Singapore team sets historic milestone, officially qualifies for Asian Cup 2027

Singapore is the first Southeast Asian team to qualify for the finals.

The Singapore team has just made a miracle. Before the match against Hong Kong China, they have the same 8 points as their direct competitors. A win in the match between Singapore and Hong Kong China will decide which team officially qualifies for the finals.

In fact, Hong Kong China started better. With home advantage, the team quickly took the lead in the first half. Matt Orr, a New Zealander, headed the ball into the Singapore net.

But in the second half, things turned around quickly. In just 3 minutes from 64 to 67, Singapore scored 2 goals in a row. First, Shawal made a beautiful combination with Ilhan Fandi and skillfully pushed the ball past Wang to score. Then, Izwan Mahbud blocked Camargo's shot and launched an attack, which ended with Ilhan Fandi's left-footed shot. The score was 2-1 in favor of the Southeast Asian representative.

In the remaining 30 minutes, Hong Kong China tried their best but they could not get at least 1 point back from Singapore. The final result was Singapore winning 2-1. In a group with formidable names such as India and Hong Kong China, but in the end, the team with inconsistent performance in the past few years, Singapore, surprisingly took the lead.

After 5 matches, the team ranked 155th in the world has won the top position with 11 points, 3 points more than Hong Kong China with 1 match left. Due to the superior head-to-head record with Hong Kong China, Singapore has secured the leading position, along with a direct ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals. After Indonesia got a direct ticket without having to play the qualifying round, Singapore is the 2nd Southeast Asian team to reach the 2027 Asian Cup.

This is the first time in history that Singapore has qualified for an Asian Cup. In 1984, they were the hosts and were automatically qualified for the finals, but in all the remaining qualifying rounds, Singapore were eliminated, and even finished bottom of the group many times.

It can be said that this is a historic milestone for football in the Lion Island. Coach Gavin Lee of this team shared his joy after the match: "The milestone we achieved is for everyone, for Singapore, not just me or the national team. So, I hope everyone in Singapore will have a good night's sleep tonight."

Source: https://tienphong.vn/doi-tuyen-singapore-lap-cot-moc-lich-su-chinh-thuc-vuot-qua-vong-loai-asian-cup-2027-post1797464.tpo