Singapore has nothing to lose, determined to turn the tables: The Vietnamese team must not be reckless

Singapore wants to surprise

“The Singapore team must overcome a mountain to reach the AFF Cup 2024 final,” Deepanraj Ganesan assessed while at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province, accompanying the Lion Island team to prepare for the competition. play the semi-final second leg at 8:00 p.m. on December 29 against the Vietnamese team.

“In the quiet province of Phu Tho, about 80km northwest of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, there is Xuan Son National Park, where locals and tourists climb several hiking trails for some distance. The long road leads to mountains and caves. In the provincial capital Viet Tri, about two hours’ drive away, Singaporean players, many of whom are injured and tired, are resting and planning. They have their own mountain to climb during the day 29.12”, Deepanraj Ganesan described.

The Singapore team lost 0-2 to the Vietnamese team at home at Jalan Besar, with all the goals coming in extra time. Now, coach Tsutomu Ogura’s team with many aging players will have to try to find a way to turn the tide. The Singapore team clearly has nothing to lose, they will definitely put all their remaining efforts into playing a successful match, Deepanraj Ganesan expressed.

Also according to Deepanraj Ganesan: “History is not on Singapore’s side, the team has not won any match against Vietnam since the 1-0 victory in the final in 1998. The team also has to quickly adapt to the environment, when the match The match started in cold weather conditions of about 17 degrees Celsius amid a bustling atmosphere from 20,000 spectators at Viet Tri Stadium when tickets were sold out.

“However, the big motivation for Singapore players is that this match is almost the last match for many key players, such as Safuwan Baharudin (33 years old), Shahdan Sulaiman (36 years old), Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud (both 34). Similarly, Nazrul Nazari (33), Faris Ramli (32) and Shawal Anuar (33), also see this as their last chance to win. The AFF Cup championship trophy in their career, therefore, it is not surprising that they all refused to give up hope, even though it was still very small,” Deepanraj Ganesan said through contacts with the players. Formerly in Viet Tri City.

“I had the feeling that this was the last AFF Cup of my career. As you get older, you have to accept that sometimes you won’t be called up to the team. So, when you have it, you have to appreciate it.” important and if we have a chance to win, we need to grasp it with both hands,” player Shahdan Sulaiman shared.

“We know the quality of the Vietnamese team, but we also believe in our quality. We believe in the coach’s instructions, in the plan they have and prepare. We need to play better as As a team, we need to create more opportunities and when we get them, we need to be sharp. I hope the players will give their all,” striker Faris Ramli, who scored 2 goals at This year’s AFF Cup, confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Singapore team’s hopes were also rekindled with the return of Japanese-born midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, a player suspended in the first leg of the semi-final due to a penalty card. He expressed: “I was angry and disappointed when the home team lost the first leg. I watched that match and understood the strengths and weaknesses of the Vietnamese team. I hope I can change something about it.” field in the return match on December 29″.