Football: Singapore beaten 3-1 by Timor-Leste, putting Young Lions on brink of SEA Games elimination
Singapore will have to beat Thailand, which thrashed Timor-Leste 6-1, to stand any chance of progressing.
Timor-Leste celebrate their second goal against Singapore at the SEA Games match at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Dec 6, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
BANGKOK: Singapore's Young Lions are on the brink of Southeast Asian (SEA) Games elimination after a 1-3 humbling at the hands of Timor-Leste on Saturday (Dec 6).
Goals from Vabio Canavaro, Anizo Correia and Olagar Xavier were enough to sink Firdaus Kassim's men, who led through Amir Syafiz.
To stand any chance of progressing to the semi-finals, Singapore will have to beat hosts Thailand by a significant margin on Dec 11.
Thailand had already thrashed Timor-Leste 6-1 in their opening game on Wednesday.
The three countries were drawn in Group A following Cambodia’s withdrawal from the men’s football tournament at the Games.
At the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, it was Timor-Leste which had the slight edge early on as Correia spurred a good chance in the 8th minute when a low freekick found him unmarked.
Three minutes later, Timor-Leste were made to pay after the Young Lions wrestled control of the ball in the midfield, with a Jonan Tan pass sprayed out to Khairin Nadim.
The striker's shot cannoned back off the post, but fell to Amir Syafiz, who slammed home.
But the Timor-Leste heads did not drop and they were rewarded in the 19th minute.
While Young Lions goalkeeper Aizil Yazid pulled off a good stop from Tristan Arrarate, the ball rebounded to Cannavaro, who made no mistake.
The dangerman for Timor-Leste was their skipper Zenivio. He came close to putting his team ahead soon after, but drilled a shot wide. The Tanjong Pagar player continued to be a thorn in the side of the Young Lions' defence, and forced Aizil into a diving stop soon after.
With Timor-Leste in the ascendancy, Anizo had the freedom of the penalty box to score his side's second in the 43rd minute.
The Young Lions were reeling, and Timor-Leste got their third in first-half added time. Xavier robbed Khairin of the ball, evaded a despairing tackle and tucked home after his first shot was saved.
After the interval, Singapore came within inches of a second, but Kieran Teo's shot rebounded off the post with Timor-Leste goalkeeper Egidio Lurio beaten.
The Young Lions should have got their second in the 81st minute, but substitute Nicholas Beninger hit the post and Kharin scuffed his shot at Egidio.
A WOEFUL TRACK RECORD
Singapore’s U-22 men’s football team have fared poorly at the Games in the past editions.
The team last qualified for the semi-finals in 2013. Since then, they have been eliminated from the group stage in the next five Games.
At the last edition of the tournament, the Young Lions suffered a 0-7 drubbing at the hands of Causeway rivals Malaysia. That was Singapore's heaviest defeat at the Games since the competition became an age-group affair in 2001.
Earlier this year, the Young Lions were left out of the provisional list for the Games. But the team appealed successfully, playing out two closed-door friendlies, with a win and a draw, to strengthen the case for their inclusion.
Late changes to the Young Lions' Games scheduling have not been ideal for preparations.
The team were originally drawn in Group C to face champions Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines in Chiang Mai. However, after the withdrawal of Cambodia, Firdaus' men were shifted to Group A.
Group B comprises Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.
The three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals.
Catch the 33rd SEA Games Thailand 2025 LIVE on mewatch. Sign in for free at www.mewatch.sg/thailand2025 to catch all the action, and follow the Mediacorp Sports TikTok, Instagram and Facebook for more sports updates!
