The Maldives Under-20 national football team, currently camping in Singapore, lost 6-2 to the Singapore Under-19 team in their second match.
Singapore led 2-1 in the first half of the match played this afternoon. After Singapore scored two goals in this half, the Maldives scored their first goal of the match in the 41st minute. While Singapore scored four goals in the second half, the Maldives' second goal was scored during extra time.
In preparation for the SAFF U-20 Championship, which begins in Malé after Eid-al-Fitr, two friendly matches were played in Singapore against their U-19 team under the guidance of Hungarian head coach István Urbányi.
The Maldives won the first match against Singapore with a score of 4-3.
The Singapore Under-19 team is preparing for the ASEAN U-19 Championship to be held in Indonesia from June 1-14.
The Maldivian team is scheduled to return to Malé tomorrow after a week of training.
The Maldivian team began preparing for the SAFF U-20 Championship, scheduled to be held at Galolhu Stadium from the 23rd of March to the 3rd of April, with a trial open to players of that age group. More than 150 players attended the trial conducted in January.
In the tournament, where all seven SAFF member nations are competing, the Maldives was placed in Group A alongside Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal. Group B consists of the defending champions India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
In the group stage, the Maldives will play their first match against Sri Lanka on the night of the 23rd at 8:30 PM, followed by their second match against Bhutan on the night of the 25th.
Their final group stage match against Nepal will take place on the afternoon of the 27th at 3:45 PM.
