Regional sides have shown it is possible for Singapore to get a result against South Korea: Safuwan
"Malaysia have done it, Thailand have done it. And it’s a good chance for us to (get a result) with the home crowd backing us," says Singapore midfielder Safuwan Baharudin ahead of a World Cup qualifier against South Korea.
Singapore footballer Safuwan Baharudin speaks to the media during the pre-match press conference on Jun 5, 2024, ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Korea. (Photo: CNA/Eugene Goh)
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SINGAPORE: With the backing of a strong home crowd, it is possible for Singapore to get a result against heavyweights South Korea, said Lions midfielder Safuwan Baharudin on Wednesday (Jun 5).
“It’s possible to get something. Malaysia have done it, Thailand have done it. And it’s a good chance for us to do it with the home crowd backing us," said Safuwan, who was speaking at a pre-match press conference a day before Singapore's World Cup qualifier clash with South Korea.
Earlier this year, Malaysia drew the South Koreans 3-3 in an Asian Cup group stage clash. Thailand, who are in the same World Cup qualifying group as the Lions, also took points off the Asian heavyweights in a 1-1 draw in March.
“It’s motivation for me to do better every time when you see neighbour(ing) countries doing well,” said Safuwan, who plays in Malaysia with Selangor.
“It shows the level where they are and we know that we are not far away from them.”
The match on Thursday evening is expected to feature English Premier League stars Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan. South Korea are currently top of the group with 10 points, while the Lions are bottom with a solitary point.
Lions' head coach Tsutomu Ogura noted that the constantly changing nature of various countries' national squads means that it is hard to draw comparisons.
The match on Thursday will be Ogura's second home match as Singapore's head coach. Singapore held China to a 2-2 draw in his first match in charge, before losing 1-4 in the reverse fixture in Tianjin.
“It’s always good to be back with the team,” said Safuwan, who was suspended for the clash in China.
“The next few steps for us will be to be consistent, and if we can get that consistency, I think it’s going to be much easier for us.”
HUNGER TO SUCCEED
South Korea will have a new face in the dugout, with former Lion City Sailors manager Kim Do-hoon taking over on an interim basis.
While it is undeniable that Kim will bring a knowledge of Singapore football, he also faces the challenge of integrating new faces into the squad and delivering results, added Safuwan.
Kim's temporary appointment comes after under-23 coach Hwang Sun-hong was put in interim charge for South Korea's home and away World Cup qualifiers against Thailand in March.
In the reverse fixture in Seoul last November, Singapore lost 5-0 to South Korea, who are 23rd in FIFA's world rankings. While Ogura was not at the helm then, he told reporters that he had watched that fixture "many times".
"Every game, not just against South Korea, we must fight, we must play our football. That is the most important," he added.
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Match tickets went on sale on May 2 and were sold out by May 26, with about 50,000 fans expected to pack the stadium. The last time the Lions played in front of such a large home crowd was against Malaysia in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup.
"To have the home fans coming is definitely a motivation for us to do well," said Safuwan.
"When you have them backing you up, you have the hunger to succeed. There's no better feeling (than) to play at a sold-out game, especially at the Sports Hub."
Catch the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier between Singapore and South Korea on Thursday from 7.50pm LIVE on 5, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.
