On the evening of December 29, the Singapore team suffered a 1-3 defeat to the Vietnam team in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 semi-final. This result caused coach Tsutomu Ogura and his team to stop in the semi-finals with a total score of 1-5 after 2 matches.
Sharing in the press conference after the match, coach Tsutomu Ogura sent his congratulations to the Vietnamese team.
He said: "Congratulations to the Vietnam team for reaching the final. I'm not sure who their opponents are in the final, but the Vietnam team reached the final and they are a strong team with good, clear tactics."
"I think Singapore had a good performance and improved day by day. I am proud that they were not afraid of the Vietnamese team. Today, the Vietnamese team was a strong opponent but the Singapore players had a good fighting spirit. I can be satisfied," coach Tsutomu Ogura assessed the Singapore team's performance in the second leg of the semi-final.
Coach Tsutomu Ogura also expressed regret that Singapore's goal in the second leg of the semi-final was not recognized by VAR. In addition, the lack of quality players being called up was also an issue that Mr. Tsutomu Ogura mentioned.
"Not only in this match, but also in the match against Thailand, we lost because of unfortunate goals and had to review VAR technology. The referee is the one who decides and we respect the referee. We have to practice more. We don't talk about the word "if" in football. Maybe, some things would have changed if the first goal hadn't appeared.
The Vietnam team uses many domestic players and has good quality. This is not the FIFA Days period, it is difficult to say exactly how many players currently playing abroad will be called back to help Singapore improve or not. It is very difficult to evaluate this. Hopefully Singapore will have the best squad and improve their performance," said coach Tsutomu Ogura.
Regarding the upcoming plan with the Singapore team after the conclusion of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, coach Tsutomu Ogura said: "Our next challenge is the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and we will have to prepare for this tournament. We will have a plan with many domestic players. Their level has improved significantly after the 2024 ASEAN Cup, but the next tournament is when many players who are overseas can be called up during the FIFA Days. They can combine well and produce good results."
