End Of The Line
No improvement on the international end, as a decent U-20 side were unfortunate to lose out to group leaders Peru by the odd goal. There was little need to hold back now that the boys were out of the U-20 World Cup, but they were unused to the adventurous 3-4-3 formation and could not play it to maximum effectiveness.
Peru didn't really need the points, but they went about their usual smart game, winning through a low shot by 19 year-old fullback Matteo Huapalla in the 59th minute. With only two possible games remaining in his short U-20 career, Han Kok was mildly retrospective. "We were found wanting. It was a doable group, but it was never going to be easy."
The hammer also went down with finality on the senior side, who finished their final Round III game going down to a 4-0 drubbing by Poland. It was effectively over when Singapore lost 1-2 to Mexico in a match they deserved to win, but getting to the final sixteen was a tremendous achievement in itself. raffles' Tu Chung-Ho makes history as the first, and so far only, Singaporean to score on that big a stage.
