'Nobody gave us a chance in this group': Gavin Lee hails Lions after making ASEAN football championship semis

SINGAPORE: Lions head coach Gavin Lee praised his team’s fortitude after progressing to the semi-finals of the ASEAN football championship on Friday (Aug 7).

At the Jalan Besar Stadium, a 66th-minute Ilhan Fandi equaliser was enough to seal Singapore’s progression to the tournament semi-finals after Ragnar Oratmangoen put the away side ahead in the 47th minute.

"I'm just very proud of the boys and staff. It hasn't been an easy journey," said Lee at a post-match press conference.

"Even before the tournament started, nobody gave us a chance really in this group. And so for us to just dig deep and grind (out) the performances and results is just a nice feeling as a coach."

"It was a very tough game, and we knew coming into the game the magnitude of how important this was, not only for us, but our families and all the fans of Singapore football," said man of the match Jacob Mahler, 26, who cramped midway through the press conference.

"The main goal was to go to the next round, give Singaporeans a semi-final to see and to watch. There's still stuff to work on and now it is full focus on the semi-finals. We're looking forward to it."

The result means that the Lions remain unbeaten in the tournament with eight points from four games. They finished second in Group A, behind Vietnam. Vietnam beat Cambodia 3-1 on Friday night.

Three of the four Southeast Asian teams that qualified for next year's Asian Cup are in Group A, with Singapore the lowest ranked among the three. 

Vietnam sit 99th in the FIFA rankings, while Indonesia are 118th and the Lions 148th.

Lee, who last year led the Lions to historic Asian Cup qualification, said he hoped the team would grow in belief. "If we don't believe in ourselves, then no one would really," he added.

Mahler said: "Belief is something that we need a lot more of. When we go into games, we need to believe in our capabilities.

"Going unbeaten is not something easy, right? I think we put in a lot of effort to do this, and it just shows that we can do this."

A NATIONAL TEAM TO BE PROUD OF

Speaking to reporters after the game, Indonesia coach John Herdman said: "I thought we dominated the game, I thought we were on top. 

"Fair play to Singapore, they had great resilience, they were well organised, but we had enough chances to win that game.

"We had enough possession, enough control, and sometimes just the football gods aren't going to give you what you want."

Singapore will face the winners of Group B, which comprises Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos. 

With the final round of group games on Saturday, Thailand are currently top of the group with nine points.

This is the second consecutive edition of the tournament where the Lions have progressed past the group stages. 

The Lions started their campaign with victories over Cambodia (2-1) and Timor-Leste (2-0) before a 0-0 away draw with Vietnam.

Mahler credited Lee and captain Hariss Harun for instilling a strong sense of team spirit within the squad.

"We all have an amazing relationship with one another. We've been through so many ups and downs and I think it's brought us closer," he said.

"We have gone through a lot, and I think everyone in Singapore football can know that ... All of us have that same goal that we just want to see the fans, the people, Singaporeans, have a national team to be proud of. 

"When we step on the field, we have that mindset."