SINGAPORE - The Republic's men's water polo team put in a dominant performance yet again to beat the Philippines 23-2 on Sunday night at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
The hosts controlled the game through swift counter-attacks, as the Filipino swimmers were no match for their speed.
Singapore's Yip Yang was the top scorer of the game, with six goals.
This was their third win in a row, which sees them top of the round-robin table with 6 points, the same as Indonesia, who beat Thailand 13-9 earlier in the evening, but with a superior goal difference.
They will now face the Indonesians on Tuesday (June 16) at 3.30pm in their final round-robin match to determine who wins the goal medal.
Ahead of the final, Indonesian coach Calvin Legawa believes that his side finally have what it takes to dethrone Singapore, who have won 25 successive golds in water polo.
"We have been preparing for this for a long time, we will do our best to change the situation," said the 45-year-old, who has been Indonesia's head coach since 2007.
He also believes that Singapore's dominance has been due to the fact that the host nation is small, and therefore it is easy for the country's players to "come together in one pool to train".
"In Indonesia, we have many archipelagos, the players come from all over the country, so it's not easy for us to gather all our best players in one place. However, this time we have nine players (who have trained) in one city together, so they can understand each other better," he added.
His view was disputed, however, by Singapore team manager Lee Thin Cheong.
"If you look at Japan, they are very big, but they are also doing very well. I think it's more of whether the players want to win. The players train day in, day out, and whoever trains the most will come out top," he said.
Singapore vice-captain Loh Zhi Zhi said his side were very confident of winning Tuesday's game, adding: "We'll play hard, as we have for every single game so far."
"The boys have been preparing since two years back, and they've put in a lot of effort...to me, it's a sure-win," added Lee.
