Singapore U-21s beat hosts at Vietnam youth cup
The Singapore Under-21 football team secured a respectable third-place finish at the Vietnam Youth Newspaper Cup.
They beating hosts Vietnam Newspaper Under-21s on Sunday in a thrilling match.
At the heart of the 6-5 win on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the end of normal time were two winners of The New Paper Dollah Kassim Award.
First, reigning Dollah Kassim Award winner, 18-year-old Joshua Pereira, grabbed his second goal of the invitational tournament by scoring a dramatic last-minute equaliser to force a shootout.
Then, taking the deciding spot-kick, Ammirul Emmran Mazlan, winner of the inaugural Dollah Kassim Award in 2010, displayed class and composure as he chipped his Panenka down the middle in front of a packed 25,000-seater Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.
The 20-year-old said on his Facebook post: "Having to be the last kicker in the penalty shootout in front of a full stadium was indescribable.
"On top of that was the responsibility to get the winning goal for the team, and I'm happy to do it by pulling off the Panenka."
Goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad, 18, was also named Man of the Match for a solid display between the sticks as the team ended their campaign on a high.
National youth teams head coach Richard Tardy said: ""We need to play this kind of tournaments for this age group.
Preparations were difficult because I only had the entire team together for the first time when we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, so I am very proud of my players for what they have achieved."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now