Lions captain Hariss Harun (centre) and his teammates in training at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam, on Dec 28. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
PHU THO, Vietnam (The Straits Times/ANN): In the quiet Phu Tho province, 80km north-west of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, lies the Xuan Son National Park, where locals and tourists ascend several hiking paths which lead to mountains and caves.
Over at the provincial capital Viet Tri, about two hours’ car ride away, a pack of wounded Lions are resting and plotting.
They have a mountain of their own to scale on Sunday (Dec 29).
The second leg of their Asean Championship semi-final awaits at the Viet Tri Stadium, three days after a morale-sapping 2-0 defeat by Vietnam in the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium, where a brave display was undone by two injury-time goals.
The Lions will need at least two unanswered goals to stand a chance of ousting the Golden Star Warriors, who have conceded just twice in five matches. With the away-goals rule not in effect, even a 3-1 win for the Lions will only take the match to extra time.
History is not on their side, as Singapore have not beaten Vietnam since a 1-0 win in the 1998 final. The team must also quickly adapt to the environment, with the match set to kick off in a chilly 17 deg C amid a raucous atmosphere created by a sold-out 20,000 crowd.
But while they face long odds in their quest to reach an Asean Championship final for the first time since 2012, the Lions’ pack are not short of motivation.
Much of it stems from the possibility that this could be a last shot at regional glory for several stalwarts.
Veterans like Safuwan Baharudin (33), Shahdan Sulaiman (36), Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud (both 34) are driven by the desire to add to their solitary Asean title from 2012.
Others such as Nazrul Nazari (33), Faris Ramli (32) and Shawal Anuar (33) are racing against time to win their first title at this biennial competition.
It is no surprise then that they have refused to give up hope.
Shahdan, a popular figure at the team’s hotel lobby, where he fielded several photo requests from locals, said: “I have been having a feeling (of this being my last Asean tournament) even in the previous edition.
“As you get older, you accept that there are changes, you may not get called up. So you cherish it even more and if there is an opportunity to win it, we need to grab it with both hands.”
Faris, who has two goals in this tournament, pointed to 2015, when an all-Singaporean LionsXII outfit silenced the doubters and the 74,000 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium to win the Malaysia FA Cup final against Kelantan.
Describing it as one of his career highs, Faris said: “We were the underdogs, Kelantan were a strong side, the favourites and had a strong home support. But we had nothing to lose, we trusted the game plan, we believed.
“We know Vietnam’s quality, but we believe in our quality, too. We believe in the coaches’ instructions, the plan that they have. We need to be better as a team, we need to create better chances and when we get them, we need to be clinical. I hope the players give everything they have.”
The Lions, who arrived in Viet Tri on Dec 27, held their only training session the following evening and appeared to be in good spirits.
Lions coach Tsutomu Ogura said that regardless of age, his players have the same mission.
The Japanese said: “The experienced players are having the same energy as the younger ones... and they have the motivation to create history for Singapore.”
Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik, meanwhile, said his team will not be taking their first-leg advantage for granted.
The South Korean added: “We are one step closer to the final. However, 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline. We will do our best to stay humble and do our best.”
The Lions will be boosted by the return of Kyoga Nakamura.
The Japan-born midfielder, who watched the first leg from the stands as he was suspended, said the players were “angry and frustrated” by the loss and are motivated to overturn the deficit.
He added: “I watched the game and I understood Vietnam’s strengths and weaknesses. I hope to be able to change something on the pitch tomorrow.” - The Straits Times/ANN
