Zeise Praises Players For Starting On Right Note

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Myanmar Under 22 (U-22) football squad head coach Gerd Zeise was full of praise of his team over their convincing 2-0 win against Singapore in the opening match in Group A of the football competition in the 2017 SEA Games at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium, Monday. The 64-year-old German said the morale booster victory would certainly uplift the spirit of the Young White Angels squad to continue the winning momentum when taking on Laos in the second group match at the UiTM Stadium in Shah Alam on Wednesday. "I'm very happy with the result but I'm quite disappointed that we failed to add more goals as we had many goal scoring chances, especially in the second half," he told reporters after the match. Striker Aung Thu was the toast of Myanmar after scoring a brace, with his goals coming in the 45th and 62nd minutes. Meanwhile, Singapore U-22 head coach, Richard Tardy lamented that the lack of experience among his players was the key factor to the defeat but praised his charges for their fighting spirit. The 67-year-old Frenchman said the defeat was a wake up call for his young players to avoid the same mistake when playing against hosts Malaysia in the second group match at the Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday. "I'm quite disappointed with the result as my players were giving too much respect to the opponents but the main reason for the defeat is that almost 80 per cent of the players are 20 years and below while the rest are 21 years. "Initially, I've put a target for our team to grab at least two points from two matches but it is clear now that I must change the game plan if we want to progress further in this competition," Tardy added. -- BERNAMA