ASEAN Championship Semi-Finals
03:45 Share

The glory days of Singapore football. When Fundy Ahmad and Visandran Morthy were household names, Singapore's 1994 national side roared to a triumphant M-League and Malaysia Cup double. Back then, the Singapore roar was loud enough to rattle HDB windows.

Fast forward to this year's ASEAN Championship and we've swapped those heady victories for a goalless draw with Malaysia. Though, to their great annoyance, it did get us into the semi-finals against Vietnam. With the national stadium hosting a pop concert, because priorities, the first league on December 26th shifted to Jalan Besar Stadium, a venue more intimate than epic.

Tickets vanished almost instantly and over 5,200 fans packed the stands. Meanwhile, as a ticketless supporter, I found myself outside Eastside Gate 3 at street level, soaking up the atmosphere with a backdrop of drumming and singing that spilled out into the night. A free concert of a different kind. MUSIC PLAYS

The FIFA rankings didn't exactly favour us. Singapore at 160th, Vietnam at 114th, but football isn't played on spreadsheets, so hope sprang eternal, especially with the home crowd advantage. Vietnam had a small but spirited pocket of fans in the stands, but most of the voices were behind the lines. For 90 minutes, Singapore held Vietnam to a tense stalemate.

Then, in injury time, the visitors found the net not once, but twice. A reminder that football can be as cruel as it is beautiful. The return leg on the 29th was another win for Vietnam. And with that, our hopes for an appearance in the ASEAN Championship final was extinguished.

In the 1990s, the Singapore roar could shake stadium rafters. These days, it's not heard as often, but tonight was different. The singing was heartfelt, the drumming passionate, and the national anthem rang out with pride. You've been hearing the ASEAN Championship semi-final between the Singapore Lions and Vietnam. Here is Jalan Besar Stadium, postcode 207542.

Check out this episode of Show Notes for more information about Singapore football or visit our website, hearhere.show. Catch you on the next ep.