Singapore U-20 coach Syed Azmir praises learning from India friendlies

Singapore U-20 head coach Syed Azmir said he was impressed with his side’s outing in two closed-door friendlies against India played at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru earlier this month, which formed part of preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 qualifiers.

India won the encounters 3-0 and 1-0; both matches were used by Singapore as a testing ground to evaluate players and tactical combinations ahead of the qualifying campaign.

“We wanted to test the players against strong opposition, see how well they could execute our principles under pressure and assess different combinations within the team. It was also important to give the players international match exposure and develop their understanding of the intensity, discipline and decision-making required at this level,” Azmir said. “Ultimately, the results are important, but our bigger focus was on the performance, learning from each game and making sure we leave India better prepared than when we arrived.”

“What impressed me most about the India under-20 side was their intensity and physicality. They were aggressive in their approach, competed very well in their duels and were able to maintain that intensity throughout both matches. They were also well organised and disciplined in the way they played,” he said.

“You could see that they have been together for some time and are preparing seriously for their AFC qualifiers. For our players, it was exactly the type of opposition we wanted. They punished our mistakes and forced us to make decisions quicker, which gave us a very good reference of the level we need to reach,” he added.

Azmir said the exposure against India provided a clear reference point of the standard Singapore must attain as they prepare for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 qualifiers.