Asean Cup semi-finals: Singapore concede 2 late goals to Vietnam in first leg after VAR mayhem

SINGAPORE – The Lions suffered a sickening blow on Boxing Day when they conceded a debatable 101st-minute penalty before what looked to be a 104th-minute knockout punch as they lost 2-0 to Vietnam in the first leg of the Asean Championship semi-finals at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Dec 26.

After a resolute display in regulation time, the match turned on a controversial video assistant referee (VAR) decision in added time.

Following a defensive miscommunication between goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud and Shakir Hamzah, the VAR adjudged the defender to have handled the ball in the box, and Nguyen Tien Linh successfully dispatched the spot-kick.

Three minutes later, Nguyen Hoang Duc’s corner was flicked on by Pham Xuan Manh for Brazil-born Rafaelson to help his adopted country bring home a two-goal advantage for the second leg at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho on Dec 29, with the away goals rule not applicable.

The first leg was played at the Jalan Besar as a late schedule change meant the National Stadium was unavailable for the game and the rest of the tournament, having already been booked for concerts in this period.

As 5,233 fans crammed into the compact 6,000-seater and turned it into a sea of red, the hosts played up the feel-good vibes before kick-off by parading members of the 1998 Tiger Cup-winning team onto the pitch and launching into a rousing rendition of Kit Chan’s Home.

They also paid tribute to former Lion Adam Swandi, who recently announced his retirement due to a heart condition.

But it was the visitors and their 300 Ultras Vietnam fans who had something to cheer about when Dinh Thanh Binh had the ball in the net after 10 minutes, only for the goal to be overruled for offside.

Their naturalised striker Rafaelson then rattled the bar with a bicycle kick from an offside position 10 minutes later.

However, for all their individual quality, world No. 114 Vietnam set up with a cautious-looking back five and never really settled on the artificial pitch.

Meanwhile, the 160th-ranked Lions had suffered a late setback with Japanese-born playmaker Kyoga Nakamura sharing on social media platform X earlier in the afternoon that he won’t be able to play in the first leg.

It was originally thought that no players from either team were suspended, as none were sent off or accumulated two yellow cards in the group stage according to statistics from the Asean Football Federation’s tournament website.

However, it was confirmed at the match coordination meeting that Nakamura was indeed booked in the 0-0 draw in Malaysia, and will be suspended as this was his second yellow card following an earlier caution in the 4-2 home loss to Thailand.

Ultimately, the local-born Lions stepped up, with much-maligned Lionel Tan winning his individual battle against the highly rated Rafaelson, and Safuwan Baharudin leading by example in defence and attack.

Impressively, Ogura’s men went for the kill after the break by bringing on Faris Ramli and Taufik Suparno for Ryhan Stewart and Glenn Kwek respectively and were so nearly rewarded.

Singapore could even have pinched a win to snap after Taufik stole the ball from Do Duy Manh Ho only to see his goal-bound shot tipped over by Nguyen Dinh Trieu in the 68th minute.

The Lions then saw a cast-iron penalty claim rejected by the VAR in the 80th minute after Ho Tan Tai looked to have hauled down Faris in the box.

The VAR then correctly chalked off Rafaelson’s superb goal on the turn for handball in the 88th minute after a four-minute consultation, with Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik yellow-carded for his protests.

Then came the added-time mayhem, and now Singapore’s hopes of a fifth Asean Cup final hangs by a thread.

[[nid:712755]]

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.