The Singapore Lionesses are back in the game, only days after a thrilling and hard-fought match against Bhutan. The national team will now battle against the Islamic Republic of Iran squad, who will be competing in their opening Group A qualifier for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
The Iranian team will come into the game with two wins, one draw, and two losses in their last five games. Iran first appeared in the Asian Cup back in 2022, and is currently 68th in the rankings. With this, the team is eager to leave a strong impression in this tournament.
Having played against Iran in 2019, Singapore’s captain, Rosnani Azman, is prepared for what’s to come. She said: “I know it’s not going to be an easy match because Iran is a strong team. I played against them in 2019, and they are quite physical and big.”
National team’s campaign updates
The Lionesses started their campaign with an intense battle against Bhutan. Their initial optimism in the match was undermined by various injuries in the second half of the game. This has prompted the national team’s head coach, Karim Bencherifa, to focus on the athlete’s recovery and squad rotation before their game against Iran starts.
“We’re working closely with the medical team to bring back as many injured players as possible and have them available for the match,” the coach admitted.
She added: “I’m very optimistic that many of them will be back and we can regroup… This game is another test of our resilience and our fighting spirit… The players were so disappointed after the first game and were completely shattered, but they bounced back and continued fighting — and we will keep pushing until we achieve our targets.”
Understanding the tough challenges ahead, Bencherifa and the squad expect to compete against several seasoned players from their opponents’ team. This includes goalkeeper Zahra Khajavi, who is considered one of Iran’s finest, and forward Zahra Ghanbari, the national team’s leading scorer with 16 international goals.
“We’re definitely making some adjustments to our strategy to adapt to the expected higher level of intensity — bringing in more fresh legs and shifting our approach to suit the demands of the match,” Bencherifa shared.
Rosnani also added: “The fact that we kept pushing through in our match against Bhutan — that’s what matters… It’s no excuse for us not to do our best, no matter what. We will put up a good performance.”
