Two goals by Vincent Martin (CHI) carried Chile to a 2-1 win against Singapore in a boys' hockey warm-up game at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium on Thursday.The hosts squandered an early lead provided by Muhd Fadhil Muhd Rizaini’s (SIN) goal as Chile took control of the game that was split into two sessions of 20 minutes apiece. “I am not at all happy with our performance,” said Singapore team coach Gerard Dankar. “I expected much more from the boys. We were composed in the first half, but in the second-half we lost our organisation leading to confusion in the defence.”
Jorge O’Ryan, Chile team’s assistant coach said: “We had a bad first half and we couldn’t get into the game. But in the second half we played better and created more scoring options as we got into a rhythm.” O’Ryan said he was pleased at the fitness levels of his players and expected the team to improve in the days ahead. “We needed this game to get into the flow of the tournament and we have another couple of training sessions to prepare for the Youth Olympic Games competition,” said O’Ryan.
Dankar felt his team committed too many unforced errors, especially in the second half, that led to the opening up of the defence for Chile to exploit. “Chile was given a lot of space at the back, which they capitalised on," the Singapore coach said.
"Our unforced errors, of which there were far too many, also contributed to our defeat. But I can say that the boys have a desire to win and we will work on our game in the next few days before the competition begins.”
Dankar asserted that there was no pressure on the team due to expectations from home supporters. “Absolutely no pressure at all," he continued. "I know we have some top teams to play in the competition. Our first game is against the top seed Australia, but we are confident of doing well.”
Dankar, taking a long-term perspective, said: “Next year, we are hosting the under-18 Asia Cup, and we will have the same group that is playing at the Youth Olympics. From there, we move to the 2013 Junior World Cup. So, in that context, the Youth Olympics competition has a lot of significance for us.”
Chile's first match of the Games is on Tuesday against Belgium, while Singapore open their account against Australia on the same day.
Source: SYOGOC
