Singapore Men’s National Team in action against Malaysia, 4 September 2025.
KUALA LUMPUR, 5 SEPTEMBER 2025 – Despite a late fightback, the Singapore Men’s National Team fell to a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to Malaysia in a FIFA ‘A’ international match at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Thursday (4 September).
The Lions put in a gritty performance, but goals from Stuart Wilkin and Joao Figueiredo meant that a late Ilhan Fandi strike was not enough to overturn the deficit.
Interim Head Coach Gavin Lee conceded that a few errors proved costly for the Lions, but he was encouraged by how his side responded after the break.
“We always play to win, so we are disappointed with the result,” explained Gavin. “There were quite a few good phases in our game, but we were not calm enough in critical moments. That’s a consequence of not trusting ourselves more.
“When we were less conscious, we found good solutions in attack and defence,” he added.
Lions midfielder Harhys Stewart in action against Malaysia, 4 September 2025.
With the majority of the 22,329-strong crowd roaring Malaysia on, the home side started on the front foot.
Izwan Mahbud was called into action early when he reacted sharply to push away Arif Aiman’s effort in the 4th minute, before denying Wilkin from close range five minutes later.
That early pressure paid off when an Endrick dos Santos chipped pass found the run of Wilkin in the 25th minute. This time, the midfielder made no mistake as he volleyed the ball past Izwan to give Malaysia the lead.
Falling behind galvanised the Lions, as Song Uiyoung tested Haziq Nadzli from outside the box in the 29th minute.
Jordan Emaviwe gets past the challenge of Malaysia’s Quentin Cheng, 4 September 2025.
Just as Singapore grew more settled in possession, Malaysia fashioned one more chance when Figueiredo’s shot narrowly cleared the bar as the half came to a close.
However, the forward was not to be denied in the second half. Latching onto a driven Wilkin cross in the box, an unmarked Figueiredo clinically tucked home Malaysia’s second in the 54th minute.
He would come close to adding a third goal in the 69th minute when he stretched and narrowly failed to reach for an Arif effort.
With the home defence still holding firm, the Lions turned to their bench for inspiration. Substitute Ilhan Fandi made an instant impact in the 72nd minute, as he blasted a powerful long-range effort into the bottom corner after showing great strength to shrug off Nooa Laine.
Having fought their way back into the contest, Singapore pressed hard for an equaliser in the final minutes, but were unable to find that elusive second goal.
Lions forward Ilhan Fandi strikes home Singapore’s goal, 4 September 2025.
“For us now, it’s all about recovery. We need to manage the players’ load to keep them refreshed,” said Gavin, already looking ahead to the Lions’ next assignment.
“We will try a few things that are relevant to our India approach in the next friendly. A lot of video work has been done, so we’ll continue to do that to prepare ourselves for the next challenge.”
The Lions will next face Myanmar in a closed-door international friendly on Tuesday (9 September), as they wrap up preparations for a crucial double-header against India in their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2027 qualifying campaign in October.
