Asian Cup spot gives Singapore football a boost, but sustaining momentum the true test: Ex-players, pundits

SINGAPORE: Perhaps no one knows the pain of coming excruciatingly close to qualifying for the Asian Cup better than former national midfielder Rafi Ali.

The year was 1996 and Singapore was playing Thailand for a place in the tournament. Win, and Singapore would qualify for the first time on merit. But a draw would see Thailand go through instead.

Singapore looked almost certain to qualify after a brace from forward V Selvaraj put the Lions two goals up, recalled Rafi, who played in that match in front of a home crowd at the old National Stadium.

But in a game where nothing is certain, Thailand went on to score two goals to draw the game, leaving the stadium and Rafi stunned.

Despite being part of the squads that won the 1994 Malaysia Cup and the 1998 Tiger Cup, Rafi carried the pain of that near miss for decades.

“It left a huge scar on you … we were leading 2-0 and (felt) we were going to the Asian Cup already,” said the 52-year-old. “There was a sense of unfinished business.”

That wound finally healed on Tuesday night, when Singapore came from behind to beat Hong Kong 2-1 and qualify for the Asian Cup.

“These boys are the biggest now, because they made history,” he said.

“We won the Tiger Cup, we won the Malaysia Cup, whatever. But these boys qualified for the Asian Cup, and it’s the biggest competition we will have played in.”

Former teammate R Sasikumar, who shared that heartbreak in 1996, was equally moved by the current team's feat.

“I didn’t believe that during my lifetime we would be in a major tournament,” said the 50-year-old. “That was until yesterday.”

Across Singapore’s football fraternity, players, pundits and fans hailed the squad’s achievement and urged the ecosystem to build on this momentum.

Football presenter and