SEA Games 2023: Lionesses bow out as hosts book historic semi-final berth
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Singapore's Nicole Lim (right) trying to stop Cambodia's Kunthea Poeurn as teammate Venetia Lim looks on.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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PHNOM PENH – Cambodian policemen inside the stadium leapt out of their seats whenever the hosts went close to scoring, members of the local media could not conceal their allegiance while volunteers tasked with helping visitors and foreign media had their attention only on the match.
Along with a partisan 4,725 crowd at the RSN Stadium, they pushed Cambodia to a historic place in the semi-finals on Saturday after the hosts’ 1-0 win over Singapore.
The result also meant that the Lionesses’ SEA Games football campaign came to an end. Singapore coach Karim Bencherifa, who was appointed in March, congratulated Cambodia and pointed to his opponents’ preparation, which included a six-month training camp in China, as the difference.
He said: “We knew we had to win to keep our hopes of qualifying. But today we played a team that were well prepared, fit and organised.
“I’m disappointed for the players but with all the limitations they had, they prepared well and tried everything they could... They contained the pressure and put up a brave performance.”
The home side will revel in the moment. These are only the second SEA Games for the Cambodia women’s team, after their debut in 2022 in Hanoi, where they lost 7-0 and 5-0 to Vietnam and the Philippines respectively.
On Saturday, in front of their countrymen, the Cambodian players – most of whom sank to the ground at the final whistle, overawed by emotions – had a night to remember. They had played their first Fifa-recognised match only as recently as 2018.
Their all-important goal came from the spot in the 77th minute, after Singapore substitute Khairunnisa Anwar was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. Kunthea Poeurn stepped up to put the ball past Noor Kusumawati and spark pandemonium among the crowd.
Singapore are third after losing both their matches. Only the top two teams in each group progress, a feat that Thailand – ranked 44th in the world – achieved earlier on Saturday with a 6-0 win over Laos (84th).
The 134th-ranked Lionesses had lost 4-0 to the Thais last Wednesday, when 119th-ranked Cambodia had beaten Laos 2-0.
The final day of group matches on Tuesday will see Thailand and Cambodia face each other in a match that will decide the group toppers, while Singapore will meet Laos hoping to avoid finishing bottom.
The Lionesses, who did not qualify for the semi-finals in Hanoi, defended bravely on Saturday. Lionesses captain Rosnani Azman was arguably their top performer.
Up front, Danelle Tan hassled and harried the Cambodian backline although she and strike partner Nur Izzati barely had a sniff at goal.
But all that hard work was undone when Iranian referee Mahnaz Zokaee pointed to the spot.
In men’s football, the Singapore Under-22 side suffered elimination as well – their fifth straight group-stage exit – after a 0-0 draw against Laos.
The Young Lions, who had lost 3-1 to both Thailand and Vietnam earlier, will end their campaign against Malaysia on Thursday.
