Faris Ramli celebrates Singapore’s ASEAN Championship semi-final qualification, 20 December 2024.
KUALA LUMPUR, 21 DECEMBER 2024 – As the Singapore Men’s National Team trooped onto the Bukit Jalil pitch to face old rivals Malaysia on Friday, 20 December, they only had one goal in mind: secure that semi-final spot at the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
That single-minded drive appeared to fuel a battle-ready Singapore side that ground out a gritty 0-0 draw against their Causeway neighbours to earn their ticket to the semi-finals.
Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura was full of praise for his bold Lions who found steely resolve even with their backs against the wall.
“Today, my team showed that we are not scared of Malaysia, today we showed that we have that fighting spirit.
“I am very proud of my entire team as although we deserved the draw, we did not sit back and defend for the entire game – instead, we showed that we wanted to win,” said the 58-year-old.
“It’s a good result for Singapore football. I told my team that writing their piece of history was not up to the coach and staff – but to the players themselves.”
Safuwan Baharudin in action against Malaysia, 20 December 2024.
Experience was the name of the game for Ogura, who made four changes to his starting lineup, including the return of Safuwan Baharudin, Nazrul Nazari and Shahdan Sulaiman.
The Lions had to rely on all of their added experience as the home side – backed by the majority of the 31,127-strong crowd – started the game on the front foot.
Faced with a resolute and compact Lions side, Malaysia fashioned their first clear-cut chance towards the end of the half – but a crucial intervention from defender Lionel Tan prevented his opposite number Daniel Ting from putting the hosts into the lead.
Lionel Tan (left) and Amirul Adli (right) in action against Malaysia, 20 December 2024.
Needing a win to see them through and with time not on their side, Malaysia heaped the pressure on the Lions after the break.
Just three minutes into the second half, forward Haqimi Azim thought he had broken the deadlock as he flicked a Sergio Aguero corner towards goal – only to be denied by Nazrul who was well positioned to head the ball off the line.
This was not the last goal-saving intervention that the Lions had to muster, as in the 57th minute Shawal Anuar just about swept the ball away from an onrushing Ting as he looked to latch onto a spilled Paulo Josue free kick .
Josue would continue to be a constant goal threat, crashing a header off the crossbar in the 61st minute before Singapore skipper Safuwan blocked a follow-up shot from Harith Haiqal on the goal line.
The frame of the goal would once again come to the Lions’ rescue seven minutes later. This time it was Harith’s turn to rattle the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Ryhan Stewart almost gave Singapore the lead against Malaysia, 20 December 2024.
Despite being under pressure for large portions of the match, the visitors still posed a significant threat on the counter-attack.
Defender Amirul Adli had two chances of his own, directing a header over the bar from a corner before testing Malaysian goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli with a long-range effort.
Substitute Ryhan Stewart also had his share of opportunities to seal the game in stoppage time, but Haziq produced a smart double-save to keep Malaysia’s hopes alive, but the clock eventually ran out.
A whirlwind of emotions appeared to sweep over the Lions as they collapsed to the ground at the full-time whistle, having secured their passage to the semi-finals for the second time in the past three editions of the tournament.
Lions Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura waves to the traveling Singapore fans, 20 December 2024.
“Game by game, the players grew in confidence but they were never overconfident. They may have been a little scared in the first and second games, but our confidence and the belief in our football grew as we got the points,” said a reflective Ogura who very quickly turned his eyes towards the horizon.
“Today we can celebrate and be happy, but the group stage is finished. We are moving forward to the next round. For tomorrow, we have already prepared a good recovery and preparation session for the next round.”
Singapore will learn of their fate on Saturday, 21 Dec, with a wide-open Group B witnessing Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, and Myanmar battle for a semi-final ticket in their final group fixtures.
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
