Singapore are through to the semi-finals of the ASEAN Championship.
The Lions secured their spot after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Indonesia at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday (7 August).
Singapore entered the match knowing that a draw would be enough to qualify. Indonesia, on the other hand, had to win.
And for about 19 minutes in the second half, things looked a little scary.
Indonesia Scored First, But Ilhan Fandi Equalised
Neither team managed to score in the first half, although both sides had opportunities.
Indonesia eventually broke the deadlock just two minutes after the restart.
Ragnar Oratmangoen scored in the 47th minute after Dony Pamungkas delivered the ball into the box, putting Indonesia 1-0 ahead.
Things appeared to get even worse for Singapore in the 58th minute when Song Ui-young was shown what appeared to be his second yellow card, which would have sent him off.
However, after reviewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor, the referee rescinded the booking.
Then came the goal Singapore needed.
In the 66th minute, confusion between Indonesian defender Rizky Ridho and goalkeeper Cahya Supriadi left the ball for Ilhan Fandi, who poked it into an empty net.
Singapore were level at 1-1.
Indonesia continued searching for the winner, but the Lions held on in front of 5,113 spectators.
The draw was enough to send Singapore into the last four.
Singapore Finished the Group Stage Unbeaten
The result means Singapore finished second in Group A with eight points from four matches.
More impressively, they did not lose a single game.
Singapore started their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Cambodia before beating Timor-Leste 2-0.
They then held defending champions Vietnam to a 0-0 draw away from home before Friday’s 1-1 draw against Indonesia.
Vietnam finished top of Group A with 10 points after beating Cambodia 3-1 in their final group match.
Singapore’s Group A record therefore reads: two wins, two draws and zero defeats.
Not a bad way to enter the knockout stage lah.
Singapore Will Face the Group B Winners
Singapore’s semi-final opponents have not been confirmed yet.
As of 7 August, Thailand are top of Group B with nine points, with the final Group B matches taking place on Saturday (8 August).
Thailand will play Myanmar, while Malaysia will face the Philippines.
Singapore, as the Group A runners-up, will face whoever finishes first in Group B.
The Lions will host the first leg of their semi-final on 15 August before playing the second leg away on 18 August.
This Is Singapore’s Second Consecutive Semi-Final Appearance
This is also the second ASEAN Championship in a row in which Singapore have reached the semi-finals.
In the 2024 tournament, Singapore also made the last four, where they were eliminated 5-1 on aggregate by eventual champions Vietnam.
The Lions have won the ASEAN Championship four times, in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012.
That makes Singapore the tournament’s second-most successful nation behind seven-time champions Thailand.
So, the Lions are now two rounds away from potentially winning their first ASEAN Championship in 14 years.
