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Ilhan Fandi sparked hope for Singapore with a brilliant individual effort. He got a touch on the ball before cutting in and curling it to the far right corner. The ball hit the post and went in, leaving Pathomakkakul no chance. This goal alone would make the second leg much more exciting.
It's the first goal conceded by Thailand at the tournament.
Singapore were disorganized and left much space to exploit. In such a play, Picha Autra dribbled the ball from midfield to create a three-on-one situation before entering the box and finishing, but could not beat Mahbud.
The first leg of the semifinals takes place at Jalan Besar Stadium, where Singapore sold out all 6,500 tickets in just minutes. While this marks the first time Singapore and Thailand have met in the ASEAN Cup semifinals, the two teams are no strangers to one another in the tournament. In their 11 previous encounters, Thailand have recorded seven wins, two draws, and two losses. Both of Thailand's defeats occurred in the finals, in 2007 and 2012.
In terms of form, the scales tip heavily in Thailand's favor. Anthony Hudson’s squad won all four of their group stage matches, scoring 10 goals without conceding any. They defeated Laos (5-0), Malaysia (2-0), the Philippines (1-0), and Myanmar (2-0) along the way.
Singapore advanced to the semifinals with a record of two wins and two draws. They beat Cambodia (2-1) and Timor-Leste (2-0), and drew with Vietnam (0-0) and Indonesia (1-1). Gavin Lee’s team remains unbeaten, though they lack the explosive attacking power of Thailand.
However, these factors make Singapore a team not to be underestimated. They are currently on an eight-match unbeaten streak in official competitions under Lee's leadership. The support of home fans in Jalan Besar could be the difference for Singapore.
