If Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ is etched forever in FIFA World Cup history, ASEAN football can boast of its own iconic moment: R. Sasikumar’s ‘Shoulder of God’. 

The Singapore defender emerged as the unlikeliest of heroes in his nation’s first-ever title win at the ASEAN Championship, now known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™, when he scored the solitary goal in the 1998 final against Vietnam in Hanoi.

In the 71st minute, Kadir Yahaya’s centre deep into the Vietnamese penalty area saw Sasikumar challenge goalkeeper Trần Tiến Anh and, in an uncanny twist of fate, the ball ricocheted off his shoulder and into the net.

The extraordinary goal would help Singapore capture their first major international football title and become one of the Hyundai Cup™’s most iconic moments.

Victory set the foundation for the Lions to lift three more ASEAN Championship titles in 2004, 2007 and 2012 and they are now the second-most successful nation in the Hyundai Cup™, behind regional kingpins Thailand.

“I almost didn’t make the tournament because I had a niggling knee issue,” says Sasikumar of the competition that would come to define him.

“I knew this was an opportunity for me to go to a tournament as a starter because myself and many of the other boys had worked with (head coach) Barry Whitbread over the last three years, almost four years, and this was going to be Barry’s final assignment.

“Eighty percent of the team had been playing together for three years, Barry trusted us. We had a few senior players that added a bit of experience, guidance and leadership. That team was very well balanced and super fit, as Barry had all his teams playing.”

The memorable win, achieved against the odds in a packed-out Hàng Đẫy Stadium, made amends for the Lions’ disappointing exit from the group stage when Singapore hosted the inaugural edition of the ASEAN Championship two years earlier.

In Hanoi, Singapore, rebuilding in the wake of the retirement of senior players such as Fandi Ahmad and David Lee, topped their group following wins over Malaysia and Laos while also holding Vietnam to a goalless draw. 

They then defeated Indonesia 2-1 in the semi-finals, courtesy of goals from Rafi Ali and Nazri Nasir, to set up a title decider against hosts Vietnam and the rest is now firmly established in ASEAN football history.

“People thought it was finally going to be Vietnam’s year, playing against the underdogs with 50,000 in the stadium and another 100,000 outside,” says Sasikumar of the build-up to the final. “They tried to keep us up all night on their motorbikes, honking outside the hotel.

“But this team that Barry put together, the mental strength of the team was on another level.

“We knew when we walked onto the pitch that night that it was a great opportunity to go down in history, to be the first Singapore team to win. Not just me. We knew there was a chance. We trusted each other and we were a good team.”

The Singaporeans had already neutered the threat of the Vietnamese attack in their previous meeting in the group phase, the teams drawing 0-0 as defenders Sasikumar and S. Subrimani kept strikers Nguyễn Hồng Sơn and Lê Huỳnh Đức uncharacteristically quiet.

Similarly, the final was goalless until, with 19 minutes left, the pivotal moment arrived.

Vietnam’s defence only partially cleared a corner with possession eventually ending up at the feet of Kadir and, with Sasikumar still forward, the full back thumped the ball into the space between his teammate and goalkeeper Tiến Anh.

“As I was running towards the goalkeeper, I took a glimpse at him and I realised he was looking at me and not the ball,” says Sasikumar. “So I thought, ‘Here we go, we have a chance’.

“I knew he was going to kill me, this was his chance and he was going to go for me. I was expecting the impact, so that’s why when I jumped, I turned my body and put my head up to try to protect myself. I knew he was coming for me.

“He was trying to punch the ball and take me out at the same time, but he missed the ball. I’m 1.92 meters so the ball’s going to hit some part of my body. It hit my shoulder and it can go anywhere.

“But it was my moment, it was written in the stars that I was going to be the protagonist in this game.

“My first thought was that it was going to be a foul. For sure the referee’s going to call for a foul. A few of my teammates, the reserves, they were going wild.

“I turned and the referee had pointed to the centre circle and that was the moment I knew I’d scored. But after that it was all a blank. I didn’t know what was happening. It was an out-of-body experience for a bit!” 

Singapore were forced to hold on for the remainder of the game, with goalkeeper Rezal Hassan earning Man of the Match honours for his performance between the posts as the Lions made history.

The goal has since become part of regional footballing folklore and, while it has been dubbed ‘the Shoulder of God’ in many circles, Sasikumar prefers a slightly different take on the label.

“I would say the term ‘The Blade of God’ resonates more, I even own that domain name!” he says. “I’m a marketing guy now. At some point in your life, you’re known for something and this was my moment and this is what I was supposed to do.”

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