Key players not available in Lionesses’ 5-1 loss to Indonesia: Singapore coach Karim Bencherifa

SINGAPORE – The Lionesses huffed and puffed, but the score at Jakarta’s Madya Stadium on May 28 revealed a stark difference in quality as Singapore suffered a 5-1 drubbing by Indonesia in an international friendly.

It was the Lionesses’ fifth defeat in as many matches, a run that saw them concede 33 goals, scoring just once. This includes 7-0 and 10-0 losses to North Korea at last September’s Hangzhou Asian Games.

A day after the defeat by world No. 109 Indonesia, who are 28 rungs above Singapore, Lionesses coach Karim Bencherifa admitted to The Straits Times that recent results are a cause for concern, but the unavailability of key players was a major factor.

The Moroccan, who has overseen two wins, one draw and eight losses since he was appointed on a two-year contract in March 2023, hopes he will have a more experienced squad for their next match, a home friendly in July.

On the wretched run, the 56-year-old said: “Of course it is a concern. But we have to take into consideration that when we play overseas, it’s always difficult because we miss players.

“When we travel, we have an issue of not having players either because of their work or school. For example, we didn’t have Danelle (Tan) who is very important for us up front.

“Yes, the recent results are a concern, I agree. But I believe when we have a full team, we will do better.”

Tan played her last match of the season with Borussia Dortmund on May 26, while Australia-based players such as Hazel Lim, Clara Lau and Stephanie Dominguez, whose clubs were also in action during this Fifa window, missed out too.

Back home, several players of Women’s Premier League leaders Lion City Sailors were also unavailable due to school or work commitments.

They include forward Raeka Ee, who jointly leads the scoring chart with 11 goals, defender Umairah Hamdan, midfielder Sarah Zu’risqha and goalkeeper Izairida Shakira.

Also missing out were the next two highest-scoring locals this season with six goals each – Sailors’ Josephine Ang, 17, who was on an internship, and Geylang International’s Farah Nurzahirah, 20, who is likely to feature in the future.

The Lionesses’ major assignment in 2024 was to be the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship, but there are no details on when or where it will be held.

Bencherifa is setting his sights on longer-term goals, though.

There were four Unleash The Roar! scholarship recipients in this squad. Irsalina Irwan, Chloe Koh (IMG Academy, Florida), both 17, and Natasha Naszri (ESC La Liga Academy, Spain), 16, featured in the match, while Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran (IMG), 16, was an unused substitute.

Pointing to the youthfulness of this side, who have an average age of 23.3 years, he said: “The only way is up. We have a young team that will get better match after match.

“This team is not just for now but perhaps the next 10 years. After the last match at our previous SEA Games (2023), I said the process for the next Games (2025) had started and you have seen that we have a host of new and young players.

“Of course, there are challenges but they do not deter me, I will not hide and I take full responsibility and I am committed to giving my all for this job.

“What needs to improve is the focus... and the attitude on game day, to switch on and focus. There are also things that are my responsibility, such as improving technically and improving our fitness.”

Lionesses captain Rosnani Azman echoed Bencherifa’s sentiments and also hopes for more high-level exposure for the team.

The 27-year-old said: “The team demonstrated fighting spirit in the first 63 minutes, securing an equaliser and holding Indonesia to a stalemate at half-time. However, we need to work on maintaining our focus and discipline to prevent any lapses in concentration that might allow the opponents to capitalise on.

“With a younger squad now, this is part of the development process. The teams we’ve played against are at a different level, providing us with valuable opportunities to learn and grow. It’s beneficial for our players to gain more exposure to high-level competitions.”