'20-0 is possible': Japanese football club beat Singapore 7-1

The Lions were on the receiving end of a chastening 7-1 defeat by J1 League's Yokohama F. Marinos on Oct 14, when they rounded up their 10-day training camp in Japan.

Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura did not mince his words as he told The Straits Times post-match at the F. Marinos Sports Park: "We need to improve everything — offence, defence, intensity, one-against-one, individual and group technique.

"Before this, they had a feeling how big the gap was between them and J1 teams, but this became real for them when they actually played.

"They knew what they had to do. I told the players we needed things like good defence and good organisation, and if we were missing any one of these areas, losing 10-0 or 20-0 is possible."

A lopsided score did materialise in front of about 300 spectators that included the club's youth teams, fans and coaches, such as former Albirex Niigata coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga. After losing the J-League Cup semi-finals on aggregate a day earlier, the hosts started with mainly second stringers, seven of whom have made at least 17 appearances this season.

In contrast, Ogura fielded a young side with an average age of 23.5 years — they had four uncapped players and a combined total of only 104 caps.

Explaining the rationale for his line-up, the Japanese said: "This preparation is important not only for the senior players, it is better for the younger generation to understand the standard required of them to succeed at the highest level.

"It will be very helpful for them, as they still have the time to change and improve for the long run. What they have just experienced is the high standard, it is what we should aspire towards and make good habits to achieve it. Japan football wasn't like this 30 years ago, and we reached this level step by step, so Singapore can also try."

Despite making a decent start with some good combinations and Zikos Chua firing over, while 19-year-old Raoul Suhaimi impressed with his steadiness at right-back, the gulf in quality soon emerged and was quickly exploited.

Each extra touch, a moment of hesitation on the ball, or a lapse in concentration often led to a scoring opportunity for the Marinos, the 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation Champions League finalists who are currently 12th in the 20-team J1 League.

They demonstrated how to press as a team and individually, as players kept on the move and showed great awareness on and off the ball, and knew where their teammates were on the pitch.

One or two touches, combined with wall passes, were often enough to carve open the Lions defence as Marinos scored through two-cap Japan international Kota Mizunuma (two goals), Riku Yamane, Justin Homma and Yuta Koike by half-time.

Singapore showed better communication and organisation in the second half after Ogura introduced his senior players, as all his fit and available outfielders got game time.

While Keita Ueda outmuscled Shakir Hamzah to make it 6-0 after 49 minutes, the Lions got a consolation goal in the next minute when Faris Ramli closed down Marinos goalkeeper Fuma Shirasaka to divert a clearance into goal.

Yamane then completed his brace in the 53rd minute after the visitors could not clear their lines following big stops from goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari. Singapore managed to create more opportunities later on but Taufik Suparno could not convert the two chances that came his way as the game petered out.

Earlier, Ogura's men lost 4-0 to FC Tokyo on Oct 8 and beat Tokyo Verdy 2-1 three days later. The schedule is meant to simulate the conditions and fatigue they will face playing four group games in 13 days in the Dec 8-Jan 5 Asean Football Federation Championship.

Skipper Hariss Harun felt the Lions generally did well but urged his teammates not to waste this experience when they return to their clubs.

The 33-year-old said: "To do these things right, we need to be exposed to a high level and do it regularly. It's like second nature for the Japanese, but we are not consistent. It's something we need to aim for, and we need to push each other more in training at club level.

"We need to identify what we want to achieve in the longer term. It will be a waste and a pity if this was a one-off and we come here but go back and do things the same old way again."

ALSO READ: 'A sad day': Singapore Turf Club staff bid emotional farewell as final races take place

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.