'We gave a good fight': Singapore Lions proud of gallant effort after Asean Championship semis exit

PHU THO — The Singapore footballers arrived in Vietnam aware of their mission: Strike early to silence the vociferous home crowd in a bid to claw back the 2-0 semi-final, first-leg deficit at the Asean Championship.

And while the Lions were able to find the net as early as the 10th minute, it was contentiously ruled out in the first sign of what would ultimately be a night of frustration as the Lions' comeback mission unravelled at the Viet Tri Stadium in the Phu Tho province.

On Dec 29, it was Vietnam, backed by a raucous sea of 15,284 supporters, who emerged 3-1 victors for a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Lions captain Hariss Harun, who collected his 138th cap, was downcast after the final whistle as he trudged to the team bus with his teammates.

When asked about Faris Ramli's disallowed goal, the 34-year-old shrugged his shoulders and said: "it is what it is."

He added: "When we saw the ball hit the net, we were all given an extra boost. We wanted to get the ball and start again, but then there was a long wait. So it was tough.

"It's always tough to come here to play. I think we threw everything that we possibly could.

"Sometimes these things happen in football, we have to deal with it. We have to accept it and move on."

Despite the setback, Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura was pleased with the gutsy display.

"Today our players... showed that (they can) play our football. I'm very proud of our players, that they are improving more and more, game by game," he said.

"Today they were not scared, not afraid to play against the Vietnam national team. They (the Vietnamese side) are a good team, but we still kept fighting and showed the fighting spirit."

The Lions had started the match like men on a mission despite the chilly, 16 deg C temperature at kick-off, unsettling the hosts with aggressive pressing in the opening exchanges.

And it seemed to have paid off when Faris' header was helped into the net by Vietnam defender Bui Tien Dung, only for referee Lutfullin Rustam to rule it out.

The Uzbekistan official had gone to the pitch-side monitor during the video assistant referee (VAR) review and after a seven-minute wait, he confirmed the decision, much to the dismay of the Singaporeans. Replays did not make it clear if there was a clear infringement.

And there was more anguish when the hosts got the opener in the first half.

In the 38th minute, Vietnam's Brazilian-born forward Rafaelson fell to the ground as a free kick was whipped in and the referee, after reviewing the footage, pointed to the spot as the crowd erupted.

Replays revealed that Lions defender Lionel Tan tugged Rafaelson's jersey in the penalty box but confusion ensued when the referee showed Tan a second yellow card for the foul, believing the player had already received a caution earlier.

Following vehement protest by Tan, and after consulting his assistant referees, Rustam rescinded the red card, allowing Tan to remain on the field.

When the drama settled in first-half stoppage time, Rafaelson stepped up to score, prompting deafening celebrations.

It was a strike that also seemed to suck the motivation out of the Lions' ranks.

They would concede again in the 63rd minute when Nguyen Hoang Duc won possession in the Lions box and dribbled past Tan and Amirul Adli before Rafaelson poked home for his fifth goal in three appearances for his adopted nation.

Singapore would then get their first goal of the tie in the 74th minute when Japan-born midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, who missed the first leg due to suspension, saw his strike from distance rifle into the bottom corner of the post.

Vietnam added another goal from the spot in stoppage time through Nguyen Tien Linh, after Amirul had shoved Nguyen Van Vi in the box.

Two-goal hero Rafaelson, awed by the fans' "special" reception, said: "Everyone worked hard and did their best and we are in the final. I want to thank fans for their support and pushing us."

And as the final whistle blew on the match and Singapore's involvement in the latest edition of the biennial tournament, red flares lit up the night sky outside the stadium as the Vietnam party kicks into gear.

For the Lions, the post-mortem will begin. But as far as Hariss is concerned, it is time to move forward.

He said: "We gave a good fight. Today we tried to turn the deficit but Vietnam are a quality team and we have to move on now.

"It's progress for us making it past the group stage after a while. Over the course of the tournament, the team did really well. The team improved as the games go on, but there's still lots of aspects we can improve on."

However, his involvement in the Lions' next progression was thrown into doubt when the skipper, questioned if this could be his national swansong, answered: "Possibly, let's see."

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