Football: Singapore Under-21s outclassed in Malacca

Singapore's Under-21 team training for their Nations Cup match against Malaysia. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN

NATIONS CUP

Malaysia 3
Singapore 0

While the senior Lions celebrated a 1-0 victory over Myanmar last night, Singapore's Under-21 football team were outclassed in all departments by their old rivals Malaysia.

The Young Lions were beaten 3-0 by the Harimau Muda in their Nations Cup opener in Malacca's Hang Jebat Stadium last night.

Richard Tardy's team, who started with nine Garena Young Lions players, took 35 minutes to create their first attempt, as the hosts controlled the match.

Opportunities to shine for the likes of attacking midfielder Adam Swandi, 20, and skipper Ammirul Emmran, 21, were at a premium, as the Malaysians dictated the tempo with their superior possession, organisation and pace.

The visitors' defensive errors were highlighted and punished by their Causeway rivals, who scored through Safawi Rasid (fourth minute), Syafiq Ahmad (52nd) and Nur Syamie Amin (83rd).

Singapore will face Vietnam in the third-place play-off tomorrow. The Vietnamese were beaten 2-0 by Thailand in an earlier match yesterday.

Alvin Chia

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 04, 2016, with the headline Football: Singapore Under-21s outclassed in Malacca. Subscribe