Ajax too good for Singapore U-16s

TNP PICTURE: BENJAMIN SEETOR

The 24th Canon Lion City Cup final had been billed as a battle of the No. 10s.

But where Singapore Under-16s skipper Adam Swandi repeated knocked on the Ajax defence, only to have the door slammed shut on his face, his opposite number, little Dutch maestro Abdelhak Nouri rose to the occasion to pull all the midfield strings and lead his team to a resounding 4-1 victory.

In front of 3,619 fans, the 15-year-old playmaker scored a superb chip over Heirul Suhanes and his creative abilities led him to pick up the MVP award as well.

For the Cubs, it was a harsh and cruel end to a brilliant campaign where they dismantled Vasco Da Gama 4-0 in the semi-final, only to be outclassed by an opponent they beat 2-1 in the group stage.