Even the daunting prospect of playing in front of 47,762 vociferous scarf-slinging fans, a vast majority cheering on hosts Hong Kong, could not stop the Lions from stamping their names in the history books as a quickfire second-half double secured the visitors’ AFC Asian Cup qualification on Tuesday (Nov 18), 41 years after their last appearance as hosts of the continental competition.
“What we achieved tonight is a consequence of everybody’s participation,” Singapore head coach Gavin Lee said after the match. “It wasn’t going to be easy, especially against 50,000 of their home supporters.”
But the Lions stood tall, even after shipping an early goal, to write a piece of football folklore at the packed Kai Tak Stadium after they masterminded a 2-1 come-from-behind win.
Two goals five minutes apart were just enough to punch the Lions’ ticket to Saudi Arabia, where the finals will be held in 2027, with substitute Ilhan Fandi netting the decider with a curled left-foot shot past 41-year-old Hong Kong goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng.
The Lions fell behind early on when Hong Kong forward Matt Orr put the home side ahead in the 15th minute. Orr connected well with a left-footed cross from Brazilian-born Everton Camargo to direct his header past Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud.
Coming out of the interval, the Lions grew into the game and opted to play a higher line in search of an equaliser.
“It’s about calmness. It’s not to get tense,” Lee said, sharing with the media what he told the boys in the dressing room at the break. “We always knew that we had quality players to help us finish the game.”
The breakthrough came in the 63rd minute when some flowy interplay between Shawal Anuar and Ilhan, who entered the fray just six minutes earlier, gave the former an opening against Wang on the left flank.
In trademark fashion, Shawal deftly chipped his shot over the keeper to breathe life into the encounter.
“We knew that Hong Kong would defend us in the midfield man-to-man. And so in the first half, we made it a little predictable for them to defend us. We knew that when we (introduced Ilhan), given certain roles that Ryhan and Ilhan took, it would give them a little bit of a problem. And it was fortunate for us that we scored.”
Then came Ilhan’s decisive strike that bent around the keeper and sent the 2000-odd Singaporean fans in the away end into raptures.
Also feeling the intense emotions from the monumental win was midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, who struggled to hold back tears in the post-match press conference.
“I became a Singaporean citizen about a year ago, but five years ago I received a long-term contract offer from Gavin (at BG Tampines Rovers), and that was when I decided to apply for Singapore citizenship.
“And we suffered and sacrificed a lot (in that time), but finally we made history.
“This is not our last game (in the Asian Cup). This is the first game we play. And so, we have to change our mindsets. It’s okay to be happy and celebrate these two days. But after that, we have to (prepare for) the Asian Cup with the right mentality,” the Japanese-born midfielder said.
The win secures a historic maiden qualification for the Republic due to head-to-head rules taking precedence over goal difference. Regardless of the scores on the final matchday next March, the Lions will qualify top of the group and feature at the Jan 7 – Feb 5 Asian Cup in 2027.
