SINGAPORE - The Republic's cerebral palsy football team got the Republic off to a rousing start at the 8th Asean Para Games on Thursday morning, even before the opening ceremony of the multi-sport event later on the same day.
Cheered on by a passionate home crowd, Singapore's team captain Khairul Anwar lifted his seven-a-side team to a 1-0 victory over Indonesia in their opening round-robin match played at the National Stadium.
In a high-tempo match, coach Mohamed Zainudeen's players created numerous chances in the 30-minute first half, pinning their opponents inside their own half.
Despite being forced to defend for most of the game, Indonesia came closest to scoring after the 15-minute interval as Habib Salleh's free kick hit the post.
But just before the final whistle, Khairul delivered a stunning long-range effort which beat goalkeeper Amin Rosyid to secure the win for the hosts.
While Singapore were boosted by having the only C8 player in the match in Abdul Mahdi, the Indonesians fielded five C7 and two C6 players. The higher the classification for the player, the lower is his disability.
Singapore will next face reigning champions Myanmar on Saturday.
In the day's other match, Thailand defeated Malaysia 6-1.
Find out more about a cooking workshop held earlier for the Singapore cerebral palsy football team:
