PETALING JAYA: Singapore could not make home advantage count, when they were beaten 2-0 by Vietnam with late goals in the AFF Cup semi-final.
Coach Tsutomu Ogura, however, is not one to give up hope. He still believes the Lions have what it takes to get to the final.
At the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday, the Vietnamese scored twice in injury time of the second half to silence the local fans.
Striker Nguyen Tien Linh (90+11th) buried a penalty before naturalised Brazilian striker Rafaelson Bezerra, now known as Nguyen Xuan Son scored 14 minutes into injury time.
The hosts, however, were the dominant force having 67% of possession but goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu, who made four super saves, stood solidly in their way.
Singapore now have a mountain to climb at the Phu Tho Stadium in Viet Tri on Sunday, but Ogura has rallied his boys to bounce back.
“Football is not only a 90-minute game, it is 90 minutes plus injury time. The scoreline was 0-0 in the 90th minute, but we conceded those two late goals. Even after the penalty, we still should not have conceded the second goal,” said the Japanese coach.
“We had a few chances in the second half but could not take them. It was our fault.
“This is only half-time. We still have 90 minutes to play in Hanoi, and we must focus to go there and fight.
“We will recover mentally from this. I told my players that although the first leg has finished, 2-0 is still a dangerous scoreline.
“Anything can happen in the second leg. If we score a goal to make it 2-1, a lot can change.”
“We need to focus on preparing for the second leg – the second half of the semi-final – in Hanoi.”
