IT’S been a long time – far too long, in fact – since the National Stadium heard a Kallang Roar with a decibel level as high as this.

Singapore’s men’s national football team, in poor form for many months, rediscovered their energy and fighting spirit in front of 28,414 fans – including President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong – on Thursday (Mar 21) night.

With a new head coach watching from the sidelines, the Lions somehow mustered the strength to rally from a two-goal half-time deficit against China to level the score at 2-2, a result that earned them their first point in the qualification process for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

It could have even been a dream winning start for Singapore’s Japanese coach Tsutomu Ogura against an opponent ranked 68 places above them in the Fifa rankings. 

The 57-year-old watched agonisingly as his team missed a clear goalscoring opportunity in the closing minutes and had a legitimate appeal for a penalty cruelly turned down by the referee.

For once, the Lions were cheered – not booed – off the pitch at the final whistle, with their long-suffering fans buoyed by a gutsy performance that was last seen when an eight-man Singapore lost 4-2 at home to Indonesia in the semi-final of the AFF Suzuki Cup on Christmas Day in 2021.

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Thursday’s fightback against the Chinese came in for much praise. 

In a rare mention of anything related to Singapore football, Fifa posted a photo of the final result on its social media platforms with the caption “Comeback mentality” along with a flexed biceps emoji and the Singapore flag.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote in a Facebook post that the Lions “displayed fighting spirit and grit”.

“Well done to the team and coach Tsutomu Ogura! Every effort counts, so keep working hard and continue flying the flag high. All the best for your upcoming match with China again in Tianjin (on Mar 26),” he said.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, an avid football fan, also sent his congratulations on Facebook. “Take a bow, Lions! A fighting performance in the second half!” he said.

Still bottom

At the halfway mark of the qualifying round, Singapore are at the foot of their four-team section with just this solitary point, having lost their opening two matches. Leaders South Korea are a shoo-in to make it to the next round, while the second available spot looks to be a two-way tussle between Thailand and China.

Of course, the Lions are not completely out of the picture, although Ogura will have to mastermind at least two wins from their remaining three fixtures to have a realistic chance of taking the runner-up position.

He will oversee his first overseas match with Singapore on Tuesday as they prepare to fly to Tianjin, a metropolis in the northeastern coast of mainland China.

A win in what will be a difficult environment will put them in prime position ahead of their final group game at home on June 7, when favourites South Korea – which could have already qualified by then and could rest some of their star players – come to Kallang.

The Lions wrap things up five days later in Bangkok where they will face South-east Asian rivals Thailand, a team they are very familiar with, having tussled numerous times over the years in different regional competitions.

The Koreans, led by captain and Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, defeated Singapore 5-0 last year in Seoul. The Thais were also impressive in beating the Lions 3-1 at the National Stadium.

While many fans celebrated the China draw, which halted the run of defeats, it was telling that it was Ogura who wanted to play down the achievement.

“Somebody told me ‘congratulations’. I asked why? I’m not satisfied. I also told the players this. Please don’t (congratulate). If we got another goal, that will be congratulations,” said the former Tokyo Verdy assistant manager. “Of course, China is a good team and it was difficult but we had chances to win. In the last five to 10 minutes, we could have won.”

Fighting words, indeed. The Lions are definitely not out of the race to the 2026 World Cup, and if they perform at the same level of intensity in their remaining games, the results and the points will come their way.