Singapore coach Gavin Lee believes his players should embrace the growing expectations surrounding the team after the Lions maintained their winning start to the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 with a 2-0 victory over Timor-Leste at Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday.
Ilhan Fandi gave the four-times champions the lead four minutes before half-time and Song Ui-young doubled that advantage in the 56th minute as Singapore moved onto six points from their opening two Group A matches.
The result followed Singapore’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Cambodia in Phnom Penh, with Lee pleased by the improvement his side showed in their first home match of the tournament.
“A second victory is positive,” said Lee. “In terms of the performance, I thought it was much better than our display against Cambodia.
“We accumulated several small wins on the pitch that helped us build momentum, and credit to the players because they took their chances and scored two good goals.
“I thought we could have scored a few more, but keeping a clean sheet is always pleasing and gives us something to build on.
“Throughout the tournament, we want to continue improving and take things step by step until we reach the level to which we aspire.”
Singapore will now turn their attention to their meeting with defending champions Vietnam at My Dinh National Stadium, with Lee determined to ensure his side continue developing as the level of opposition increases.
“Vietnam will not be easy opponents, but we will go there, play to the best of our ability, prepare a plan and try to execute it as we always do,” he said.
“Pressure is a privilege. We would rather be in a position where people expect something from us than one in which nobody expects anything, as has happened previously.
“It is about embracing that challenge and continuing to move forward. We have to block out some of the external noise, but at the same time, we want to live up to the expectations of our supporters.”
Timor-Leste coach José Pedro admitted his side had struggled to threaten Singapore during the opening period but was encouraged by their improvement as the match progressed.
“We did not start the match well,” he said. “We knew we would be facing a strong Singapore side playing at home in front of their supporters, particularly after their opening victory away against Cambodia.
“During the first half, it was very difficult for us to get close to Singapore’s penalty area. Credit has to go to Singapore, particularly their defence, because they made it very difficult for us to create openings.
“The substitutions we made in the second half gave us fresh energy and allowed us to get closer to Singapore’s penalty area more frequently.” – aseanutdfc.com
