Tonight, the Singapore national football team can write its own history.
Hariss Harun, skipper and stalwart of the Lions, who has contributed two decades to the Lions cause, can lead his charges to the Asian Cup for the first time through qualification.
The last time Singapore tasted Asian Cup action was 41 years ago in 1984 when the National Stadium played hosts to the competition.
A win and a draw against India and Iran was how it panned out for the Lions, in a 10-team competition across two groups.
On 18 November at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, against a backdrop of 50,000 mostly home fans, interim coach Gavin Lee will have his work cut out for him.
Stepping into the role as an interim leader after the departure of Tsutomu Ogura, Lee has helped to keep the Lions unbeaten after earning four points in two matches against India over the last two FIFA windows.
But it will be tonight’s clash against Hong Kong which will be remembered for a long time to come, win or lose.
A draw would not be a bad result as it will then head down right to the last match, with Singapore set to play Bangladesh in its last match up.
A draw is not on the minds of Lee though.
“Just like Hong Kong, we’re here to finish the job, to deliver the performance, and with that, hopefully bring that three points home,” he said at the pre-match media conference.
A BIG GAME
The magnitude of the match was not lost on the legion of Lions in Hong Kong.
Ilhan Fandi said, “All of us know that tomorrow is a big game.”
“We will approach it the same way we have done for the other matches, but we came here with one mission only – to get the three points.”
The Lions’ track record against Hong Kong over the last decade has not been ideal with the last victory earned in 2012 at the Jurong West Stadium.
Both goals then were scored by Aleksandar Duric.
“This is a do-or-die game. When the final whistle is blown, we have to win the game, and that’s what I have on my mind,” said Ilhan.
2,000 SINGAPORE FANS IN HONG KONG
The Lions will be backed by about 2,000 fans who are in Hong Kong for the clash.
An eye on history is their motivation.
“We are very grateful that the fans have chosen to spend their hard-earned (money) to come and support us,” Football Association of Singapore (FAS) deputy president Desmond Ong told CNA on 16 November.
With a place at the 2027 Asian Cup at stake, and the hopes of millions of Singapore neutrals expected to watch the match live on television, expectations are high.
We will know in about 12 hours from now whether the Lions choke or rise to the occasion.
We hope it is the latter.
MAIN PHOTO: FAS