The Singapore under-18s football team were given a tough draw in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-19 Championship Qualifiers.

Tough opponents

They were tasked to face three strong opponents with the likes of 12-time winner Korea Republic, China PR and Myanmar.

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Coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi said that most of the players in the team had not experienced an international-level tournament, such as the AFC qualifiers.

The team comprised players from the Singapore Premier League Clubs and Singapore Sports School.

Despite the odds, the team entered the qualifiers with great optimism.

Fadzuhasny said: "The boys understand that it’s a big task, a big challenge against the likes of Korea and China but they want to show what they have and give our opponents a tough fight."

Lost all three matches

However, things did not look very promising after a disappointing start.

They lost 0-11 to Korea on Nov. 6, conceding six goals in the first half.

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Their next match wasn't any better too.

The U18s lost 0-2 to China on Nov. 8, even though they did well to maintain a 0-0 score in the first half.

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And their AFC Cup qualifiers journey eventually ended with a harrowing 0-8 lost to hosts Myanmar on Nov. 10.

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This means that the team conceded a total of 21 goals in three matches.

Bummer.

Better luck next time, maybe.

AFC U19 Championship held next year

The AFC U19 Championship 2020 Qualifiers ended on Sunday, Nov. 10.

It will be held next year in Uzbekistan.

A total of 16 teams will play in the final tournament.

Some of the teams that claimed a spot in the championship include Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.

Top photos via FAS & AFC.