Vietnam deserve to be in ASEAN Cup final: Singapore coach

Coach Tsutomu Ogura at the press conference after Singapore lost 1-3 to Vietnam in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup semifinals at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho Province on Dec. 29, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

"I would like to congratulate Vietnam. This is a strong team, fully deserving of being in the final," Ogura said during the post-match press conference at Viet Tri Stadium on Sunday. "Vietnam has a solid squad and effective tactics. I believe they will continue to perform well in the final."

Singapore faced immense pressure entering the second leg after a 0-2 home defeat in the first leg. Despite the return of key midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, Singapore struggled to overturn the deficit. They had 62% possession but failed to capitalize on it.

In the first half, Singapore appeared to score when Faris Ramli put the ball in Vietnam's net, but the goal was disallowed after VAR confirmed an offside play. Shortly after, in the 39th minute, VAR intervened again, ruling that center-back Lionel Tan fouled Nguyen Xuan Son by tearing his jersey and pushing him down in the penalty area. Son converted the penalty to give Vietnam the lead. In the 63rd minute, the Brazilian-born striker doubled the advantage with a close-range finish.

When asked about the decisions of the referee, Ogura responded: "VAR also impacted our result against Thailand in the group stage. But we respect the referee's decisions. What we need to focus on is improving our ability to handle situations and avoiding mistakes that lead to penalties."

Singapore's best moment came midway through the second half when Nakamura unleashed a powerful long-range shot to cut the deficit to 1-2. Minutes later, the Japanese-born midfielder forced a save from goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu. However, their momentum waned, and in the third minute of injury time, Singapore conceded another penalty after fouling Nguyen Van Vi was fouled. Nguyen Tien Linh stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner, securing a 3-1 victory for Vietnam.

Ogura revealed that before the match, he had instructed his players to focus on the game and not dwell on the 0-2 first-leg loss. He expressed pride in his team's progress day by day, emphasizing that Singapore's players demonstrated resilience and composure against a strong Vietnam team.

With their elimination from the ASEAN Cup, Singapore will now turn their attention to the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers during FIFA international break. Ogura remains optimistic about the team’s future, noting the potential to strengthen the squad by calling up overseas-based players with the domestic talents that showed significant progress in the ASEAN Cup.

 

 

Vietnam deserve to be in ASEAN Cup final: Singapore coach

Việt Nam 3-1 Singapore