As the 149th-ranked Lions slipped to a narrow 2-1 defeat to 93rd-ranked China PR at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday (Jun 5) night, Lions head coach Gavin Lee lauded his side’s improved maturity and fearlessness in a spirited display witnessed by 4,688 fans.
“There was a lot less fear when we approached the game, given the way we stayed in the game with our plan, with our possession, and our defending. It is a step forward from the previous two games against China (in the World Cup qualifiers).
“The other big thing that we stressed upon was that when we played these stronger teams, higher-ranked teams, they would make things very uncomfortable for us. And in the past, we have shown that we allow the discomfort to own us, so this time around, it’s about how we own the discomfort and try to maintain what we want to do… but I thought we reacted well as a team, and even despite two-nil down, we kept going.”
Man-of-the-match Ryhan Stewart, who put in a solid shift at right-back, received “rare” praise from the gaffer for his industriousness on the flank.
Ryhan also hailed the team’s mental approach ahead of the fixture.
“One of the main things is the mentality. We’re trying to shift our mentality from just trying to survive games to trying to dominate and win games… So when things get tough, we don’t just roll over, but try to overcome the hard times, and try to win the games.”
The visitors started on the front foot and made the best of their early pressure as Brazil-born Sai Erjini’ao, who made his debut last March, rose highest at the far post to nod home the opener in the 16th minute.
The 31-year-old attacking midfielder’s goal was also his first for his adopted country on just his seventh cap.
In the 32nd minute, Singapore came close to an equaliser when veteran defender Zhu Chenjie’s attempted defensive header looped over the onrushing goalkeeper Li Hao, and drifted towards goal.
However, the national team debutant spared his blushes by scrambling back to smother the loose ball.
In the 40th minute, Lions captain Harris Harun, who became the most-capped Singaporean with his 148th appearance against Mongolia on Sunday (May 31), was adjudged to have blocked a Huang Jiahui shot with his arm.
Despite the hosts’ many protestations, the referee awarded a spot kick to their opponents, with former West Bromwich Albion striker Zhang Yuning dispatching the penalty to secure a two-goal cushion.
In the 58th minute, Ryhan burst past the defence and unleashed a shot from an acute angle, with Atletico Madrid academy graduate Li only able to parry it away.
A raft of changes followed, with Farhan Zulkifli, Ikhsan Fandi and Ilhan Fandi all brought on to bolster Singapore’s attack.
But it was Ilhan who would make the immediate impact, pulling one back for the home side in the 76th minute with his first touch after coming on.
“Still a lot to improve on, but whenever I get my chance, I will take it. I wanted to bring extra energy, which I think I did. Whether it be five, 10 or 15 minutes, I just want to go out there and enjoy myself,” Ilhan said. “It feels good, we know what we are capable of doing. We controlled most of the game. You could see a lot of positives from today’s game, but still a lot of things to improve.”
With the momentum firmly on their side after the goal, Singapore continued to push their opponents back in search of an equaliser, reminiscent of Jacob Mahler’s late leveller in their previous home clash against the same opponents in March 2024.
But on this occasion it was not to be.
“It was a squad performance, and it wouldn’t be possible if we gave in or gave up after two-nil down, so credit to the group. But there were mixed feelings, because we could stand proud of certain things that we did, but ultimately we wanted to win the game, and we didn’t win… So it’s time to recover, do our homework, and then get better again,” Lee said.
China head coach Shao Jiayi, who is the nation’s first homegrown coach since 2002, also offered encouraging words for the Lions.
“Their offensive approach was very detailed; you can tell they are very well drilled. There is a lot of chemistry within the squad.”
“We prepared really well for this match, but we still allowed the opponents to make some really good plays and combinations. This is part of our squad’s growth. Singapore are playing a whole new brand of football, they are no longer the Singapore of 20 years ago, they are on the way to becoming a strong team.”
