Lionesses face must-win game against Timor-Leste after 3-0 loss to Indonesia in AFF Women’s Cup

SINGAPORE – The Lionesses face a do-or-die task in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Cup, after a 3-0 defeat by Indonesia in the semi-finals on Dec 2.               

They must beat Timor-Leste in the third-place play-off on Dec 5 to advance to the 2025 AFF Women’s Championship as one of the top three teams from this qualifying tournament in Laos.

Victory against Indonesia would have guaranteed world No. 138 Singapore a spot, but instead it was the 104th-ranked side who booked their ticket to the seven-team competition, along with Cambodia, who defeated Timor-Leste 3-0 in the other semi-final.

Lionesses captain Siti Rosnani Azman said: “This game was a tough one, they are a quality team. But the fact that we fought till the last whistle and gave our best, I’m quite proud of them.

“It’s not the end for us. We lost the semi-final, but there’s still one more game to go, so we are working towards that.”

At the National Stadium KM16 in Vientiane, it took just six minutes for Indonesia to go ahead through 15-year-old Claudia Scheunemann, who plays for German club Hamburger SV’s Under-17 team.

Indonesia captain Viny Silfianus Sunaryo’s pass found Claudia just outside the penalty box, and the forward took a touch before curling the ball past Singapore custodian Hazel Lim for her second goal of the tournament.

Garuda Pertiwi continued to pile the pressure on the Lionesses as they pressed hard, forcing defensive errors from Singapore, who looked shaky at the back at times.

Indonesia doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when Reva Octaviani belted a sublime long-range effort past Lim.

Adding to Singapore’s woes, goalkeeper Lim appeared to have suffered an injury after backpedalling into a goal post as she tried to clear the ball. She was replaced by Nurul Illyanis Khairul.

Several changes in the second half saw an improved performance from Singapore, but it was not enough to turn the game around.

Forward Octavianti Dwi Nurmalita added a third goal for Indonesia with a left-footed strike in the 94th minute, sealing the victory to book their spot against Cambodia in the final on Dec 5.

Singapore coach Karim Bencherifa said: “We know we played a quality team. I think they’re the most prepared team for this tournament with a lot of quality players.

“I’m happy with the reaction from the second half. The goals were a cumulation of a few mistakes, but as I said before the game, Indonesia are quite clinical. But I salute the way we defended and approached the second half.”

The Moroccan also highlighted that the Indonesians had three more days to prepare for the match, with their last game taking place on Nov 26 while Singapore last played on Nov 29 against Laos.

But he stressed the need to put the semi-finals behind them as they look ahead to beating world No. 159 Timor-Leste.

Both sides had met in the group stage on Nov 26, with the Lionesses conceding an injury-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Bencherifa acknowledged that it will not be an easy task, especially with several injuries in the team.

They went into the semi-finals without forward Nur Farhanah Ruhaizat, who suffered an injury against Laos, while striker Farah Nurzahirah and Lim were substituted after picking up knocks against Indonesia.

He said: “Timor-Leste is the surprise package for this tournament. I think they impressed everybody, including today in the game against Cambodia.

“The spirit of their performances, they work hard but we know that we can make it. We also have good players, but for now we have to get back and recover and get the best squad possible for the next game.

“It’s going to be an interesting game and I’m very optimistic that we will be up to it.”