The news presenter on Channel 5 blurbed the result of the match just prior to the start of the bulletin proper, and said Singapore’s World Cup hopes were all but ending.
In not so many words.
But in a Group C with the likes of Korea Republic, China and even regional powerhouses Thailand, anyone who thought Singapore had a chance to make the next round were surely either hard core Lions fans, or simply delusional.
Or both.
Just like the grand plans announced to qualify for the World Cup in 2034, but that’s a story for another day.
After a 2-2 draw and 4-1 mauling against the same team, the Lions under Tsutomu Ogura are still a work in progress, given that both his matches in charge were only against a team ranked 88th in the world.
But what he would now have been able to see, at least after two games in charge, would be the task at hand, and the need for steadier reinforcements, if there are indeed anyone else in the system whom has not been given a chance.
Without Safuwan Baharudin, Lionel Tan and M Anumanthan for the return leg in Tianjin, the defence was always going to be suspect and shaky.
Ogura would also have been able to recognise, and hopefully he does, that the time has also come to ring in the changes in the team.
There are a few who may not be able to take the intensity any longer, and there are also a few who may not be able to be on the same pitch when matched up against larger sized opponents.
Social media netizens pin the blame against Zulfahmi Arifin, but the finger pointing is unnecessary.
Joel Chew, for all of his prowess with Tampines Rovers within the Singapore Premier League, lasted all of three minutes before being served a nasty tackle, which he said on X was a suspected fracture.
Ogura told The Straits Times, “Today, when it was 11 against 11, it was not very good but not so bad.
“It was quite a good game.
“When it was 10 versus 10, the game changed.
“We could not (continue) our football when the game was 10 against 10. This is my summary.”
It is not clear what Ogura means when he says that the team could perform when it was 11 against 11 and not when it was 10 against 10.
All is not doom and gloom anyway.
There are fiery sparks within the side which are indicative of hope.
The Stewart brothers, Ryhan and Harhys, have been a revelation.
So too has Jacob Mahler, scorer of the equaliser at the National Stadium on 21 March.
Shah Shahiran, Zulqarnean Suzliman have also shone bright, and maybe, given the Lions are almost surely not going to make the next round, Zharfan Rohaizad needs to be tested, given that Hassan Sunny is almost 40 and his playing days at the international level may also be numbered.
It will be hard for Ogura to start chopping without hurting egos.
The reality is that his responsibility is to set the Lions back on the path to becoming a decent regional team.
That is why he is here, and it will be his responsibility not to repeat the mistakes made by his predecessor.
PHOTOS: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
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