Phu Tho's goal in the 88th minute helped Guam hold Singapore to a 1-1 draw, thereby earning their first point at the 2023 AFC U23 Championship.
Guam player (in black shirt) tries to take the ball from Singapore goalkeeper after scoring the equalizer in the 88th minute. Photo: Hieu Luong
At Viet Tri Stadium this afternoon, Singapore controlled the game, creating many attacks but it was not until the 62nd minute that they had a clear chance. Striker Zikos Vasileios was fouled by goalkeeper John-Michael Guidroz in the penalty area, giving Singapore a penalty. From the 11m mark, Farhan Zulkifli accurately kicked the opening goal.
Singapore took the initiative to play slowly to preserve the score, but Guam unexpectedly created scoring opportunities in the last five minutes. In the 88th minute, from a throw-in from the left wing, Quincy Walker headed the ball into the penalty area, helping Riki Meyar fly to head the ball home to equalize. 1-1 was also the final score.
This was Guam's first goal and point in their first time participating in the U23 Asian qualifiers. The players and coaching staff celebrated enthusiastically with the achievement.
Singapore (red shirt) lost their first win against Guam in the final minutes. Photo: Hieu Luong
Coach Dominic Gadia said the draw was meaningful and the result of hard work. In the pre-match meeting, the 35-year-old coach told his players to have faith in winning and scoring.
"We didn't come here to play around," he said at a post-match press conference at Viet Tri Stadium. "The whole team needs to continue working and learning more to become winners."
After two matches, Guam has the same number of points as Singapore but is at the bottom of Group C due to an inferior goal difference (-6 compared to -3). This result also opens up the opportunity for Vietnam or Yemen to qualify for the knockout round one round early. If they win the late match, coach Philippe Troussier's team will face Yemen - a team with three points but behind due to an inferior goal difference.
Hieu Luong
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