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Independent Singapore
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore U16 boys triumph over Hong Kong in the Lion City Cup finale
The Singapore U16 boys' team successfully concluded their Lion City Cup with a 4-1 victory over Hong Kong, China on July 13 (Sunday). With their win, they captured the hearts of 1,383 fans who gave them a standing ovation at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The national team finished the tournament with six points from the three matches. They secured second place after a 2-0 loss to the champions, the Philippines. Singapore's head coach, Ashraf Ariffin, was inspired by the progress of his team throughout the six-day tournament. 'Against the Philippines, the boys showed their potential; the game against Cambodia (3-0 win) was us showing our progress; and today we showed our consistency – and that we are developing and improving every step of the way,' he said. The coach added: 'Now I can say that the result against the Philippines was a glitch.' Ariq Rizzuwan, the player of the match, was joyful to be on a strong team that improved during the competition. The athlete admitted: 'We didn't achieve our goal of winning the Lion City Cup… But I think we can be proud of ourselves. We are happy with our development and performances.' See also 26 athletes to represent Singapore at 12th ASEAN Para games 'At the start of our centralised training, most of us (the players) were not close to each other. Eventually, we grew closer. It helped us to improve on and off the pitch,' he added. Highlights of the match Unity showed on the field when the Singapore U16 team had an early lead in their final game. Defender Aaryan Hermi delivered a perfect cross to Ariq, who then headed the ball into the net to score the first goal. The national team scored a second goal in the 31st minute, all because of striker Lukyan Tan. In the 65th minute, Singapore's goalkeeper Ilhan Rezal made an amazing save by stopping three shots in a row, helping keep his team's small lead. Striker Izzan Farid increased the lead, getting the ball low past Hong Kong's goalkeeper, Tang Pui Chun. With six minutes left, substitute Aidan Irfan scored a powerful long-range goal. Goalkeeper Ilhan made another great save, reaching out to stop a hard shot from substitute Sephrey Ma. On social media, the Football Association of Singapore shared a post: 'Good crowd. Great vibes. Convincing finish. Our boys wrap up their Lion City Cup campaign in second place.' Netizens expressed their support by saying: 'Congratulations Team Singapore. Spirits First, Results Second Respect Thank you very much', and 'Overall good show by the boys, just try to be more consistent.'
Independent Singapore
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's Under-16 Boys are geared up to compete in the Lion City Cup
Photo: Instagram/fasingapore Singapore's U-16 Boys football team is geared up and ready for the return of the Lion City Cup at Jalan Besar Stadium. The young athletes are eager to showcase their skills as the future of local football. The team's head coach, Ashraf Ariffin, together with forward Izzan Farid, shared their optimism about the competition. Coach Ashraf described how the team prepared through a productive nine-day training camp in Thailand from June 21-29. He said: 'I think our nine days in Thailand were very good, they served an important purpose for us… The team bonded very well, and we managed to work on a lot of major things that we feel will be important heading into this tournament.' He added: 'Although we had a short window to prepare, I think the outcome at the end of the training camp was very positive.' The training camp played a crucial role in finalising the team roster. To finalise the squad, a bigger group of athletes travelled to Thailand, where 34 players competed in six matches over three days. This process aimed at challenging the athletes and selecting those who were most prepared to compete internationally. The head coach recalled: 'In Thailand, everybody competed for their places. We played six games in nine days, so everyone had plenty of game time to prove themselves… We had a headache at the end of the camp to select the best 25 — but that's the kind of headache we want. It means we have talent out there.' For Izzan, representing Singapore is an opportunity that he and the rest of the team wanted to seize with all their hearts. The athlete stated: 'I want to see all my teammates fight for each other — to win every tackle, header and challenge. That mentality is important if we want to compete and get a good result.' Competition aside, Ashraf is more focused on the growth of the team. He believes that the Lion City Cup is not only a competition, but a chance for each athlete to prove themselves. 'My expectation is simple: to see the team grow and individuals develop… At the end of the day, the big picture is for them to become future national players. And for that, they need more international games like this,' Ashraf said. Want to be part of the crowd? Grab your Lion City Cup tickets on Ticketek . () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
