Football: Singapore to face Hong Kong as they gear up for AFF Women's C'ship
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Singapore's 1-0 win over Laos at the Hanoi SEA Games was a historic one for the Lionesses, and the team wants to build on that momentum.
PHOTO: SPORT SINGAPORE/DYAN TJHIA
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SINGAPORE - The Lionesses will play Hong Kong twice this month as they gear up for the July 4-17 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women's Championship.
The two friendlies against 78th-ranked Hong Kong, quarter-finalists at the last Asian Games, will take place at the Jalan Besar Stadium on June 23 and June 26.
The matches, as well as the AFF tournament in Manila, will allow them to continue building on their creditable showing at last month's SEA Games in Hanoi. In their first outing at the biennial regional Games since 2003, world No. 135 Singapore held their own against teams like Laos (83rd), Myanmar (45th) and five-time SEA Games champions Thailand (43rd), finishing third in the four-team Group B.
They recorded a historic 1-0 win over Laos - their first victory at the regional tournament since 1985 - and lost 3-0 and 1-0 to Thailand and Myanmar respectively.
Coach Stephen Ng has named a provisional squad of 29 players for the friendlies against Hong Kong, including several debutantes who have impressed in the recently launched Deloitte Women's Premier League.
They include Tanjong Pagar United goalkeeper Nur Haziqah Haszman and midfielder Alyssa Deanna Yazrin, Albirex Niigata midfielder Irsalina Irwan and Still Aerion Women's forward Claire Marie Tay.
Forward Summer Chong, who currently plays for Black Rock Football Club as part of her studies at High Mowing School in New Hampshire, the United States, was also promoted from the Under-19 national team.
Ng said: "We will be going into these friendlies against Hong Kong with a clear objective: to further expose our players to a higher level of competition and to prepare for our Group A matches in July."
For the upcoming AFF Women's Championship, the Lionesses have been drawn in Group A with four-time champions Thailand, 2008 champions Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In the eight editions of the competition that they have participated in, they have not gotten past the group stage.
Noting that Hong Kong "are an experienced and seasoned Asian side", Ng added: "The two fixtures will allow us to maximise our efforts, while giving us room to make adjustments and adapt to the higher intensity, especially for the debutantes who will experience their first international match.
"By continually competing against quality oppositions, we can make strides in our development to become a strong contender in South-east Asia in the future."
Vice-captain Stephanie Gigette said the team are looking to challenge themselves against opponents like Hong Kong since they will also face higher-ranked opponents at the AFF Women's Championship.
The 23-year-old said: "Going up against a reputable team like Hong Kong is important because it is the best way to learn and improve. We want to be better, and it is through these match-ups that we can confront ourselves and identify our gaps.
"The whole team have adopted this mindset and we will do what we do best - give it our all, defend as a unit and show the home crowd that we are capable of putting on a good fight.
"This is important with the tough matches ahead of us in the AFF Women's Championship, and we must start matching the intensity from these friendlies."
Tickets for the Hong Kong friendlies will go on sale on Thursday (June 16) at 5pm on fas.org.sg/tickets. They will be priced at $10 for adults and $5 for concession. Fans can also purchase the Singapore bundle priced at $18 for adults and $9 for concession, excluding booking fees.
Match details
June 23, 8pm, Jalan Besar Stadium: Singapore v Hong Kong
June 26, 8pm, Jalan Besar Stadium: Singapore v Hong Kong
