Growing belief in Lions with new-found mentality, but there are also issues to fix, say observers

SINGAPORE – The Lions’ run to the Asean Championship semi-finals has reignited belief in the national team, said observers a day after Singapore’s campaign was ended by Vietnam in the last four.

Amid video assistant referee (VAR) drama across two legs, the Lions lost 5-1 on aggregate to the Golden Star Warriors in only the second time that they had reached the semi-finals since they won their fourth title in 2012.

Tsutomu Ogura’s charges achieved that despite the unavailability of key players such as midfielders Jacob Mahler (injured) and Song Ui-young (family matters) and brothers Irfan, Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi (not released by clubs).

Football commentator and former Singapore Premier League (SPL) coach Khidhir Khamis said: “The team has brought the belief back to the fans and regaining that belief is the most important takeaway from the tournament.”

Balestier Khalsa coach Peter de Roo has observed a new-found mentality among this pride of Lions.

“There is a little less fear and they try to play (good football),” said the Dutchman, a former technical director at the Football Association of Malaysia.

“They are also aggressive when they don’t have the ball. So there’s definitely a good spirit within the team by the looks of it.”

The Lions improved as the competition progressed. Early wins against Cambodia (2-1) and Timor-Leste (3-0) masked sub-par displays, but they put up a strong first-half showing to lead 2-0 against defending champions Thailand, before losing 4-2 in a late collapse.

That was followed by a gritty away draw against Malaysia, which secured the semi-final berth.

In the first leg against Vietnam, Ogura’s men showed they could go toe-to-toe with the region’s best, although they succumbed to two stoppage-time goals and lost 2-0.

There was yet more spirit shown in the return tie.

This on-field improvement fuelled fan support, with attendance rising from 12,391 (Cambodia) to 22,611 (Thailand), culminating in a long queue for tickets to the first leg of the semi-final and packed public screenings.

There was also a knock-on effect on merchandise sales.

Ami Chopra, who is in charge of football operations at apparel chain Weston Corporation, said there was a 20 per cent increase in the sales of the latest national team jersey compared to the previous one. Shawal Anuar, Safuwan Baharudin and newly minted Lion Kyoga Nakamura had the top three best-selling jerseys.

Lions fan Eddy Hirono expressed surprise at the team’s positive performances.

He said: “We don’t seem to be scared of our opponents. For example, we held on to the ball well against better teams like Thailand and Vietnam.

“Overall, there seems to be a better plan than just absorbing the pressure and hitting opponents on counter-attacks… We are on the right trajectory.”

He also noted the effort that the Football Association of Singapore had taken in creating the on-site fan experience, such as the pre-game tributes to stars from previous title-winning Singapore sides.

The Lions’ next campaign will be the year-long Asian Cup qualifiers, which start with a home match against Hong Kong on March 25. The other teams in the group are India and Bangladesh, with only the group winners heading to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Khidhir said that the team had shown in spurts that they are improving, but need to put it together for longer spells.

In six matches over 19 days, the Lions scored eight goals and let in 10 – half of which were conceded during stoppage time.

Khidhir believes that the players could not maintain their energy for the whole match because of a lack of intensity in the SPL.

He added: “There have been good 45 minutes, but then the next 45 is not so good. But at least we have seen what they can do.”

De Roo attributed the late lapses to a deficient “training mentality” among local players.

Contrasting Singaporean players with those in Europe, he observed a lack of 90-minute focus, particularly in crucial moments.

De Roo noted that many SPL players “train for entertainment, not improvement”, adding: “You can only get fitter if you’re prepared to push yourself.

“If you are training with high intensity and you train with a purpose to get better, it helps you in staying focused in games. When you train hard, you develop focus and fitness, and these things become habits.”