Singapore Under-17 Women’s National Team end AFC campaign showing spirit and signs of progress. – Football Association of Singapore

Singapore’s Under-17 Women’s team fell short of their qualification quest for the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup after succumbing to an 11-0 defeat to Australia on Friday (17 October 2025).

But, in limiting Australia to just two second-half goals despite having to endure some 70 mins with only 10 players on the pitch, Head Coach Matias Martinez lauded his side’s “valiant effort” against their more illustrious opponents.

Crediting his side for growing into the game and ironing out some of their earlier wobbles, Martinez said, “They really stepped up in the second half, and minimised how many goals we conceded. It’s never easy playing with one player down, especially against a quality team like Australia. We will move on from it and learn from this experience.

“The players started to talk more and there was more structure. We tried to push forward to see if we can create something and to bring something to the table and see if we can catch them out,” he added, highlighting the industrious runs of winger Yuvika Suresh.

The hosts got off to a spirited start, unafraid to get stuck in and matching Australia for physicality. Midfielder Liyana Rickit in particular made good use of her wiry frame to pressure opponents off the ball, while left back Tessa Ng did well to cover the half-space where four-goal striker Izabella Rako often drifted into to cause damage.

However, the Australians eventually broke the deadlock in the 12th minute with a touch of fortune when Izabella’s shot from a tight angle was parried straight back into her path by Singapore goalkeeper Chantale Lamasan.

The forward then squared the ball into the middle, where striker Theodora Mouithys was on hand to bundle the ball over the line despite a heavy first touch.

The 16-year-old’s goal opened the floodgates as the Australians looked to capitalise on her pace and well-timed runs in behind the Singapore defence, and the Football West Academy player duly added three more to her account by the 21st minute.

The home side’s night turned into a nightmare when goalkeeper Chantale raced off her line to thwart Claire Corbett’s breakaway but clattered awkwardly into her opponent and was shown a straight red card.

Claire’s initial effort from the resulting free kick would be blocked by the wall, but she followed up to fire the rebound past substitute goalkeeper Talia Sachet.

The CommBank Junior Matildas continued to pile on the goals through strikes from Willa Pearson, Keira Sarris and two from Izabella to go into the break 9-0 up.

Despite the scoreline, the Singapore players went into the dressing room eager to improve from their earlier showing.

“When they came into half time their spirits were still high and they were asking questions on what they needed to do,” Martinez said. “The main goal in the second half was to lift the team in terms of their mentality. And we adjusted a few things structurally just to stop the bleeding.”

Singapore emerged from the break with renewed determination, keeping it compact at the back and denying their opponents clear sight at goal.

“Talia did well. It’s hard for a substitute keeper because you might not get minutes, but she’s always ready to come on,” said Martinez.

“She’s always asking the right questions to improve. And today she got a chance and I thought she stepped up and she did really well.”

Further up the pitch, Liyana and Yuvika provided outlets, holding the ball in advanced positions as Singapore sought to hit on the counter.

But the Aussie pressure told as substitute Maeve Nicholas brought her side up to double digits in the 62nd minute. Izabella Rako capped off her hat trick with a low drive in off the far post and took home consecutive player-of-the-match honours in just her second match with the national team.

Australia Head Coach Michael Cooper was pleased to see his side secure a spot in the final tournament.

“Qualification was really important. We get another experience next year for the players. Having more games for the players is vital for their own development,” he said.

Meanwhile, Martinez was proud of how his charges responded to adversity and is confident the experience playing top quality opposition will put them in good stead for the future.

“One of the messages that we gave our players was that we need to observe teams like Australia and see what they’re doing right,” he said.

“It’s a good learning opportunity, not just for the players, but for the federation as well, to see… what we need to be doing to try to progress our game.”

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