Youth World Cup: S'pore provide English lesson
F-17 Academy Under-13s impress in 6-0 drubbing of Heath & Regents Park
REPORTING FROM GOTHENBURG
Take him out! Go get him! Kick him!
Rabid shouts that normally associated with hostile football stadiums found their way to the Gothia Cup, dubbed the World Youth Cup, via one over-enthusiastic parent of England's Heath & Regents Park boys in their match against the F-17 Academy Under-13s.
However, it was the Singaporeans who taught the English a lesson as they romped to a 6-0 win that should see them top Group 20 and progress to the Round of 64.
Fourteen-year-old Zamani Zamri, skipper, centre back and one of two permitted over-aged players, had a solid game at the back and scored a 24th-minute volley from outside the box from a half-cleared corner.
That was the only goal in the 20-minute second half, but the F-17 U-13s had already got the job done in the preceeding 20 minutes.
A flowing move in the fifth minute saw Zamani switch play from right to left, with Aliston Doss relaying the ball to Vasileios Chua who crossed for Ilhan Fandi Ahmad to score.
Two minutes later, Vasileios scored for the second game running when he finished off Marc Tan's cross with aplomb.
SMASHING HIT
Laken Limbu, who commanded the midfield admirably, combined with Vasileios to set up a smashing hit by Marc in the 13th minute, before Vasileios volleyed home Khairul Karim's cross five minutes later.
Diminutive forward Divyan Rahul completed the first-half rout after a Zamani knock-down from another pinpoint cross by Marc.
In the end, the over-exuberant English parent was convinced that the F-17 U-13s were the better team.
Heath & Regents Park coach James Francis, 32, said of the F-17 U-13s: "You can clearly see their passing patterns and team play work.
"I'm not surprised the team from Singapore are doing as well as this. It all depends if the boys are given the right environment and how many times they train, and these boys have been well trained."
F-17 U-13s coach Steven Tan was quick to warn against complacency, after seeing his team take their feet off the pedal in the second half.
Tan, 44, said: "It's always good to get back-to-back clean sheets and qualify for the next round. But it is going to get tougher in the knockout rounds and they have to play well the whole match and not just one half."
Meanwhile, the F-17 U-11s succumbed to a 6-0 Group 6 defeat against a vastly superior Ethymiades FA side from Cyprus, although goalkeeper Erfan Nabil Amzah put in a solid shift to prevent a double-digit drubbing at Ruddalen.
The New Paper's trip to the Gothia Cup is facilitated by the F-17 Academy
YESTERDAY'S SELECTED RESULTS
B11 CATEGORY
- Group 13: ESPZEN Soccer School (1) 0 ATSB Sattledt (Austria) 4
- Group 15: ESPZEN Soccer School (2) 0 Motala AIF (Swe) 4
- Group 6: F-17 Academy 0 Ethymiades FA (Cyp) 6
- Group 19: International SA (1) 1 Jarlabergs IF (Swe) 6
- Group 20: International SA (2) 1 South East (Eng) 4
- Group 16: JSSL Arsenal Singapore (1) 7 Wisseltofta IF (Swe) 0
- Group 18: JSSL Arsenal Singapore (2) 1 Jonsereds IF (Swe) 2
- Group 10: Turf City Football Club 4 South Central FC (1) (Eng) 1
B12 CATEGORY
- Group 28: International SA 2 Dalen/KFF (Swe) 1
- Group 32: JSSL Arsenal S'pore 1 IF Brommapojkarna lag 13 (Swe) 1
- Group 5: Shoot Football Academy 2 Jonkopings Sodra IF (1) (Swe) 3
B13 CATEGORY
- Group 20: F-17 Academy 6 Heath & Regents Park FC (Eng) 0
- Group 24: International SA 0 FK Lillehammer (2) (Nor) 6
- Group 11: JSSL Arsenal Singapore (1) 1 Nasets SK (Swe) 2
- Group 10: JSSL Arsenal S'pore (2) 0 IFK Lidingo (Swe) 1
B15 Category
- Group 27: International SA 0 Alingsas IF (Swe) 1
- Group 43: JSSL Arsenal Singapore 1 Asane IL (Nor) 4
G12 CATEGORY (GIRLS)
- Group 3: JSSL Arsenal Singapore 5 Azalea BK (Swe) 0.
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