NFA Singapore U-15 progress to the semi-final of the 2011 Canon Lion City Cup despite 2-1 defeat to Juventus
SINGAPORE, 22 June 2011: The NFA Singapore U-15 side suffered its first defeat in their 2011 Lion City Cup campaign as they went down 2-1 to Juventus at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Juventus U-15 got down to business in the first minute itself with a shot that NFA Singapore U-15 custodian, Heirul Suhanes collected comfortably. The Cubs responded almost immediately in the 7th minute with a brilliant move when Adam Swandi and Azhar Ramli played a one-two only for Azhar’s finishing to let him down.
The Cubs got close to breaking the deadlock through a corner-kick in the 23rd minute and yet again Azhar found the space to receive a deep pass into the penalty box but Juventus’ goalkeeper, Elezaj Entonjo got his hands to it.
Juventus kept pushing on and got their dues in the 31st minute as Marra Andrea got his side into the lead with a typical poacher’s goal when the Cubs failed to clear the ball.
Coming into the second half with a one-goal lead, Juventus surged forward seeking to extend their lead and were almost successful in doing so but the Singapore defence remained stout and resolute.
The Cubs fought on without showing any signs of pressure and communicating well with each other. They were rewarded with a gift from Juventus’ captain, Guiducci Niccolo who put the ball into his own net in the 61st minute. No.1, Heirul Suhanes single-handedly kept his team in the game on several occasions in the following minutes.
NFA Singapore U-15 defender Ehvin Sasidharan was in position in the 70th minute to make an on-line clearance off a Juventus corner-kick. But Juventus made up for its lost chances by getting a second goal in the 84th minute through No.7, Gili Fabio.
Sadik Said who had an excellent game both at the heart of defence and upfront was sent off in the 84th minute for a harsh tackle.
Despite the defeat, NFA Singapore United U-15 coach, Dejan Gulscevic said he was pleased that the players were able to adapt and control the game throughout the full 90 minutes.
He added “We tried to outrun, outsmart and beat the Juventus team but being a typical Italian team, their defence was hard to beat. I also know that Sadik Said is learning as a player and he will learn from his mistake tonight. It is about helping these young players develop their game through exposure and we shouldn’t pick on their mistakes too much”
Singapore NFA U-15 captain, Amirul Aziz, was optimistic about the result saying, “the team will always try their best to succeed and tonight we learned a valuable lesson which will only motivate us to perform better in the next match.”
Juventus’ Coach Malfatti Attil said: “This win is an important one as we go into the semi-finals and the Singapore team gave us a good game. It is also a great satisfaction for me to see my players who are boys, becoming men on the pitch.”
“The team received a standing ovation from the Singapore fans at the end of the game and that goes to show that the team performed well.” He added towards the end of the press conference.
NFA Singapore U-15 Starting Line-up: Heirul Suhanes, Ehvin Sasidharan, Mahathir Azeman (Rifqi Yazid 63), Sadik Said, R Aarvin, Amirul Azmi (c), Zulfadhmi Suzliman, Adam Swandi, Azhar Ramli, Raja Ahmad Zaki (Irfan Iezran 88), Faridzuan Fuad (Muhelmy Suhaimi 69)
Juventus U-15 Starting Line-up: Elezaj Entonjo, Crepaldi Federico, Pagliasso Andrea, Guiducci Niccolo (c), Gili Fabio, Giannarelli Andrea, Varetto Nicholas, Benucci Lorenzo (Pettenuzzo Omar 20), Tartaglia Gianluca, Marra Andrea (Zarmanian Lorenzo 58), Antezza Stefano (Degrassi Alessandro 78)
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