'Nobody gave us a chance in this group': Gavin Lee hails Lions after making ASEAN football championship semis

Singapore's Lions secured a spot in the ASEAN football championship semi-finals, drawing against Indonesia at the Jalan Besar Stadium. A crucial 66th-minute equalizer from Ilhan Fandi sealed their progression after Ragnar Oratmangoen had put the visitors ahead.

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Even before the tournament started, nobody gave us a chance really in this group. And so for us to just dig deep and grind (out) the performances and results is just a nice feeling as a coach.

Head coach Gavin Lee lauded his team's determination, highlighting that they entered the tournament with low expectations. "Even before the tournament started, nobody gave us a chance really in this group," Lee stated. "And so for us to just dig deep and grind (out) the performances and results is just a nice feeling as a coach."

Man of the match Jacob Mahler, 26, echoed the coach's sentiments, emphasizing the importance of the result for the fans and Singaporean football. "The main goal was to go to the next round, give Singaporeans a semi-final to see and to watch," Mahler said. "There's still stuff to work on and now it is full focus on the semi-finals."

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The main goal was to go to the next round, give Singaporeans a semi-final to see and to watch. There's still stuff to work on and now it is full focus on the semi-finals.

The Lions finished the group stage unbeaten with eight points, securing second place behind Vietnam. This marks their second consecutive appearance in the tournament's semi-finals. Coach Lee expressed hope that the team's success would foster greater self-belief, stating, "If we don't believe in ourselves, then no one would really."

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If we don't believe in ourselves, then no one would really.

Indonesia's coach John Herdman acknowledged Singapore's resilience and organization despite his team's perceived dominance. "Fair play to Singapore, they had great resilience, they were well organised, but we had enough chances to win that game," Herdman commented. Singapore will now face the winner of Group B in the semi-finals.

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Fair play to Singapore, they had great resilience, they were well organised, but we had enough chances to win that game.