McParland: Amazing support in Singapore
Liverpool Academy Director Frank McParland today asked Liverpoolfc.com to issue a special message of thanks to the fans who turned out in force to support the Reds in Singapore on Friday night.
Liverpool progressed through to the final of the inaugural NexLions Cup after a Samed Yesil first-half goal was enough to see off a Singapore U21 side inside the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Sporting Lisbon await the young Reds in the final on Sunday night, having beaten Manchester United 4-1 in the tournament's opening fixture, but for McParland it was the supporters who stole the show on Friday.
"What can you say about the fans?" asked McParland. "They were absolutely tremendous. We saw them with their flags as soon as we entered the stadium and then from the minute the game kicked off, they sung their hearts out.
"They didn't stop singing all the way through the game and as the boys grew more tired as the game went on, I'm sure their support helped the lads keep going. I also want to mention the Singapore fans because they were unbelievable too and never stopped singing throughout."
On the subject of the game itself, McParland believes playing against a team not just older but also more physical than what they usually encounter back home in England can only help their footballing development.
"I was absolutely delighted with the victory," he said. "The boys were a little bit tired with jet lag - they obviously had a few U21s playing, we had some 16-year-olds and it was a very physical test but we managed to get through it 1-0.
"We could obviously have played a little bit better but under the circumstances, I thought it was a great outcome. When you play against a team like Singapore, people expect them to be very fast and technical but they were actually very physical too.
"It's something the boys had to adapt to very quickly but there's no complaints from us because when these lads step up to play in the reserves, they have to play against much older and physical players. So in that sense, it was great preparation for their future careers."