HANOI, Vietnam -- They had to survive a number of scares, rode their luck with the woodwork twice coming to their rescue, and then nearly went up the other end to smash and grab a victory right at the death.
In the end, Singapore's 0-0 draw with Vietnam at Mỹ Đình National Stadium on Friday evening may not be the result they wanted -- given they have continually stated they had come to Hanoi for the win despite being the underdogs -- but it will be one they will be satisfied to head home with, ahead of a six-day break before their final Group A game at the 2026 ASEAN Championship against Indonesia on Aug. 7.
After all, the last time the Lions tasted victory against Vietnam was all the way back in 1998 -- when they prevailed in the final to win their first of four regional crowns. Prior to Friday, they had only avoided defeat once in their previous six meetings with Vietnam dating back to 2010.
Most importantly, the result -- coupled with their earlier wins over Cambodia and Timor-Leste -- keeps them top of Group A and with their hopes of reaching a second consecutive semifinal firmly in their own hands.
As long as one team prevails in the clash between Indonesia and Vietnam on Monday, Singapore only need to avoid defeat against the former to guarantee their place in the last four.
"Overall, it was a strong performance from the team," said Lions captain Hariss Harun, who was named player of the match following an indomitable display leading his team from the heart of defence.
"We now have some time to rest and recover before the next game, but nothing has been decided yet. It was a hard-earned point. We came here believing we could take something from the match and were confident within the camp.
"We remained committed to what we wanted to do and came close to securing the victory, but did not quite manage it.
"There is no reason for us to get ahead of ourselves because we have not qualified yet. "We will put this match behind us and approach the next game with the same focus. This performance gives us a lot of confidence, but we know what the task, demands and expectations are."
Indeed, as unlikely as it seemed earlier in the contest, the Lions actually came close to snatching all maximum points.
But that was after they survived an onslaught from the reigning champions -- starting in the 12th minute when Nguyễn Đình Bắc's deflected effort had some of the home fans celebrating prematurely as it rippled into the sidenetting, before Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud made a flying save to deny Trương Tiến Anh six minutes later.
Vietnam were also guilty of spurning their fair share of decent openings.
Đình Bắc sent an acrobatic volley over from close range when he probably could have brought the ball under control before firing away had he opted to keep it simple, centre-back Nguyễn Thành Chung twice sent headers narrowly off target after venturing forward, while Hêndrio somehow screwed a shot harmlessly wide in the 48th minute from an excellent position after excellent work in the build-up by Rafaelson.
And on the few occasions that Izwan wasn't equal to the task and Vietnam's finishing did not let them down, the crossbar twice came to Singapore's rescue -- first on the half-hour mark to keep out a trademark long-range piledriver from Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, and then again in the 80th minute when Geovane Magno tried his luck with a fine left-footed effort from the edge of the box.
As the second half wore on, Singapore did slowly force their way into the contest. And when the game reached its closing stages, it did look like it might be one those classic sucker-punch tales as the visitors pushed forward even though they had a point in their grasp.
They looked destined to score in the 77th minute when Kyoga Nakamura floated a freekick from near the halfway line into the area, where Jacob Mahler had ghosted in completely unmarked only for his cushioned effort to be brilliantly stopped by Lê Giang Patrik. Ilhan Fandi clipped the loose ball down the byline back into the six-yard box but it was just too high for Shawal Anuar, who was unable to keep his header from close range down at full stretch.
Shawal then had another chance with six minutes remaining when he cut in from the right and his left-footed strike took a wicked deflection. However, Patrik once again came up for big for Vietnam -- producing a smart reflex save to deny Singapore what would have been a famous if unlikely triumph.
While they ultimately earned a point, the fact that Singapore had to survive their fair share of close shaves provided coach Gavin Lee an opportunity to determine if they continue to make progress with each passing game.
After their previous wins, he had mentioned how they had allowed some uncomfortable moments to get the better of them even though they ultimately triumphed.
So was he satisfied with the composure they showed against Vietnam?
"It goes back to the point I made after the Timor-Leste match about growing throughout the competition," said Lee. "We did not enter the tournament expecting to peak immediately. Instead, we wanted to improve with every game.
"Today was another indication of that growth. Vietnam are a very good side and placed us in several uncomfortable situations. The players would probably agree that we created some of those problems ourselves and caused a little unnecessary drama.
"However, once something has happened, we cannot change it. We have to focus on the next action and the next situation. Credit to the players because they showed great mental strength, and that was evident on the pitch.
"Towards the end, we shifted the momentum in our favour. That was down to the players remaining calm and sticking to the plan."
