Chua keen to show his worth

At the last edition of the SEA Games in 2019, Zikos Chua had been tipped to be a breakout star for the Republic. The 1.82m forward had found himself in the headlines before the Philippine Games when he became the youngest debutant, youngest match winner and youngest player to reach five goals in the Singapore Premier League.

But he missed the Games after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury before the tournament.

Chua, 20, will finally get to take centre stage today when the Singapore Under-23 side start their SEA Games Group B campaign against Laos in Nam Dinh, Vietnam.

This time, the stars have aligned for Chua and he is expected to lead the line for the Young Lions in the absence of Ilhan (injured) and Ikhsan Fandi, whose Thai club BG Pathum United will not release him as the Games fall outside of world governing body Fifa's international window.

After missing February's Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship because he was down with Covid-19, Chua cannot wait to make his Games debut.

Speaking to The Straits Times from Vietnam, he said: "This is going to be a proud moment for my family and I. Of course, we would have loved for Ikhsan and Ilhan to be here but this a good chance for me to prove my worth."

Does he feel the pressure to fill the void left by Ikhsan, who has 13 goals in 27 appearances for the senior national team?

Chua, who has a Singaporean father and Greek mother, said: "The pressure comes from myself, not others. I always expect the best from myself and I am self-critical."

In six matches in his debut campaign for the Young Lions this year, he has three goals and one assist. Chua, who is serving national service, feels readier for matches these days.

He said: "Three years ago, after my injury, I felt it was a bit stop-start for me because I was not having consistent game time and did not quite have the best of preparations for my matches. This year has been better because I have played a lot more and the style of play at the Young Lions suits me better."

Coach Nazri Nasir said Chua brings a different dimension to his team and praised his young forward for his determination.

Said Nazri, 51: "He worked really hard after his injury... I am confident that he and the other forwards (Nicky Melvin Singh, Khairin Nadim and Glenn Kweh) will be able to help the team with goals. Zikos is different from the rest because he is able to hold up the ball well and makes good runs into spaces."

Nazri has marked today's game against Laos as a must-win, with tougher matches against Thailand and Malaysia coming up.

While Laos have yet to beat Singapore in nine attempts at previous Games, they are no pushovers. At the AFF U-23 tournament, they beat Malaysia twice before losing to Thailand in the semi-finals.

Said Nazri: "It is a very important game but we are aware that Laos have improved over the years. But I am confident of our chances. We know the pressure is on us but we want to have a good start."

In yesterday's Group A games, defending champions Vietnam got off to a winning start by defeating Indonesia 3-0, while the Philippines trounced Timor-Leste 4-0.