Photo by Action Images / Sport Singapore
Singapore were denied a berth in the next round of the 2014 Asian Games football tournament despite beating higher-ranked Palestine 2-1 on Sunday evening in Incheon, South Korea.
The victory proved inconsequential due to the other concurrent Group C game, where a late winner from Tajikistan two minutes into stoppage time gave them a 1-0 win against Oman and a final haul of six points to advance at the expense of Singapore.
It was so excruciatingly close, yet so far for Singapore, who have never qualified for the round of 16 in the history of the Asian Games.
Going into their final group game, Aide Iskandar's charges needed no less than victory against already-qualified group leaders Palestine to keep their hopes alive.
They drew first blood when Shahfiq Ghani struck a stunning 25-yard free-kick into the top right corner after two minutes. The LionsXII attacker replicated the feat at the 21-minute mark to put Singapore in the driving seat.
At the other end, a commanding display from goalkeeper Hassan Sunny and a series of last-ditch challenges denied Palestine, although they eventually pulled one back through Ahmed Maher Wridat four minutes from time.
Singapore hung on for their first three points, but the players' joy were dampened when they learnt of their fate at the final whistle.
The Lions' participation at this year's Asiad was lobbied hard for by the Football Association of Singapore, and their appeal to compete at the tournament was approved just a month before its start.
There were concerns that the Singapore side, comprised of Under-23 players with three over-aged seniors, would be outclassed by opponents Oman (world-ranked 76), Palestine (102) and Tajkistan (136).
'I believe the results and especially the performance(s) justify our participation in the Asian Games,' said coach Aide. 'The results evidently show that we can compete against the best in Asia.'
But the Singaporeans (149) held their own with some gutsy displays, narrowly losing the opener 1-0 to Tajikistan before clawing back from a two-goal deficit to hold Oman 3-3.
'I am very pleased to see the boys cultivating self-belief to win matches against whoever we play,' Aide commented. 'Young players like Ammirul Adli and Anu are showing great confidence at this level. They have a fearless attitude coming into all the games here, and it will be good to bring this forward for the upcoming Suzuki Cup.'
Singapore's final tally of four points remains an improvement from their one-point, bottom-place finish in 2010 and third-place in 2006 with two points.
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