On Tuesday (11 June), the Lions fell 3-1 to Thailand in their latest World Cup qualifying match in Bangkok.
However, they also effectively ended Thailand’s World Cup dreams as the latter needed to win by three goals to advance to the next World Cup qualifier.
This was largely thanks to Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who pulled off a staggering 11 saves to prevent Thailand from netting their fourth goal of the match.
Thailand needed to score one more goal to progress to the next World Cup qualifying round, but the result meant China did so instead.
To express their gratitude, Chinese fans have praised him online and sent donations to his nasi lemak stall, reporting flooding the stall’s QR code to the point it stopped working.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Suphanat Mueanta scored first for Thailand in the 36th minute, before Ihksan Fandi equalised for Singapore.
Poramet Arjvirai and Jaroensak Wonggorn then netted a goal each in the 78th and 85th minute respectively.
Thailand needed to win by three clear goals or score at least four goals with a two-goal victory margin to progress over China, Reuters reported.
Both teams had an identical goal difference with Thailand at 3-1 up and China having lost 0-1 to South Korea in the other match that night.
However, the War Elephants were unable to get a fourth goal, which allowed China to squeeze past them into the next World Cup qualifying round due to a better head-to-head record.
This was thanks to Hassan, who pulled off 11 saves to stop the Thais from progressing further, according to statistics website Fotmob.
Source: ASEAN United FC on Facebook
Despite the 3-1 loss, Hassan’s impressive shot-stopping performance has been the subject of much praise online, including those from Singapore.
He also delayed the game in injury time in the 95th minute, receiving a yellow card for his timewasting antics.
Acknowledging his efforts on the field, fans of the Lions took to social media to thank him.
Source: X
However, those most grateful for Hassan’s efforts in Bangkok were fans of the Chinese national football team.
Beneath one of his pinned posts that has already exceeded 18,000 comments, fans were enthusiastic with their compliments.
Source: Instagram
Some even went so far as to label him a hero for China.
Source: Instagram
And of course, there were fans who were more than a little creative with their praise, comparing his prowess to “Zeus”.
Translation: I’ve never encountered Zeus’ shield (the Aegis), I think his name on Earth is Sunny. Source: Instagram
Chinese fans have also shown their gratitude for Hassan through other means, such as donating money for his nasi lemak stall, Dapur Hassan Muslim Food in Tampines, and posting glowing reviews.
An immense number of fans transferred him money, to the point where the QR code for the stall was reportedly temporarily blocked by the bank.
Source: Facebook
One screenshot showed that a fan had sent him 53.74 yuan (S$10.02) while another transferred 47.66 yuan (S$8.89).
Numerous fans, some who live in Singapore but also many from China, also posted five-star Google reviews of the stall in a show of appreciation.
Source: Google
Hassan then recorded a video with his teammates for Chinese fans, which was later reposted to Weibo, thanking them for their donations and praise.
Source: Weibo
Hassan declined to comment on the matter when MS News reached out.
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Featured image adapted from ASEAN United FC on Facebook and Weibo.
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