Singapore Under-23 squad showed courage but lost to Yemen in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying opener

The Singapore Under-23 Men’s National Team fought gallantly against Yemen in the first match of the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers but lost 2-1 due to two penalties in the first half. 

Despite the loss, head coach Firdaus Kassim was satisfied with the team’s performance. Athletes Harith Danish (16), Rae Peh (16), and Luth Harith (17) helped the team in the second half of the game. 

According to Firdaus, the players showed maturity in their performance. He admitted that they were better in the second half when they played freely, revealing their personality. The coach declared: “That’s a big positive we can take away, not just for this competition. It’s also a very good sign for the future, because we have more young players showing personality, like they did in the second half.”  

Indeed, the game was much better than the team’s 3-0 loss to Yemen two years ago. “This is exactly what we expect from them,” Firdaus stated. 

Highlights of the match 

At the start of the game, Singapore heightened their defence against Yemen. The national team had their first chance early on when Muhammad Asis took a long shot, but it went over the goal.

As the first half continued,  Singapore’s attack became less effective, and Yemen exploited their advantage. Yemen then took the lead with two penalties. 

Singapore’s goalkeeper Aizil Yazid saved the first penalty, but Radhi Ebrahim quickly scored on the rebound. Moreover, Yemen got a second penalty during injury time at the end of the first half and scored easily.

In the second half, Singapore became more committed and scored as substitute Louka Tan-Vaissiere shot the ball into the top-right corner. 

In the 90th minute, Kian Jared Ghadessy almost scored a goal after a mistake by Yemen, but it was not to be. Singapore got another chance, but Yemen’s goalkeeper Osamah Ali Mokref made two great saves, which led to his team’s victory. 

Singapore captain Amir Syafiz said he was proud of his team and was encouraged by their performance, especially in the second half. 

“Even though we were down in the first half, we didn’t give up, and that was a positive. We will take this positivity into the next game,” Amir said.  

The national team is set to play against Vietnam next, and  Firdaus is confident that the athletes will learn and move forward from this defeat. 

Firdaus declared: “It will be a tough game, but I expect the Singapore team to give a very good fight against Vietnam.” 

On social media, netizens continued to show their support for the Singaporean team. One netizen remarked that their performance looks promising for the upcoming games. 

 

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Another netizen commented: “I thought that 2nd half was fantastic, 2 penalties were never easy to overcome but I thought we deserved a draw. Players are fighting with all they got, which deserve some encouragement I think ❤️🙌”