AMMAN, 14 JULY 2025 – The Singapore Women’s National Team were beaten 5–0 by hosts Jordan in their third Group D match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers on Monday (14 July).
The result at the King Abdullah II Stadium marks Singapore’s third consecutive defeat in Amman. With only the Lebanon fixture to go before the curtain comes down on Singapore’s qualifying campaign, Lionesses Head Coach Karim Bencherifa is putting aside emotions to focus on recovery and consolidation.
“Of course, I’m disappointed,” he said. “As a national coach, you want to get something out of these games. But we’re short in some areas and we must keep working.
“We will recover and regroup to be in the best condition for the match against Lebanon on Saturday (19 July).”
Jordan showed their intent from the start of the match. A goal from captain Maysa Jbarah in the sixth minute was ruled offside, but the forward made no mistake soon after, converting a low cross from the right in the ninth minute. She remained a constant threat, striking the post just two minutes later after breaking past three defenders.
The hosts continued to apply pressure throughout the first half. Singapore stayed compact in defence, but Jordan doubled their lead shortly before the break through a lofted ball into the box that was finished by Bana Al Bitar.
“We expected the quality of Jordan. As the home team, with a big reputation in the region and in Asia, they were always going to be difficult,” said Bencherifa. “After watching them play Lebanon, we knew we would struggle with their physical size.”
Jordan extended their advantage in the second half. A cross from the left in the 63rd minute was headed in by Jbarah, and a long ball from deep just two minutes later resulted in a fourth. The final goal came in the 83rd minute, finished by substitute Tahreer Fahid Al Qawasmeh after another direct pass behind the defence.
Singapore created limited chances but showed effort in patches. Lim Li Xian came on at half-time and nearly reached a Qarissa Putri free kick in the 54th minute.
“A few goals were headers that we could not cope with,” Bencherifa reflected. “Set pieces were always a threat, but the team played their hearts out. In terms of fitness and effort, they went all the way.”
He added: “This is what we talk about when we talk about AFC qualifiers — the competition is very high. Whether it’s Iran —who beat Bhutan by seven — or Jordan, these are strong teams. Even other countries in our region like Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia have found it difficult.”
The Lionesses have a bye on matchday 4 and will face Lebanon in their final Group A fixture on Saturday (19 July) that will also be played at the King Abdullah II Stadium. Kick off is at 9pm Singapore time.
