Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Singapore's World Cup Dreams Dashed
Uzbekistan gave Singapore a footballing lesson last night at the National Stadium and merely emphasised the yawning gulf that exists between the game in South East Asia and the rest of the region.
Trips to Saudi and Uzbekistan on the horizon mean the Lions don't just have a mountain to climb. They will also need a few miracles and a bagful of goals.
Singapore: Aleksandar Duric 16', Fahrudin Mustafic 31', John Wilkinson 73'
Uzbekistan: Timur Kapadze 10', Victor Karpenko 21', Server Djeparov 34', 44 Vitaliy Denisov 42', Aziz Ibragimov 62', Maksim Shatskikh 88'
There is of course no shame in being outclassed. The worry is a local media that doesn't give two hoots about the domestic game will go to town with gleeful headlines about the 'sorry state' of the game in Singapore while ignoring the strengths of the SLeague and the performances of SAF and Home in the AFC Cup.
Singapore may be the best ASEAN has to offer but as far as FIFA are concerned they are ranked 128th. The Uzbeks are 59th!
Trips to Saudi and Uzbekistan on the horizon mean the Lions don't just have a mountain to climb. They will also need a few miracles and a bagful of goals.
Singapore: Aleksandar Duric 16', Fahrudin Mustafic 31', John Wilkinson 73'
Uzbekistan: Timur Kapadze 10', Victor Karpenko 21', Server Djeparov 34', 44 Vitaliy Denisov 42', Aziz Ibragimov 62', Maksim Shatskikh 88'
There is of course no shame in being outclassed. The worry is a local media that doesn't give two hoots about the domestic game will go to town with gleeful headlines about the 'sorry state' of the game in Singapore while ignoring the strengths of the SLeague and the performances of SAF and Home in the AFC Cup.
Singapore may be the best ASEAN has to offer but as far as FIFA are concerned they are ranked 128th. The Uzbeks are 59th!
# posted by Me @ 4:59 AM 
