Sport
Sport
Gavin Lee’s men now have six points from their first two group games.
Singapore's Ilhan Fandi celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Timor-Leste’ during their ASEAN Championship match on Jul 27, 2026. (Photo:CNA/Syamil Sapari)
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SINGAPORE: Singapore continued their unbeaten start to the ASEAN Hyundai Cup by beating Timor-Leste 2-0 on Monday (July 27).
In front of a crowd of 4,665 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, goals from Ilhan Fandi and Song Ui-young were enough to give Gavin Lee’s men their second consecutive group stage victory.
This win follows the Lions’ 2-1 victory over Cambodia on Jul 24, which came courtesy of a last-gasp Ilhan scissors kick.
“In terms of performance, it was a lot better than Cambodia,” said Lee post-game.
“Credit to the boys, they took their chances (and scored) two good goals. I thought they could have scored a few more, but a clean sheet at the end is always nice. So we can build on this.”
Lee made three changes to the starting line-up on Monday, with Ilhan, Song and Nur Adam Abdullah replacing Shawal Anuar, Ryhan Stewart and Hami Syahin.
It was the Lions who had the marginally better start and could have got a penalty in the 9th minute. Ilhan was played through on goal and looked as if he was taken out by Timor-Leste goalkeeper Dylan Niski, but the referee waved away the claims.
Despite losing 0-7 to Vietnam in their opener, Timor-Leste held their own and were solid at the back for much of the half.
It was Ilhan once again at the centre of all things good for Singapore and he had the ball in the back of the net in the 33rd minute. An in-swinging cross from Song found his head, but he was adjudged to have been offside.
“It’s the fighting spirit in us that whenever things don’t go our way, we try and stay in the game and that helps us a lot,” said Ilhan.
“Credit to the fans as well, they pushed us on. We knew the goal was going to come and thankfully it did.”
But the Lion City Sailors attacker was not to be denied. He got his goal four minutes before the interval with a glancing header off a brilliant ball from Nur Adam.
The Lions should have got their second just after the half, but Irfan Fandi’s header from a corner fell just wide.
They were rewarded for their attacking endeavour in the 56th minute as a Kyoga Nakamura cross was planted into the back of the net by Song.
The win leaves the Lions top of Group A with six points, while Vietnam, who have yet to play their second game, have three points. Indonesia, Cambodia and Timor-Leste round out the rest of the group.
“For these 24 hours, at least we should enjoy the win. The win is a win,” said Lee.
“In football, it’s not always high moments, so when you have a good moment, enjoy it … We’ve got some very level-headed senior players that will keep us grounded, but like with every performance, we’re always looking to do better.”
The ASEAN Hyundai Cup – the 16th edition of the ASEAN Championship – will run from Jul 24 to Aug 26, with group stage matches to be played on a home-or-away single round-robin basis.
The tournament’s other group, Group B, comprises Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.
At the last edition of the tournament, the Lions, then coached by Tsutomu Ogura, made it to the semi-finals but bowed out after falling 5-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Vietnam.
Singapore will travel to Vietnam for their next group fixture on Friday (Jul 31).
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