‘Blade of god’ reminds struggling Singapore of AFF Cup possibilities

AHEAD of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, coach Fandi Ahmad lamented that Singapore have fallen five years behind many of their Southeast Asian rivals, with the likes of Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and, even Indonesia, making impressive strides.

The Thais wi l l go i nto November’s tournament looking to lift the trophy for a sixth time, which would represent a threepeat of successes. Malaysia will be looking to win their second AFF title and make the final for the first time since 2014.

Whi le the 16 9 t h- ranked Singapore will start as rank outsiders, they could learn from the 1998 side, who defied the odds to win the second AFF tournament in Vietnam two decades ago.

Written off as no-hopers, the 1998 Lions upset Indonesia in the semi-finals, before stunning the host nation in the final in Hanoi.

The squad, who won the first of Singapore’s four Asean titles, recently held a reunion to mark the 20th anniversary of their famous victory, with English coach Barry Whitbread flying in from the UK for the occasion.

The unlikely hero in Hanoi two decades ago was centreback R Sasikumar, who now runs his own sports marketing and content business and works as a TV pundit. The ball deflected off Sasikumar’s left shoulder blade into the net for the only goal of the game in the 65th minute, creating one of Singapore footbal l’s favourite moments.

Today, Sasikumar uses the ‘ Blade of God’ moniker on his official Instagram account, drawing inspiration from Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal that helped Argentina beat England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

“Back then, no one gave us a chance, nor believed that we were capable of playing good football and winning games. It’s the same right now,’’ Sasikumar said.

“Singapore football is on its knees, and everyone is writing the team off, so they can take those learnings from 1998 and know what is still possible when the chips are down.”

After a winless 2017, Singapore have shown slight improvement in friendly matches this year, drawing with Mauritius 1-1 last week, before a 2- 0 victory over Fiji. But they ended 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying with a 1- 0 defeat away to Chinese Taipei in March to finish bottom of Group E.

They open their Suzuki Cup campaign with a home match against Indonesia on Nov 9. They will also face Philippines ( Nov 14, away), Timor-Leste ( Nov 21, home) and defending champions Thailand ( Nov 25, away) in a tough Group B.

“They need to find out what they are good at, and what their weaknesses are, and work on them,” Sasikumar said.

“It’s a mental game. If (coach) Fandi can prepare this team mentally like we were prepared in 1998, then many things can happen for them. More than football and technical skills, they need to start looking at how they can be extremely strong mentally.”

The turning point for the 1998 team may have been their semifinal victory over Indonesia. In their last group game against Thailand, it appeared that the Indonesians were happy to lose 3-2 so they could face a ‘ weak’ Singapore side, instead of the host, nation, Vietnam, in the semi-finals.

“We were burning with anger because we felt disrespected, and were like a bunch of a crazy, possessed men in the tunnel before the game. We wanted to show them that we weren’t pushovers,” Sasikumar said of the semi-final, which Singapore won 2-1.

“We could have played for another three days and Indonesia wouldn’t have beaten us.”

In the final before hostile 25,000 fans at Hanoi Stadium, Singapore rode their luck at times to contain a dangerous Vietnamese side.

Sasikumar said: “At half-time, we’re still in it at 0- 0. We’re only 45 minutes away from creating history for all of us and the country.”

The iconic goal came midway through the second half after Sasikumar had clashed heavily with the Vietnamese goalkeeper earlier in the game. The host nation had failed to properly clear a corner, and right-back Kadir Yahaya sent a long pass into the penalty area.

“Kadir lobs the ball into the box and it goes so high it collects a bit of snow on the way down. I’m running towards the keeper and I’m thinking ‘he’s looking at me, instead of looking at the ball’,” Sasikumar said.

“I’m jumping… he’s jumping, and I turn my body just to protect myself so he doesn’t take my head off. The ball hits my back, on my shoulder. The ball could have gone anywhere, but it went into the net.

“I thought it was going to be called a foul, but when I saw two of the reserves celebrating, and looked over to the referee, I knew it was a goal.”

Sasikumar considers that splitsecond to be a turning point in his life. Going into the tournament, the 1.93m defender had been ridiculed for being gangly and clumsy, before proving his critics wrong on the pitch.

“If coach Fandi can get the 2018 team to start believing that anything’s possible, then many good things can happen for them, just like they did for us,” he said.

“( Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker) Michael Owen says the medals don’t shine until you retire, and 20 years on, this medal is definitely shining.”

Jason Dasey hosts Weekend Mornings on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 and is CEO of Cockatoo Media. Twitter: @ JasonDasey