Raudhah attempts to deflect the ball, 2 April 2023. Photo courtesy of FA Thailand.

 

THAILAND, 2 APRIL 2023 – The Singapore Women’s National Team fell to Thailand 6-0 on Saturday evening (1 April) in the first round of qualifying for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.

 

The 44th-ranked hosts were unstoppable right from the opening whistle, refusing to allow their guests so much as a sniff of the ball. At the 8th minute, forward Orapin Waenngoen broke the deadlock and slid one past custodian Noor Kusumawati to the corner of the net.

 

The Lionesses were undeterred and attempted to find an equaliser before the break, with  Kusumawati pulling a few impressive saves, to keep the Thais at bay but to no avail. Captain Saowalak Pengngam managed to break through Singapore’s defense, and passes a swift ball to teammate Pluemjai Sontisawat, who tapped the ball into the net in the 21st minute.

 

The second-half proved tumultuous for the 134rd-ranked Lionesses, as their defense began to break down. The Thais took this to their advantage – the speedy captain once again receiving  the ball from her teammates in the Singapore half and scored the team’s third goal in the 58th minute. The Lionesses shifted a gear and were able to create a number of attempts to score with good interceptions from forwards Putri Syaliza, Danelle Tan and defender Rosnani Azman. However, it was not enough to slow down Naruephon Kaenson’s charges, as they controlled much of the game from start to finish.

 

Defender Rosnani Azman, 2 April 2023. Photo courtesy of FA Thailand.

 

Midfielder Jiraporm Mongkoldee scored in the 65th minute, before Captain Saowalak’s brace 12 minutes later extended the lead by 5 goals. Defender Pannitha Jeeratanapavibul quickly slotted in a sixth for the team at the 87th minute.

 

Head Coach Karim Bencherifa reflected after the match: “We knew who we were up against, and we had no doubt that Thailand has quality in all aspects of the game. Nevertheless, we defended with a lot of courage, and for that, I am proud of our team’s efforts in doing so. Now, we’re keeping our heads high and looking forward to putting on a better performance against Mongolia.”

 

Singapore will next face Mongolia next Tuesday, 4 April, at Chonburi Stadium.

 

Singapore: Noor Kusumawati Rosman (GK), Rochelle Chan, Stephanie Gigette (C) (Sitianiwati Rosielin 14′), Fatin Ridzwan, Farhanah Ruhaizat (Raudhah Kamis HT), Raudhah Kamis (Khairunnisa 78′), Danelle Tan, Izzati Rosni (Lila Tan 78′), Putri Syaliza, Dhaniyah Qasimah (Umairah Hamdan 88′), Rosnani Azman, Syazwani Ruzi

Unused subs: Erlinawaty Jaffar (GK), Beatrice Tan (GK), Farah Nurzahirah, Nurerwadah Erwan, Ernie Sontaril, Venetia Lim

 

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