Singapore coach Gavin Lee’s pride in his side’s performance in their 0-0 draw with defending champions Vietnam in Hanoi on Friday was tempered by frustration despite the Lions remaining on top of Group A in the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026.
The draw moves the Singaporeans onto seven points from three group phase matches and keeps the four-times winners one point clear of second-placed Indonesia with the Vietnamese a further two points adrift in third.
After opening the tournament with back-to-back wins over Cambodia and Timor-Leste, Lee had hoped for more than a point from his team’s trip to the Mỹ Đình National Stadium.
“First and foremost, as a coach, I can only be very proud of the performance the players produced,” he said. “However, we spoke in the changing room and, although many aspects of the performance were good, we did not win the match.
“We came here looking for the victory, so that is still another step we have to make. Nevertheless, I am extremely proud of the performance because I thought our travelling supporters deserved it.”
The Vietnamese had dominated the first half, with Nguyễn Hoàng Đức hitting the woodwork, but Kim Sang-sik’s side were unable to find a way through a defence marshalled by veteran captain Hariss Harun, who was named Hyundai Player of the Match.
And with time ticking down, Singapore had chances of their own to pinch the points with Shawal Anuar going agonisingly close in the dying moments to a shock winner.
“For long periods, we remained in the game, created chances and defended the penalty area well,” said Lee. “We had some fortune, but so did Vietnam. We created several good opportunities that we would normally expect to convert.
“It is another indication of our progress, but we are still not satisfied because we did not win. There are many things to be proud of and pleased with, but we wanted to return home with three points.”
Kim, who is looking to lead Vietnam to successful titles for the first time, will lead his team into a crucial clash with Indonesia in Bogor on Monday with the South Korean admitting his team did not perform as expected in front of over 31,000 fans in Hanoi.
“Our pressing did not function as well as we wanted today, while Singapore controlled the situation effectively,” he said. “We will hold a meeting to analyse the issues from this match and make improvements ahead of the game against Indonesia.
“After the convincing victory against Timor-Leste, perhaps some of the players carried additional expectations and pressure into today’s match. As a result, they occasionally rushed their decisions.”
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