Historic Asian Cup qualification 'just the beginning', Lions stress need to stay level-headed, work hard

HONG KONG: Hours after their historic Asian Cup qualification in Hong Kong, sleep did not come easily for some of the Lions.

After all, they were still running on adrenaline after a milestone result and subsequent celebrations.

"It's a dream come true," defender Lionel Tan told CNA on Wednesday (Nov 19). "Of course, we were tired (but) emotions were everywhere. At the same time, you must remember that we never did this before."

At Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday, they made national sporting history after beating Hong Kong 2-1 to qualify for the Asian Cup.

Two goals in four minutes from Shawal Anuar and Ilhan Fandi capped a remarkable turnaround after Matt Orr’s first-half goal. The win meant that Singapore booked their spot at the 2027 tournament in Saudi Arabia.

"When you make moments like these together, as a team it just strengthens the bond and the trust (with) each other and belief that we can achieve things together as a team when we work hard and we stick together," striker Ikhsan Fandi added.

This marks the first time the Lions have qualified for the Asian Cup on merit. Singapore's only appearance came in 1984, when they took part automatically as hosts.

Players CNA spoke to stressed the importance of hard work and togetherness in the days ahead.

"Let's not get carried away because there's still things we need to work on," said Tan. "This is obviously an achievement but what's next is that we should be preparing, we should ready for the Asian Cup ... What's next is to keep level-headed and go back to train hard and work hard again."

Ikhsan added that it is important that players keep improving.

"Their (Asian heavyweights) level is of course is three, four steps above us. We just need to continue working hard ... fighting for a place, improving off the field, on the field," he said.

"And when we come back as a group to the national team, I think we can do something together."

Ikhsan also stressed the importance of not being "too satisfied".

"This is just the beginning. We cannot get too complacent, too satisfied just because we qualified," he added.

NOT GOING TO BE "TOURISTS"

Speaking to CNA, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy president Desmond Ong said that the aim must be that qualifying for the tournament becomes a "regular occurrence".

"Having qualified for the Asian Cup, I don't think that is an end in itself. The aim must be twofold, the aim must be that this becomes ... a regular occurrence that we qualify or make it to the latter stages of whatever competition we are in," he said.

While the Lions will be up against Asian heavyweights at the tournament, Mr Ong stressed that the Lions will not go into any competition to be "cannon fodder".

"We will not step into any competition merely satisfied that we are in it. We will always strive to be competitive," he said. "We're not going to be tourists, the fans have my word for that."

Asked if there is a chance interim head coach Gavin Lee might be given the full-time role, Mr Ong said "everything is possible".

"If we do decide to appoint a new coach, then a lot of what we do in preparation (for the Asian Cup) will depend on what the new coach would like us to do, provided it aligns with our bigger objectives," he added.

"There is a lot of groundswell for us to retain the current coach. All I can say at this point is that it is a nice, nice problem for us to have. And that also depends on what Gavin's own plans are, we have to respect whatever his plans are."

Lee joined the national team in March 2024 as part of then Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura backroom staff. He eventually became an assistant to the Japanese tactician.  When Ogura departed in June, Lee was appointed interim head coach.

Mr Ong also paid tribute to Ogura. "He is in constant communication with Gavin and myself," said Mr Ong. "I cannot underestimate his contribution to us."

Aside from the achievement, Mr Ong stressed the importance of "patience" and "humility".

"I hope people are savvy enough to understand that even if we had not won yesterday, we are making progress, we feel, in the right direction," he said.

"The basic message doesn't change from us. I still advocate patience and humility ... We ask that fans continue to be patient with us, we ask that we manage to maintain a certain degree of humility such that we will continue to be open to anybody and everybody who wants to contribute to Singapore football."

But for now, the players will enjoy the moment, and savour what the significance of what they have achieved.

"You can see that football actually means a lot to people in Singapore, the nation," said Tan.

"It brings everyone together."