Lions go out on a whimper Looking to the future, Sundram says more youngsters will be drafted into the team

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World cup qualifier

Singapore 0 China 4



SINGAPORE - There was little to choose between the two sides when they opened their third round Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers in Group A in Kunming in September.

China were lucky to win that game 2-1.

Last night, however, they were a class apart, giving Singapore the runaround at the Jalan Besar Stadium to post a 4-0 triumph and keep alive their slim hopes of making it to the fourth round.

Jordan have already booked their place in the next round and Iraq only need a draw against them (this morning, Singapore time) to end China's hopes in Group A.

The Lions have now lost all five games they have played in the group, with their final match away to Iraq scheduled on Feb 29.

Singapore were crushed on the field and also on the terraces, with the home fans drowned out by a huge turnout of Chinese supporters among the 5,474 people at the stadium.

A grim-looking Singapore assistant coach V Sundramoorthy said after the match: "I think there were more Chinese supporters than Singapore supporters in the stands. For the future we need to perform to bring back the fans.

"Only performance and results will see them coming back to support us."

The former star striker was in charge of the national team as Radojko Avramovic served out the final game of his four-match ban after he was sent off in the clash in China.

With the Lions almost at the end of their World Cup qualifying campaign, Sundram revealed that more youngsters will now be blooded in the national team.

"You would have seen that we have exposed many players in this campaign and ... we will bring in more youngsters for the future," he said, pointing to the likes of midfielder Firdaus Idros and striker Hafiz Rahim.

"It can be before our next assignment or after, it will depend on how the youngsters fair and slowly we have to push them up the ladder."

The 46-year-old said his players did not take their chances on a night the Chinese displayed their superior technical capabilities. Even when the visitors were down to 10 men, after Huang Bowen was given his marching orders in the 65th minute for punching Mustafic Fahrudin, they managed to add two goals.

For China coach Juan Antonio Camacho, the performance of his side came a little too late.

He said: "We had more confidence this time. We scored first and that was the difference with all our other games."