The Singapore Under-16s capped off their Lion City Cup campaign with a 4-1 triumph over Hong Kong, China on Sunday (13 July) night.
The adoring 1,383-strong crowd in attendance at the Jalan Besar Stadium rose to their feet at the end in a standing ovation to celebrate a group that captured the imagination.
The Singapore boys finished with six points from three games, after kicking off their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines. They ended their Lion City Cup campaign in second spot, just a solitary point behind winners, the Philippines.
It was the growth of his team across the six-day campaign that heartened Head Coach Ashraf Ariffin.
He said: “Against the Philippines, the boys showed their potential; the game against Cambodia (3-0 win) was us showing our progress; and today we showed our consistency – and that we are developing and improving every step of the way.
“Now I can say that the result against the Philippines was a glitch.”
Player-of-the-match Ariq Rizzuwan was grateful to be part of a close-knit team that grew from the campaign, but there was still some residual disappointment.
“We didn’t achieve our goal of winning the Lion City Cup,” said the defender. “But I think we can be proud of ourselves. We are happy with our development and performances.”
“At the start of our centralised training, most of us (the players) were not close to each other. Eventually, we grew closer. It helped us to improve on and off the pitch,” he added.
Team unity was a central focus for Ashraf who set the tone from day one by having all his players wear black cleats on the field – a subtle but symbolic step towards team unity.
“I wanted them to sacrifice as a team… This is the first thing that brought them together,” Ashraf said.
That unity was evident on the field as the Singapore U16 boys took the early advantage in their final match. Defender Aaryan Hermi sent in a delightful cross that found the head of an unmarked Ariq, who nodded home the opener.
The hosts then doubled the lead in the 31st minute through striker Lukyan Tan, who got his second of the tournament.
Despite going down to ten men in the 45th minute when defender Uriel Contiero got a second yellow, Hong Kong pulled one back just after the restart through Eden Tung, who converted the resulting spot kick after he was fouled in the box.
In the 65th minute, Singapore custodian Ilhan Rezal pulled off a stunning triple save to preserve his side’s narrow lead.
“It’s not the first time that Ilhan has done this. It is good to see him showing up.” Ashraf said of his keeper.
Striker Izzan Farid restored the two-goal cushion four minutes later when his strike squeezed below opposition keeper Tang Pui Chun.
Substitute Aidan Irfan sent the home crowd into a frenzy when he let fly a screamer from outside the box with six minutes left on the clock.
Ilhan capped off an impressive performance in goal when he pulled off yet another flying save moments later, getting a strong hand to keep out a rocket by substitute Sephrey Ma.
As his side’s win brought the curtain down on the tournament, Ashraf concluded that the team met his expectations of “growth and individual development.”
With the AFC Under-17 Asian Cup qualifiers approaching in November, he added that his players needed more exposure at this level, with the ultimate goal of “developing into seasoned international players.”
In the day’s earlier match, the Philippines battled to a 3-1 victory over Cambodia to win the Lion City Cup.
