Singapore’s U-20 men’s water polo squad makes history beating Kazakhstan in the opening match of the Asian U-20 Championships

Singapore’s U-20 men’s water polo team made history with a thrilling 10-9 win over Kazakhstan in their opening match at the Asian U-20 Water Polo Championships at the OCBC Aquatics Centre. It’s the first time Singapore has defeated Kazakhstan in a men’s international water polo competition. 

Team Singapore’s Matthias Goh saved: “It feels incredible to be part of this historic win. Kazakhstan is a strong team, and we knew we had to give everything in the pool to get this result.” 

He added: “My teammates and I trusted each other, and that made the difference in the crucial moments. Scoring the goals was just my role today, but this win belongs to the entire team. We’ll take this confidence forward and keep pushing in the tournament.”

Responding to a social media post by Singapore Aquatics, netizens congratulated the team and said: “Well done boys”, and “Congrats”.

Highlights of the match 

Kazakhstan, known as one of the dominant forces in Asian water polo, initially led in the first quarter with a score of 4-3 despite goals from Matthias Goh, Maximus Chay, and captain Cayden Loh for Singapore. 

By halftime, Kazakhstan had a 7-5 advantage, with Eamon New and Joshua Ong keeping Singapore in the game with crucial goals. In the third quarter, Singapore fought back, with Matthias, Cayden, and Isaac Lee levelling the score at 8-8. 

In the final quarter, Matthias scored once again, and Isaac fired the decisive goal with just under two minutes remaining, securing Singapore’s historic first-ever victory over their strong opponent. With Matthias’ incredible plays, he was awarded the match MVP.

Following this historic success, Singapore is ranked second in Group B, trailing behind Uzbekistan, who had a dominant 35-12 win over Chinese Taipei. Furthermore, Iran and China took significant steps towards advancing to the next round with victories over Malaysia and Sri Lanka in Group A. 

The Asian U-20 Water Polo Championships, organized by Singapore Aquatics and Asia Aquatics, bring together top young players from the region to compete for titles and spots in the 2025 World U-20 Water Polo Championships. The men’s event will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, from June 14 to 21, 2025, while the women’s event  will take place in Salvador, Brazil, from August 10 to 18, 2025.