Straits Times Indonesia | August 02, 2011
Singapore captain Shahril Ishak called it "a World Cup final". A Malaysian fan at Bukit Jalil Stadium, clutching a replica of the World Cup trophy, seemed to agree with him.
The fantasy, perpetuated over two weeks by supporters, footballers and newspapers on both sides of the Causeway, goes something like this: Singapore versus Malaysia is the mother of all battles, the one tie to end them all.
The Lions' victory was sweet, but it is time for a reality check, and a continental-sized one at that.
Two good results against the 146th-best team in the world - Singapore are 131st - do not make for a summer of revival. And, with all due respect to Malaysia, beating our nearest neighbours is the absolute minimum we have come to expect from our national side.
This, after all, is a team who are being groomed for something greater, something that was spelt out in a strategic plan tabled by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
The target, according to FAS officials, is for the Republic to breach Asia's top 10 by 2015. With four years to go before the timer runs out, Singapore are ranked 18th, ahead of Yemen and Indonesia, but behind the East Asian powers, a clutch of Middle Eastern nations and Thailand.
To mix it with the big boys, the Lions have to beat them, and that is the true objective they must not lose sight of, no matter how tasty the victory was against Malaysia.
Make no mistake, the national team are a work in progress, with deficiencies in several parts that still need addressing. The attack, for one, remains overly-reliant on Aleksandar Duric, who turns 41 next week.
Khairul Nizam, his potential successor, is not yet ready to lead the line. Singapore, on the whole, are not yet ready to join Asia's G10.
But there are signs of improvement.
Three years ago, Singapore finished third, behind Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, in the third round of World Cup qualifying.
At the end of the qualifying stage, Singapore were 20th in Asia. In the three years that have passed, they have improved by only two places.
Then, officials admitted that the Lions' technical abilities were lacking, with basics like ball control, keeping possession and running into space still not up to scratch.
Malaysia may not have been the toughest of opponents, but the flashes of skill seen over the two legs - take a bow, Qiu Li - seem to signal that standards have inched up.
Discipline appears to have made a belated return, too. In a year when the domestic game was blighted by violence and several former Lions were berated for their lack of discipline, the players - as far as we know - went about their business in KL like the professionals they are paid to be.
During the second leg, there were no red cards, no retaliation for the physical battering they got from their opponents, and, best of all, no weak hearts.
The question is: Will it be enough to befuddle the Chinese, Iraqis and Jordanians? Not if the Lions do not believe they can do it.
When asked about the upcoming third-round World Cup qualifying campaign after the win over Malaysia, many players spoke of how grateful they were to get a chance to play against the best Asian sides. Others gave pithy lines about how it would just be a good experience.
All that is true, but the Lions must set their sights much, much higher. The key to defeating more illustrious opponents is to believe they can do it. And, with confidence distilled from the fiery encounters with Malaysia, they might just succeed.
With public approval ratings for the Lions at a high, they can also count on some unprecedented support when their third-round rivals hit town.
They will need it too, for the match against Jordan, in particular, will rival the ones against Malaysia in terms of intensity and physicality.
Their players allegedly attacked the Lions in the tunnel after losing 1-2 at the National Stadium in an Asian Cup qualifier two years ago, and Raddy Avramovic's men will need all the discipline and self-restraint they can muster to confine the fireworks to the field.
Thankfully, these lessons - and more - were pressed home in three hours of football against our fiercest rivals.
For the veterans in the Singapore side who have braved Indonesia's Senayan Stadium, or King Abdullah International Stadium in Jordan, Bukit Jalil was just another day in the office.
But for the young ones in their midst - Izwan Mahbud, Safuwan Baharudin and several others who sat goggle-eyed on the bench - this was a priceless introduction to the sound and fury of international football.
It will put some steel in their backs, as the Lions prepare for the real mission at hand - outsmarting China, Iraq and Jordan over six "World Cup finals".
Malaysia's Abdul Hadi Yahaya, left, is challenged by Singapore's Daniel Bennett during the second leg of the round two match of the Asian Zone FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifications at National Stadium near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week. (EPA Photo/Ahmad Yusni)
Singapore captain Shahril Ishak called it "a World Cup final". A Malaysian fan at Bukit Jalil Stadium, clutching a replica of the World Cup trophy, seemed to agree with him.
The fantasy, perpetuated over two weeks by supporters, footballers and newspapers on both sides of the Causeway, goes something like this: Singapore versus Malaysia is the mother of all battles, the one tie to end them all.
The Lions' victory was sweet, but it is time for a reality check, and a continental-sized one at that.
Two good results against the 146th-best team in the world - Singapore are 131st - do not make for a summer of revival. And, with all due respect to Malaysia, beating our nearest neighbours is the absolute minimum we have come to expect from our national side.
This, after all, is a team who are being groomed for something greater, something that was spelt out in a strategic plan tabled by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
The target, according to FAS officials, is for the Republic to breach Asia's top 10 by 2015. With four years to go before the timer runs out, Singapore are ranked 18th, ahead of Yemen and Indonesia, but behind the East Asian powers, a clutch of Middle Eastern nations and Thailand.
To mix it with the big boys, the Lions have to beat them, and that is the true objective they must not lose sight of, no matter how tasty the victory was against Malaysia.
Make no mistake, the national team are a work in progress, with deficiencies in several parts that still need addressing. The attack, for one, remains overly-reliant on Aleksandar Duric, who turns 41 next week.
Khairul Nizam, his potential successor, is not yet ready to lead the line. Singapore, on the whole, are not yet ready to join Asia's G10.
But there are signs of improvement.
Three years ago, Singapore finished third, behind Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, in the third round of World Cup qualifying.
At the end of the qualifying stage, Singapore were 20th in Asia. In the three years that have passed, they have improved by only two places.
Then, officials admitted that the Lions' technical abilities were lacking, with basics like ball control, keeping possession and running into space still not up to scratch.
Malaysia may not have been the toughest of opponents, but the flashes of skill seen over the two legs - take a bow, Qiu Li - seem to signal that standards have inched up.
Discipline appears to have made a belated return, too. In a year when the domestic game was blighted by violence and several former Lions were berated for their lack of discipline, the players - as far as we know - went about their business in KL like the professionals they are paid to be.
During the second leg, there were no red cards, no retaliation for the physical battering they got from their opponents, and, best of all, no weak hearts.
The question is: Will it be enough to befuddle the Chinese, Iraqis and Jordanians? Not if the Lions do not believe they can do it.
When asked about the upcoming third-round World Cup qualifying campaign after the win over Malaysia, many players spoke of how grateful they were to get a chance to play against the best Asian sides. Others gave pithy lines about how it would just be a good experience.
All that is true, but the Lions must set their sights much, much higher. The key to defeating more illustrious opponents is to believe they can do it. And, with confidence distilled from the fiery encounters with Malaysia, they might just succeed.
With public approval ratings for the Lions at a high, they can also count on some unprecedented support when their third-round rivals hit town.
They will need it too, for the match against Jordan, in particular, will rival the ones against Malaysia in terms of intensity and physicality.
Their players allegedly attacked the Lions in the tunnel after losing 1-2 at the National Stadium in an Asian Cup qualifier two years ago, and Raddy Avramovic's men will need all the discipline and self-restraint they can muster to confine the fireworks to the field.
Thankfully, these lessons - and more - were pressed home in three hours of football against our fiercest rivals.
For the veterans in the Singapore side who have braved Indonesia's Senayan Stadium, or King Abdullah International Stadium in Jordan, Bukit Jalil was just another day in the office.
But for the young ones in their midst - Izwan Mahbud, Safuwan Baharudin and several others who sat goggle-eyed on the bench - this was a priceless introduction to the sound and fury of international football.
It will put some steel in their backs, as the Lions prepare for the real mission at hand - outsmarting China, Iraq and Jordan over six "World Cup finals".
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