KHAIRIN EYES REDEMPTION

Overseas-based trio hope to contribute to the Young Lions' quest for a Games medal

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Singapore Under-22s forward Khairin Nadim (near left) at a training session ahead of their SEA Games opener against Timor-Leste at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium on Dec 6.

(PHOTO: GAVIN FOO)

BANGKOK - It has been more than three years since Khairin Nadim missed in front of an open goal during a SEA Games match in Hanoi, but the Singapore Under-22s forward has been unable to get it out of his head.

Back at the biennial meet for the first time after national service commitments ruled him out of the 2023 edition in Cambodia, the 21-year-old knows the best way to banish that unwanted memory.

He will get his first chance when the Singapore U-22s kick off their 2025 Games campaign in a Group A clash against Timor-Leste at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Dec 6. The Timorese were thumped 6-1 by hosts Thailand in the group's opening match on Dec 3.

"For me, it is personal," Khairin said at the Al Meroz Hotel in Bangkok, on what the 2025 Games mean to him as he eyes redemption for that miss which the Internet has not forgotten.

In a YouTube clip that has garnered over 15,000 views, the forward has his hands on his head, wearing a look of utter disbelief after sending the ball wide in front of Cambodia's gaping goal.