Commentary: Singapore's comeback draw against China provides hope for a brighter footballing future

SINGAPORE: It was never just about the result, but the heart.

On Thursday (Mar 21), Singapore came back from two goals down to hold China to a 2-2 draw at the National Stadium.

A Wu Lei first-half double seemed to have dashed any hopes of Singapore picking up any points in the third match of their World Cup qualifying campaign.

But substitute Faris Ramli gave the Lions a route back into the game before Jacob Mahler also came off the bench to smash home a late equaliser.

What stood out was the Lions' desire to prove their mettle. And this was a thoroughly encouraging performance amid what has been a difficult few years for Singapore football. 

Impressively, Singapore showed no signs of being overawed by opponents bigger in stature and higher in the world rankings.

Just ask Lionel Tan, who spent the wee hours of Friday morning getting 15 stitches for a busted lip. Or look at custodian Hassan Sunny, who was unfazed against the experienced Wu Lei and saved a penalty.

Midfielder Shah Shahiran snapped into every tackle he possibly could, while Safuwan Baharudin seemed to cover every blade of glass for almost 100 minutes.

There was also a dynamism which had been missing in recent times.

This came in the form of Singapore's younger players - with half-time substitutes Jacob Mahler (24) and Harhys Stewart (23) providing an instant injection of energy.

Their efforts did not go unnoticed.

"Well played Lions!! All we ever wanted was to see you guys play with heart!!" said one commenter on the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) Facebook page.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong chimed with a post noting that the team had shown "grit" and "fighting spirit".

Also noteworthy was Singapore new head coach Tsutomu Ogura's tactical nous. While he