Singapore coach Gavin Lee praised his players’ resilience as the four-times champions booked their place in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 with a 1-1 draw against Indonesia.
Ilhan Fandi’s 66th minute equaliser earned the Lions the point they needed to advance at the expense of the Indonesians, claiming second place in Group A behind Vietnam ahead of John Herdman’s team.
“I am very proud of the players and staff,” said Lee. “It has not been an easy journey.
“Even before the tournament began, I do not think many people gave us much of a chance in this group. For us to dig deep, grind out the performances and secure the results is a very satisfying feeling as a coach.
“The players gave everything on the pitch and focused on what they could control. They ignored the refereeing decisions, mistakes and big moments and simply kept going. I am very pleased for the players and the staff. Now we have to recover and go again.”
The Singaporeans emerged through the group phase unbeaten after wins over Cambodia and Timor-Leste and draws with Vietnam and Indonesia, leaving Lee’s side to face the winners of Group B in the semi-finals next week.
“As a team, we have now managed to put together two strong team performances against Vietnam and Indonesia,” he said. “It was not easy, but the team were able to finish tonight’s game as strongly as possible. That is a positive indication of our fitness level collectively.
“As I said before the competition, we wanted to grow as the tournament progressed. Now it is about taking the next step into the semi-finals, and hopefully we will be even better for that experience.”
Indonesia went into the clash at Jalan Besar Stadium needing to win after their 3-0 loss to Vietnam in the previous round of group matches and took the lead through Ragnar Oratmangoen two minutes into the second half.
But a defensive error gifted Ilhan the equaliser and Indonesia’s wait for a first ASEAN Championship title will go on for another two years at least.
“Our players left everything out there and gave everything they had,” said Herdman, who was leading the Indonesian in the competition for the first time. “That pretty much sums up the game. We gave everything but could not get the result we wanted.”
Despite his side’s exit, the Englishman was able to take some positives from the experience.
“As I told the players before this tournament, this was an opportunity for them to showcase themselves and push their case,” he said. “When you look at a young player such as 19-year-old Mitch Baker, you can see that there is much more to his game than simply his physical presence. He can do many things, and I am very excited about his potential and his future.
“This tournament has also allowed him and some of the other younger or newer players to understand ASEAN football, the types of opponents they face, how matches are managed and how tournament are structured. There has therefore been some excellent experience for those players.
“At the same time, I feel sorry for some of the older players. They gave this tournament their best effort and made significant sacrifices to be here. They desperately wanted to win a trophy for Indonesia. Unfortunately, that will not happen this time, but they gave everything.”
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