Difficult but not impossible: Lions keep faith as they face Vietnam in second leg of ASEAN Championship semis

HANOI: It will take a monumental effort if Singapore are to make their first ASEAN Championship final since 2012.

The Lions are down two goals against a side unbeaten in this edition of the tournament. They'll have to reverse the deficit in front of a vociferous Vietnamese crowd at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province on Sunday (Dec 29).

History doesn't favour the Lions either - they have not triumphed over Vietnam in a competitive fixture since 1998.

But they are keeping the faith.

"Everybody was angry and frustrated because we lost the game in Singapore," said midfielder Kyoga Nakamura at a pre-match press conference on Saturday, referring to the first leg of the semi-finals on Thursday.

The recently naturalised Singaporean was suspended for the game after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stage.

"But it is a very good thing (to have such emotions) … We have very good energy to change some things. We will use these emotions to play a good game," he added.

On Thursday, two late goals in the depths of stoppage time saw the Lions fall in the first leg of the ASEAN Championship semi-finals, which means they will need to win by a margin of three goals to progress.

The away goals rule does not feature in the tournament, which means that a two-goal victory for Singapore will result in extra time.

A controversial penalty from Nguyen Tien Linh in the 101st minute and a strike from naturalised Brazilian Rafaelson, now known as Nguyen Xuan Son, three minutes later gave Vietnam the victory.

The late penalty decision came after defender Shakir Hamzah was adjudged to have handled in the penalty box, but it seemed as if Shakir had been pushed by Nguyen Xuan Son.

"The decisions from the referee were not within our control. Now that game is over, we look forward to the ‘second half’ of the game," said midfielder Hami Syahin.

"It’s hard to lose with a performance where we think we did well … It’s definitely disappointing but we know that we’ve got a job to do in Vietnam and the boys believe we can do it."

Speaking to CNA in the aftermath of the defeat, former Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny said that Singapore had done well for most of the match.

"We were a bit demoralised after the first goal and the sucker punch came right towards the end of the game," said Hassan, who announced his retirement from international football earlier this year. 

BEING MENTALLY STRONG

With the crowd behind their opponents and the first leg result against them, the Lions need to be mentally strong, explained skipper Hariss Harun.

And the team's performances throughout the tournament have shown that they can mix it with the best, said Hami.

"We know that we can play, we know that we can hurt teams. It’s a matter of taking our chances in this kind of competition," he explained.

Echoing similar sentiments, experienced custodian Hassan pointed out that the semi-final is far from over.

"It’s not over yet. We still have another 90 minutes to play. I’m sure the boys will bounce back," he said.

"The belief they had is not for 90 minutes. The belief they had is for 180 minutes … Football is a game of surprise(s) and we’ll hope to see some surprises in the next one."

Prior to Thursday's first leg, Vietnam had topped Group B with three wins and a draw. The Lions finished second in Group A with two wins, a draw and a defeat to Thailand.

The winner of the semi-finals will take on either Thailand or the Philippines in the final.   

Underdogs Philippines beat the defending champions 2-1 in the first leg and hold a slender advantage going into Monday’s reverse fixture in Bangkok.

"It’s a difficult job, but it’s not an impossible job," said Hami of Sunday's match, which takes place at 9pm Singapore time.

"We (will) go out there with full belief, (and in) full throttle to get the win, because that’s all that matters."

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