JAKARTA, 27 MAY 2024 – Home to one of the strongest and most passionate football fan cultures in Southeast Asia, the Singapore Women’s National Team, led by Head Coach Karim Bencherifa, is fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead in facing Garuda Pertiwi on their home turf.
In a doorstop interview before training, Coach Karim remarked that the Indonesian side has “a lot to impress,” especially given it being the first senior match for their new coach, Satoru Mochizuki, who recently led the U-17 women’s team in their AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup campaign.
When asked about his expectations for the team tomorrow, the 56-year-old Moroccan coach said, “We want to play a brand of football that the fans can truly enjoy and, of course, aim for a positive result for the Lionesses. It will be a high level of competition, and I’m happy we’re here because these are good conditions to test what we’ve developed over the last year, including our training camp in Saudi Arabia in March, and foster growth and development.”
In the last three encounters between Singapore and Indonesia, Singapore has won once. Their most recent matchup in October 2022 saw Singapore narrowly lose 2-1 to Indonesia. Forward Farhanah Ruhaizat, who scored Singapore’s solitary goal and also her first international goal, recalled that the Indonesian team was strong, aggressive, and determined. “We had beaten them 2-0 at the AFF Women’s Championship (earlier in July), so when they played in Singapore (for the friendly), they came back with renewed determination. I remember the match being incredibly intense,” she said.
Regardless of the test ahead, the 26-year-old shared that the camp is in good spirits. “We’re all excited to play because it’s been a while since we faced them. With all our preparations, I believe we have a strong chance to come out on top.”
The Lionesses will go head-to-head with Garuda Pertiwi tomorrow at 8 PM Singapore Time at GBK Madya Stadium.
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FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
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