campaign on a high.
“I will make some changes in the game as I want to give everyone an equal amount of playing time,” he said “There are many things to fix on both the attacking and defensive fronts, but we will try our best to play better against Singapore.”
Day five of the Lion City Cup (12 July) will see the girls take to the field again – with Hong Kong, China facing Korea Republic at 5pm, before the hosts wrap up their campaign against Cambodia at 8pm.
Tickets are available from Ticketek and at the ticket booth at the North Gate of the Jalan Besar Stadium on matchdays.
