Head Coach Karim Bencherifa and Singapore defender Syazwani Ruzi in the pre-match press conference today, December 2024.
VIENTIANE, 1 DECEMBER 2024 — The Lionesses are on the brink of a historic achievement as they prepare to face Indonesia on Monday, 2 December 2024.
A win at the Laos National Stadium KM16 in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Cup 2024 will see Singapore qualify for the reformatted ASEAN Championships for the first time – even if statistics suggest the Lionesses may face a tough time.
Indonesia, ranked 104th in the FIFA world standings, is a familiar opponent for the 138th-ranked Lionesses. Historical records favour Garuda Pertiwi, who have won four of their last six encounters against Singapore since 2019. The most recent meeting between the two sides, just seven months ago in Jakarta, ended in a 5-1 victory for Indonesia.
Singapore’s sole win came in the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship, a 2-0 win that ended an 18-year winless streak against Indonesia came thanks to goals from Izzati Rosni and Syazwani Ruzi.
Karim in the pre-match press conference today, December 2024.
Even with statistics suggesting his charges will endure a tough 90 minutes of football, Singapore Head Coach Karim Bencherifa is confident this match will be very different.
“The game in Jakarta was a [international] friendly, and our focus was on giving our players exposure and the opportunity to play in front of a big crowd,” Karim explained. “The score didn’t reflect how we performed for most of the match, with the key difference being Indonesia’s clinical finishing.
“This time, it’s an official match, and we know what’s at stake,” he added. “Indonesia is a strong team with talented players, but we have our strengths, and we have built on two strong performances in the group stage.
“Now we’re focused on advancing to the final.”
Singapore defender Syazwani Ruzi in the pre-match press conference today, December 2024.
Defender Syazwani Ruzi echoed Karim’s sentiments.“We’re happy with how we’ve performed so far. There’s no pressure against Indonesia,” Syazwani said.
“We’ve faced them before, and we know they have quality players. But with our team spirit, we know we can match them.”
While Indonesia may have the advantage of extra rest, having last played on 26 November, While the Lionesses faced Laos on 29 November, the Singapore women are no strangers to back-to-back matches.
“Back-to-back matches are part of any tournament,” explained Karim. “Indonesia had a few more days of rest, but our medical and technical teams have done a good job keeping the squad healthy and fresh.
“The aim is still clear: to put on a very strong performance in the semi-final.”
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
