Fans got a bang for their buck as they were treated to an eight-goal thriller at a packed Bishan Stadium in the inaugural Friendship Cup match between the Women’s Premier League All-Stars and A-League Women’s Brisbane Roar on Friday evening (Apr 4).
Group photo featuring players from both sides at the end of the prize presentation ceremony (Photo: Jonathan Tham)
The WPL All-Stars were on the end of a 7-1 drubbing, but the 2,108 fans that turned up were in full voice throughout and remained in a party atmosphere even as the friendly match came to a close. Many held signs and stayed back to get autographs and pictures with the players.
Homecoming Heroine
Captaining her side, national team top scorer Danelle Tan was on the scoresheet for the Roar and had a busy post-game with interview requests and engaging with the fans who patiently waited for her outside the gates of the stadium.
“Just look up in the stands, all these young girls and boys, so supportive, so willing to come down, take time off their Friday night to come and support and watch a game like this,” the 20-year-old said.
“Just looking around and seeing the support we get, it’s been amazing.”
Also on the scoresheet was Bulgarian striker Evdokia Popadinova, who scored an early brace. However, the match held greater significance for the ten-cap forward beyond just the goals.
Speaking on the Roar’s first overseas match, Popadinova said: “I think it’s a great (opportunity) and this should be done in more countries that (are not as) developed in football so that it brings (football) to more people. I am from a small country myself in Bulgaria, I think if we could do something like that there it would help to grow the sport, and I am so happy that we are making this huge step in Singapore.”
Evdokia Popadinova taking on All-Stars’ Umairah Hamdan (Photo: Lynse Sng)
The 28-year-old also made a point to share some words of praise for her protégé.
“Danelle has done very well, even today. She has a great vision of the game, and she’s very young, so the future is in front of her. I am really excited to see how she develops, and I wish her all the best.”
That would have been music to the ears of her family, who came down in full force to support Tan. Her father, Tan Meng Wei, had last watched her play in Singapore in the historic 9-0 victory over Macau.
“It’s always nice to be playing in Singapore right here, and it’s quite rare. It’s probably the first game in 2025. So we’re hoping that there will be more and more of these games,” the 48-year-old said.
Brisbane’s Class Tells, but All-Stars Show Promise
The match got off to a lively start as fans streamed in, with Popadinova finding herself unmarked in the box as a clever switch from the right found her with all the time in the world to stroke it into the goal past teenage goalkeeper Izairida Shakira.
Local fans had some joy shortly after as a poor clearance from the Brisbane defence fell into the path of 2015 Women’s World Cup participant Sunisa Srangthaisong, who lost her marker with a shimmy and fired a cross into the box that was deflected into the goal over Australian custodian Keeley Richards.
Unfortunately, Popadinova popped back on the scoresheet with a follow-up header that she guided past Izairida in the 19th minute.
The All-stars were not content to just sit back and soak up pressure and were pushing forward on many occasions in search of an equaliser, but just could not find the back of the net.
The match also saw its fair share of fiery exchanges, particularly when youngster Farah Nurzahirah was scythed down by Brisbane midfielder Amali Kinsella on the touchline. However, Tan quickly stepped in to ease the tension with a handshake.
Hope was still high in the stands for the home team with chants of “Singapura” and “Satu Nada” lifting spirits, but they were soon shut down as the Roar got their third on the stroke of half-time through 20-year-old forward Tamar Levin.
It was a one-way street after the interval as Brisbane were quick to stamp their authority on the game with a header from a corner by midfielder Daisy Brown that was spilled into the net by substitute goalkeeper Alysha Nasrina. Levin followed that up on the hour mark with a long-range strike from the edge of the box, curling it over the keeper to make it 5 -1.
In the 66th minute, forward Tanaye Morris found herself one-on-one with Alysha but her low drive was successfully thwarted by some quick reflexes from the 17-year-old.
The loudest cheers came in the 70th minute when Tan found herself in some space on the edge of the box and struck the ball sweetly to make the score 6-1. Another long-range strike by teammate and substitute Emily Pringle capped off the whitewash.
Building Blocks for Women’s Football in Singapore
WPL All-Stars captain Rosnani Azman acknowledged the gulf in difference between the two sides but was focused on the impact of hosting such a match in Singapore.
“They are a quality team and they are a professional team and we gave our best no matter what. We gave them a good fight and it’s good exposure for us, for both teams.”
Speaking on the takeaways, the Albirex Niigata (S) and national team captain said: “The intensity of the game. It’s something we have to work on together as a team. It’s about progress at the end of the day. Of course, they are a professional team and there’s a huge gap, but we are slowly catching up on that.”
“You can see that we are also attacking, trying to create chances to score. We got a lot of chances in the first half but we couldn’t finish it. We did whatever we could and we did our best and played to the last whistle so I am really proud of the team,” Rosnani, the first Singaporean female football player to turn professional, said.
Having included a handful of youth players in the matchday squad, such as the 2024 WPL Golden Glove winner Sailors goalkeeper Izairida (17), midfielder Cara Chang (16) and WPL Young Player of the Year Farah Nurzahirah (21), All-Stars coach Ratna Suffian was proud of his charges for giving a solid account of themselves.
“I think this is the start of something that I hope will have a ripple effect. I hope it will have more people excited about the league, more young players motivated to be in women’s football, and I think it’s important for the fans to see that there is a lot of talent in our league… that can play at a high level.”
Speaking on the mix of youth and experience in his matchday lineup, the WPL Coach of the Year added: “I think the future is looking bright, especially for the national team.”
“I wish I could choose more players for the WPL All-stars, there’s a lot of talent (in the league). But, I think this speaks to the level of talent we have, and there’s more as well.”
