The Singapore Lions overcame a two-goal deficit against China in the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers (WCAQ) last night (21 March).
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook
The nail-biting match was coach Tsutomu Ogura’s first game leading the Lions since his appointment in February.
It was also the Lions’ first point in their WCAQ campaign.
The Lions took to the National Stadium on Thursday (21 March) for the third match of their WCAQ.
The Singapore team, however, conceded after just 10 minutes, with China’s Wu Lei’s netting the first goal of the game.
Wu went on to miss a penalty but made up for his mistake in the added minutes of the first half, extending China’s winning gap.
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook
Ogura, however, was not about to let his first game as head coach end in a loss.
“I told my players at half-time ‘please don’t be scared’, play our football,” he said in a post-match conference.
“If we can play our football we have a chance.”
After the half-time break, Ogura made two changes to his squad, including bringing on forward Faris Ramli.
The substitutions proved key as Faris scored in the 53rd minute, just seven minutes after being subbed on.
The Lions secured their point after a dramatic goal from substitute Jacob Mahler in the 81st minute.
Despite the exciting comeback, Ogura did not seem satisfied with the draw.
We could have won, somebody told me congratulations, why?
“Please don’t say congratulations, if last moment we got a goal, then yes,” he expressed.
Regardless, many Singaporeans took to social media to express their pride for the Lions, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“Well done to the team and coach Tsutomu Ogura! Every effort counts, so keep working hard and continue flying the flag high,” he shared in a Facebook post.
Coach Ogura also acknowledged the work that needs to be done to maintain the fighting spirit.
“I’m not a magician, I cannot change much in two weeks,” he said.
The Lions sit bottom of Group C after their draw and will face China again next Tuesday (26 March) in Tianjin.
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Featured image adapted from Football Association of Singapore on Facebook and Facebook.
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