Two goals in added time see Vietnam go into the second leg of the semi finals with both goal and home advantage
Hearts across the nation were shattered at the death once more as hopes for victory were dashed in added time, despite a valiant and spirited effort from the Singapore side. It was Vietnam who won 2-0 at the sold out Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday night, as the two clashed in the first leg of the AFF Mitsubishi Cup semi-finals.
Aware of the daunting challenge of securing an away win in Vietnam, Singapore knew they had to capitalise on their home game advantage. While it seemed like the home side were on the front foot in the first half, it all collapsed in the final minutes of the game when Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Linh and Nguyen Hoang Duc dispatched two goals to seal the win.
Despite The Lions' control of the first half, it was Vietnam's Dinh Thanh Binh who netted the first goal of the night in the 10th minute, though it was aptly ruled offside. Brazilian-born Rafaelson then pinged the crossbar with a cleanly-hit bicycle kick not long after.
The hostile atmosphere created by the 5,233-strong sea of red, coupled with The Lions' tenacity seemed to have rattled the Vietnamese, but neither side were really able to test the goalkeepers.
In the second half, Lions Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura and his team made a bold decision—go all in. Despite Ryhan Stewart and Glenn Kweh's stellar performances in the first half, the right-back made way for forward Faris Ramli, while Kweh came off for his Tampines Rovers teammate Taufik Suparno.
Apart from Shawal Anuar's offside goal in the 61st minute, Suparno went on to give Singapore its closest chance on goal in the 68th minute. Failure to clear the ball led to Vietnam's defence gifting it to Suparno in the box. The 29-year-old's flick of the ball however, was tipped over by Nguyen Dinh Trieu.
The match was not without its share of controversy as VAR took center stage late in the second half. Both Vietnam and Singapore were at its mercy, but it was Vietnam who ultimately benefitted.
Jalan Besar Stadium was sent into frenzy when Faris Ramli was dragged down in the penalty box. Calls for a penalty were ignored, to the disdain of the Singapore fans in the stadium.
The 83rd minute then saw Rafaelson, with his body faced away from goal, strike the ball from the edge of the box and into the net in what was a brilliant goal for Vietnam. The goal, however, was rescinded due to a handball after a very lengthy review, resulting in protests in the Vietnam camp leading to a yellow card for Vietnam's Head Coach Kim Sang Sik.
It all went downhill in the 97th minute, when miscommunication between Izwan Mahbud and Shakir Hamzah resulted in both teammates scrambling to intercept a ball being chased down by Rafaelson. Then falling to the ground and shielding the ball from the Vietnamese forward, Shakir was adjudged to have handled the ball after another VAR review.
Sending Izwan the wrong way, Tienh Linh converted the penalty comfortably to finally bag the night's first goal. The final blow for Singapore then came in the 103rd minute, with Rafaelson volleying the ball in from point blank range.
It was a familiar sense of dread for Singaporeans in the stadium and in the Community Centres, where locals had gathered to watch the game. Much like their 4-2 defeat against Thailand, The Lions let the game slip away in added time, despite battling hard for the majority of the match.
Similar to previous games this tournament, Singapore left no time to waste as players who were not involved against Vietnam began training on the pitch immediately after. The Lions now look ahead to the second leg of the semi-finals, set to be played in Hanoi on Sunday (29 December).
Here are more highlights of the clash against Vietnam.
Team Nila volunteers fill the stands alongside Singa Brigade. The two groups formed a big part of the Gallery Stand, chanting across to fellow Singaporeans on the Grandstand.
Shawal Anuar chips the ball over goalkeeper, Nguyen Dinh Trieu to score for Singapore, but the goal is correctly ruled offside.
Safuwan Baharudin is held by his shirt as he goes up against Nguyen Thanh Chung to challenge for the ball.
Taufik Suparno flicks the ball with his outer foot, causing goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu to dive at full stretch to tip it over the bar.
Faris Ramli slips past Ho Tan Tai before the Singaporean was brought down in the box. To the frustration of both home fans and players, no penalty was awarded.
Neutralised Vietnamese citizen, Rafaelson, was a powerhouse for his adopted nation last night, winning several physical battles and scoring the second goal for Vietnam to seal the victory.
Goalkeeper, Nguyen Dinh Trieu, comes out to defend a Singapore corner. The custodian is met with Singapore's towering defenders Safuwan Baharudin and Lionel Tan.
Singapore's Shakir Hamzah, Naqiuddin Eunos, Christopher Van Huizen and Abdul Rasaq warming up in the second half.
Singa Brigade, along with the Singapore fans on the Gallery Stand chant loudly in an attempt to distract referee Kim Sang Sik as he tries to make a VAR decision on whether to overturn Rafaelson's goal due to a handball.
Ultras Vietnam celebrating their nation's last-minute win at Jalan Besar Stadium.