By Aimi G.
The Lionesses have officially moved from “just happy to be here” to “we came to win” under head coach Karim Bencherifa.
Which makes us wonder what exactly was their mantra over the last two years then?
Since taking over in March 2023 and has now extended his contract until March 2026, and is determined to build on the progress made.
“The mindset shift is to play to win,” he told the Straits Times.
“That’s what we try to do now – high pressure on the opponent, playing two strikers, keeping possession.”.
He credits the rise of overseas-based talents like Brisbane Roar’s Danelle Tan and Unleash The Roar! scholars for this evolution.
Youth has also been thrown into the fire.
16-year-olds Qarissa Ramadhani and Cara Chang made their Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Cup debuts in December 2024, helping Singapore scrape third place and grab a spot at the ASEAN Women’s Championship.
And while the qualification was nice, it’s been a bumpy road otherwise.
The Lionesses got steamrolled 7-0 and 10-0 by North Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games and suffered an 8-0 drubbing from Bangladesh in a 2023 friendly.
But, hey, a 9-0 win over Macau in July 2024 gave them a much-needed ego boost–and earned them a crowd of happy fans at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Lionesses have a packed schedule with the Asian Cup qualifiers in June, the ASEAN Women’s Championship, and the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.
Bencherifa, though, is keeping expectations realistic.
Many of the players juggle football with work or school, so he’s revamped training to fit better around their club commitments.
The national team will now train three times monthly, with two optional sessions.
MAIN PHOTO: FAS