After reaching Asean C’ship semi-finals, Tsutomu Ogura tells Lions to keep making history

SINGAPORE – Having secured a spot in the Asean Championship semi-finals, Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura has urged his charges to continue making history.

A

0-0 draw against hosts Malaysia on Dec 20

helped the Lions reach the last four for only the second time since they won a fourth tournament title in 2012.

As Group A runners-up, they will meet Vietnam, who finished Group B champions after thrashing Myanmar 5-0 on Dec 21. The first leg will be at Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26, with the return leg in Vietnam three days later.

The other semi-final will be between Group A winners Thailand and Group B runners-up Philippines, who beat a largely Under-22 Indonesia side 1-0.

“This qualification is a good result for Singapore football history,” Ogura told The Sunday Times. “I told the players, maybe we are changing history, but it’s not about the coach, it’s up to the players.

“Against Thailand (in which they led 2-0 before losing 4-2), we had a page in history open, but it closed. Now we qualify for the semi-finals, it is a little bit open, and we hope to open it more, but it is a process. We need to continue trying.”

Before 31,127 spectators at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Lions displayed fighting spirit and courage as they matched their arch-rivals and showed their eagerness to attack till the end.

They showed the same mentality against defending champions Thailand at home on Dec 17, leading 2-1 at half-time and not sitting on a 2-2 draw, although they ended up losing 4-2 in added time.

The mentality shift is a key one if the national team are to progress and develop an identity for the younger generation to look up to.

Ogura added: “They want to try to play proper football, which is very important. To play good football can be difficult. If we miss something in the last minute and concede a goal, we are finished.

“But if we keep kicking long balls, we can also concede goals.

“Maybe in the first and second game (Singapore beat Cambodia 2-1 and Timor-Leste 3-0), they played well for 45 minutes, but it was not enough.

“They were a little bit scared but got the wins and played well against Thailand in the first half, and became more confident.”

Indeed, the team have stepped up, and so have the individuals, playing like they have a point to prove in the absence of goalkeeper Hassan Sunny (retired), defender Jacob Mahler (injured), midfielder Song Ui-young (family matters) and brothers Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi (not released by clubs).

Goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, defender Safuwan Baharudin and striker Shawal Anuar are in their 30s but have excelled in their roles.

Izwan said: “It’s always an honour to wear the national jersey. I always tell the boys, every time you have the national flag on your chest, you have to give 100 per cent.”

Safuwan said: “I was out for the last tournament. I went through a lot in the last few years battling a head injury. I wanted to come back and prove people wrong.”

Meanwhile, younger ones such as defender Irfan Najeeb, 25, and wide player Ryhan Stewart, 24, have shown their mettle, while much-maligned skipper Hariss Harun and defender Lionel Tan put in good shifts against Malaysia.

Tan, who had a run-in with critical fans at the National Stadium after the Thailand defeat, said: “We are more focused on who is in the team right now, and every player in this team matters. Each and every one of us have our own strengths. What’s more important is that we focus and play to our strengths.”

Ogura, 58, has also looked like the right man for the job.

With a better command of English and more outgoing than his predecessor Takayuki Nishigaya, Ogura has protected his players in public, taking responsibility for losses and poor performances.

He was derided for taking his team to Japan to play J1 League sides instead of international friendlies in October. But that was key as he mimicked the hectic Asean Championship schedule of four group games in 10 days with three club friendlies in eight days.

He has also been rotating the squad astutely, making no fewer than four changes to his starting line-ups in each group match, to avoid major injuries.

Showing both decisiveness and meticulousness, he also ordered players with little or no game time to train right after matches and pulled his team from the mixed zone after the Thailand loss to get them into the right frame of mind.

Ogura said: “I believe our preparations are good, but I don’t know if the results will come now or later. If the results come, people will say we prepared well. If results didn’t come, people will say it’s not good preparation. But we cannot stop here. In the longer term, we need to build on what we are doing and be really professional in our football approach.

“I don’t know how far we can go, but I hope we can go far.”