Singapore’s FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign is over after the Lions were beaten 6-0 by Malaysia on Thursday, 1 October.
The Group A match was played at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia.
According to The Straits Times, it was Singapore’s heaviest defeat under head coach Gavin Lee and the national team’s worst senior-level loss to Malaysia since another 6-0 defeat in 1978.
Singapore finished third in Group A with three points, which meant they were eliminated from the tournament.
Malaysia Scored Early and Never Looked Back
Malaysia took the lead after just eight minutes, when Bergson da Silva scored from a penalty.
Stuart Wilkin then made it 2-0 in the 26th minute after Manuel Hidalgo created the opening inside the box.
Singapore had chances in the first half. Bernama reported that Song Ui-young went close in the 14th minute, while Kyoga Nakamura also forced Malaysia goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi into a save.
But once Malaysia scored again in the second half, the match slipped further away from Singapore.
Bergson scored his second goal in the 62nd minute, before Paulo Josue added Malaysia’s fourth in the 76th minute.
Syahir Bashah made it 5-0 near the end of normal time, and Bergson completed his hat-trick in stoppage time to seal the 6-0 result.
Singapore Needed a Win to Advance
The result was especially painful because Singapore had entered the match still in contention to progress.
The Lions had opened their FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Indonesia, before beating Bangladesh 1-0 to keep their hopes alive.
That meant Singapore needed to beat Malaysia in their final group match to move above them.
Instead, the Lions ended the group stage with one win and two losses.
CNA reported that Singapore finished third in Group A with three points, having scored one goal and conceded eight across three matches.
Malaysia Also Missed Out on the Final
Despite the huge win, Malaysia did not reach the final either.
Malaysia and Indonesia both finished on seven points and had the same goal difference.
However, Indonesia beat Bangladesh 9-2 in the other Group A match played at the same time. That gave Indonesia 11 goals scored overall, compared with Malaysia’s nine.
As a result, Indonesia topped the group on goals scored and advanced to the final.
So yes, Malaysia beat Singapore 6-0, and still did not get the main prize from the group. Football can be cruel, although Singapore fans probably did not need that lesson delivered in six parts.
A Heavy Result Before Bigger Tests
For Singapore, the defeat comes at an awkward time.
The Lions are due to play at the Asian Cup in January, which gives the team only a few months to respond to one of the heaviest Causeway derby results in decades.
A 6-0 scoreline against Malaysia will also sting because of the rivalry itself. Matches between Singapore and Malaysia are rarely treated as just another fixture, even when they take place outside the usual ASEAN Championship.
This time, the scoreline was not just a defeat. It ended Singapore’s tournament, marked their worst senior-level loss to Malaysia since 1978, and left the Lions with plenty to fix before their next major assignment.
