Singapore entered the ASEAN Cup semi-finals for the second time since 2012. They had a relatively difficult group stage, winning 2 matches, drawing 1 match and losing 1 match.
As the runners-up in Group A, they will face Vietnam, who topped Group B after beating Myanmar 5-0 on December 21. The first leg will be played at Jalan Besar Stadium on December 26, with the return leg taking place in Vietnam three days later.
“The ASEAN Cup has brought good results for Singapore football. I told the players that they are changing history. It is not from me but from the players.
In the match against Thailand, we led 2-0 but then lost 2-4, a new page of history was almost opened but then closed. Now, we have a ticket to the semi-finals, many new hopes opened for the Singapore team. But it is a process, we need to try harder", Mr. Tsutomu Ogura shared with the Sunday Times (Singapore).
According to the Japanese strategist, a change in the way the Singapore team plays football is a key factor if they want to progress and create a foundation for the younger generations to follow. Mr. Ogura emphasized that through the matches, the players have improved.
They wanted to “play football properly”, to get rid of the inferiority complex and fear in the first two matches. Moreover, the Singaporean players also showed perseverance and determination in their playing style. That was clearly shown in the final match of the group stage, where they drew 0-0 with Malaysia under the pressure of more than 31,000 home fans.
Singaporean media highly appreciated Mr. Ogura's ability to be more outgoing than his predecessor Takayuki. The strategist born in 1961 also protected his players in public, taking responsibility for defeats and poor results.
Mr. Ogura has been criticized for taking the Singapore team to Japan for a training camp in October 2024, playing against J.League teams, instead of choosing to play friendly matches with the national teams. Here, he rotated the squad, playing 3 friendly matches in 8 days - quite similar to the schedule in the group stage of this year's ASEAN Cup.
“I believe that Singapore’s preparation is good, but I don’t know if the results will come now or later. If the results come early, people will say that we have prepared effectively. Otherwise, we will be seen as having prepared poorly. But Singapore cannot stop here.
“In the long term, we need to build on what we are doing and be really professional in our approach to football. I don’t know how far we can go but I hope we can go far,” Ogura stressed.
