Football: Late Vietnam goals sink Singapore in first leg of ASEAN Championship semis

SINGAPORE: Two late goals in the depths of stoppage time saw the Lions fall 2-0 to regional heavyweights Vietnam in the first leg of the ASEAN Championship semi-finals on Thursday (Dec 26).

At the Jalan Besar Stadium, a stoppage-time penalty from Nguyen Tien Linh and a strike from Nguyen Xuan Son meant that Singapore have the odds stacked against them if they are to make their first tournament final since 2012.

Vietnam hold the additional advantage of playing at home, with the second leg at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province on Sunday.

The last time Singapore beat Vietnam was in the final of the 1998 edition of the tournament, then known as the Tiger Cup.

The loss also means that Singapore's unbeaten streak at the Jalan Besar Stadium came to an end. Before Thursday, Singapore's last loss at the 6,000-seater venue was in 2017 against Chinese Taipei.

Thursday's game was played at the Jalan Besar Stadium instead of the 55,000-capacity National Stadium following a late tournament schedule change by organisers.

This meant that the National Stadium was unavailable for this match and the rest of the tournament, having already been booked for concerts during this period.

Prior to kickoff, there was a short tribute to former Lion Adam Swandi, who earlier this week announced his retirement from the professional game at the age of 28 because of a heart condition.

Adam made 93 appearances for the Lion City Sailors, securing the 2021 SPL title, the 2023 Singapore Cup and two Community Shield trophies. He also has 22 appearances for the national team.

In front of a sea of red, Singapore showed no signs of being overawed by their opponents.

But it was Vietnam with the ball in the back of the net in the ninth minute but the goal was chalked