Lionesses remain upbeat ahead of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers despite challenging prep

Singapore striker Farah Nurzahirah (second from right) in action during the Lionesses friendly against Hong Kong on June 15, 2025. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Kimberly Kwek

UPDATED Jun 16, 2025, 01:27 AM

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SINGAPORE – Despite seeing their final international tune-up cut short by inclement weather, the Lionesses remain unfazed as they prepare for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers in Jordan.

On June 15, world No. 139 Singapore’s final warm-up match against 80th-ranked Hong Kong was abandoned just four minutes into the second half due to heavy rain at Choa Chu Kang Stadium, with the visitors leading 1-0.

But head coach Karim Bencherifa believes the outlook is not all gloomy ahead of the June 23-July 5 qualifiers, where they have been drawn with the 75th-ranked hosts, Iran (68th), Lebanon (130th), and Bhutan (171st).

Singapore played two matches against Hong Kong, their first international fixtures of 2025.

In contrast, Jordan and Lebanon will each have seven games under their belt before the tournament, while Iran and Bhutan will feature in four and two respectively.

But Bencherifa is confident the Lionesses will give their all in their first major test of 2025.

He said: “Will we go with the best preparation as compared to our opponents? Maybe not because of our conditions and I always highlight our players should be respected – so many commitments and things happening...

“I’m going to say that we’re going to give a good fight in every game, that’s what we can guarantee in these AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.”

In their second meeting with Hong Kong – days after their first match that was played behind closed doors – both sides were evenly matched, with Singapore creating several early chances.

But the match was suspended after 17 minutes when the lightning warning system was activated, causing a delay of nearly 1½ hours.

When play resumed, it was Hong Kong who struck first, going ahead in the 31st minute as forward Anke Leung latched onto a long pass and curled the ball past Singapore goalkeeper Nur Izairida Shakira.

Although the weather cleared briefly, the rain soon returned, leaving parts of the pitch waterlogged.

While the second half started, play was disrupted as the ball barely moved across sections of the field, before the match was eventually abandoned.

Lionesses captain Siti Rosnani Azman was encouraged by the team’s performance against Hong Kong, who will also be involved in the upcoming qualifiers where they will come up against the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia.

She said: “We did quite well. Playing against Hong Kong who are ranked 80th and strong opponents, I believed it was a balanced fight – you could see both teams are attacking and we created chances but we couldn’t convert them into a goal.”

While the Lionesses are looking forward to the challenge ahead, they are under no illusions about the difficulty of their task.

Eight spots are up for grabs for the final tournament in Australia, with only the group winners advancing.

Singapore last featured in the tournament in 2003, before a qualification round was introduced for subsequent editions starting in 2006.

Bencherifa said: “We are playing different styles of play and teams.

“Iran and Jordan seem to have a long history in women’s football, they are one of the strongest in the region. Jordan, Lebanon have height, I’m sure they will give us challenges in set pieces...

“It’s a good platform for the girls to play a higher level than what they’re used to and, if we can pull off a positive result or two, that would be great. I’m very ambitious with my team, but we are realistic as well.”

Qarissa Putri is one player well aware of the challenge that awaits.

The defender was part of the Lion City Sailors squad that travelled to Jordan for the preliminary stages of the 2024-25 AFC Women’s Champions League in August 2024.

It was an eye-opening experience for the Women’s Premier League champions, who fell 4-1 to India’s Odisha FC and lost 5-0 to Jordan Women’s Pro League champions Etihad Club.

Now, the 17-year-old is looking to carry forward the lessons learnt from that campaign into the upcoming qualifiers.

Recalling the match against Etihad Club, she said: “They were very clinical and made movements that were highly unpredictable.

“They were fast, strong, and extremely physical in every challenge.

“I was in awe, but I also struggled to track their movements – they were a really good team.

“I’ve learnt to stay flexible in the face of change and adapt to anything, whether it’s tactics, environment or other factors.

“I think it’s important to stay united as a team so we can face every challenge together.”

Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.

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