The Singapore team won against Timor-Leste 2-0 in the 2nd match of Group A of the ASEAN Cup 2026. This result helps the Lion City team temporarily top the group, ranked above the Vietnam and Indonesia teams and played one more match.
In the next match, the Singapore team will have a match predicted to be difficult against the defending champion - the Vietnam team away from home. In the opening match, the Vietnam team defeated Timor-Leste 7-0 away from home. With experience in facing both opponents, coach Ze Pedro gave his perspective on the Vietnam vs Singapore match.
According to this strategist, although Singapore has played well, they need to try harder to score against Vietnam. He shared with Singaporean media: "The match will be difficult for Singapore because Vietnam is playing at home. These are two strong teams, and Singapore has many good players who can make a difference.
Meanwhile, coach Gavin Lee and Singaporean players are very confident before the match against Vietnam. Striker Ilhan Fandi, who scored 2 goals in 2 matches for Singapore at this year's ASEAN Cup, said: "We played against Timor-Leste and there is still much to improve. The whole team is looking forward to the match against Vietnam.
The Vietnamese team is the reigning ASEAN Cup champion and is rated highest in Group A. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team has a strong force, compared to 2 years ago with the addition of two quality naturalized players, Do Hoang Hen and Nguyen Tai Loc.
In addition, the Vietnamese team will play at home and have more rest. According to the Singapore Football Association (FAS), the match against the Vietnamese team is the biggest challenge for Gavin Lee's team. The winning team will set one foot in the semi-finals.
At ASEAN Cup 2024, Singapore team met Vietnam team in the semi-finals. In the first leg, Xuan Son and Tien Linh scored to help Vietnam team win 2-0. In the second leg in Phu Tho, coach Kim Sang-sik's team continued to win 3-1.
The Vietnam vs Singapore match will take place at 8:00 PM on July 31 at My Dinh Stadium.
