::YES WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

~~~~~OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE~~~~~~

3 times ASEAN champions, tied wif thailand, 2 championships in a row, the future sure looks bright for the Lions!

A 1-1 draw was enough at Bangkok for the Lions to clich the ASEAN trophy.

The Lions didn't really played well, esp when they are away at the hostile Thailand stadium, having to withstand the noises made and some noob Thai waves shown from TV.

Bryan, yeo n pui kit came my hse to watch tgt, since watching tgt is always more exciting than watching alone right. Its always good to make some noises around and let emotions fly around.

The lions had to withstand the Thailand attacking machine, and were constantly on the backfoot throughout the match trying to defend the 2-1 they had in the first leg. The Thai's were speedy and accurate in their shots n passes, which contrasted sharply with our failure to keep possession, giving the ball away cheaply, unaccurate passing and a toothless attack.

The frantic moments came when Thailand scored with a nice goal in the 33rd min, due to a Aide failing to keep a check on him. Aide was unsteady throughout the match, certainly a final he would wan to forget. Lionel Lewis was on his best form once again, denying Thailand again and yet again, but he could nothing about the goal.

With the aggregate scores back on level terms, there was no way back for both teams. We had to score to win, and not drag it to extra time or even penalties. Thailand were attacking like crazy, and it seemed a matter of time before they score another one. Can they withstand the pressure? We were like going to have heart attacks as the match progressed...esp the moment when Thailand had an open goal, only to be denied by Noh Rahman, who threw himself at the shot. Determination not to let another goal was there.

If there was 1 guy who never give up, it had to be Khairul Amri! The young forward received the ball from the edge of the box, and was immediately closed down by 2 defenders. But he kept possession and unleashed the ball at the right time, which instantly hit the right corner of the net, out of the reach of a full-stretched Thai custodian. This was the moment and the wonder goal we've been waiting for! Khairul's the MAN! Hail Khairul Amri! Having missed a last minute free header in the first leg, he scores a precious equaliser for S'pore at the dying stages of the final! We were all hugging each other！

As the clock goes down, Thailand had no choice but to attack wif all they had, but anxiety got the better of them, as they looked nervous towards the end. Our job was to defend all the way. There was also time for Subramani to join in the action, in his last appearance in a S'pore shirt.

When the final whistle was blown, we were hugging each other and celebrating again! The players chiong onto the pitch, couldn't hide their delight, and Khairul Amri was crying as well. We made it! Champs of SEA once again! 14 ASEAN football championship games without defeat, under the guidance of Raddy Avramovich!

To be frank, S'pore didn't really played well throughout the tournament, mustering only 2 wins and 5 draws, not the form you would expect from an eventual champion. Of course, who could forget the 11-0 thrashing of poor poor Laos! Noh Alam Shah won the Golden Boot with 10 goals and the MVP award, proving that he was the best player in ASEAN! But the tournament will be marred by controversial refereeing decisions, which included the penalty given to S'pore on the 1st leg that caused a Thai walkout.

As the tournament drew to a close, let us indulge in our success at the champions once again. Beating Thailand was a huge achievement, esp when they are arugably the best team in the region.

Roar Lions ROAR!

黄城夜韵，完美灯光，亮出精彩！::

.:Vince left his dream on 12:02 AM:.
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