Young Lions end winless run

Singapore's Under-22 team beat Brunei U-22 4-1 in their final Group F game to wrap up their AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday.

However, it proved too little, too late, following the 2-0 and 7-0 defeats by the hosts and Australia respectively.

Speaking to The New Paper over the phone, head coach Richard Tardy said: "In football, it is never easy to score and it is good to finish on a win after the defeats by Myanmar and Australia.

"The boys wanted to beat Brunei today and the win is good for the confidence of the team.

"But we must be careful because consistency is a problem. The boys are young and they need to learn from their mistakes.

"Our focus is on the SEA Games now."

LAST-FOUR THE TARGET

Tardy added that the team are targeting a last-four spot in the SEA Games. Singapore are in Group A with hosts Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia.

Asked if a gold medal is a possibility, he said: "We know it will be difficult (to reach the semi-finals), so we need to take this one step at a time. The first step is always very important.

"For the boys to run, they must first learn to walk.

"Our focus is on the final four, before we talk about the gold medal."

Ikhsan Fandi drew first blood in the 13th minute, pouncing on a loose ball outside the box to place his shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

Hanafi Akbar scored Singapore's second goal following a sloppy clearance by Brunei, before the Bruneians pulled one back at the stroke of half-time through Azim Izamuddin.

But Taufik Suparno found the net with four minutes left, before Ikhsan bagged his second goal.