By Wang Meng Meng

THIS was one Christmas eve not one of the Lions wanted to spend in Singapore.

But one incisive counter-attack from Vietnam was enough to prise Singapore's three-year grip on the Asean Football Federation Cup, ending the team's dream of meeting Thailand in Bangkok on Wednesday, the first leg of the two-legged final.

A near-full house at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium saw the visitors make maximum use of their one and only shot on target as substitute striker Nguyen Quang Hai tapped home the solitary goal of the Suzuki Cup semi-final's second leg in the 75th minute.

Goal-shy Lions break fans' hearts
By Terrence Voon

THEY came in the thousands, bathing the National Stadium in swathes of red.

But, by the end of the 90 minutes, there was only heartbreak for the 48,000 Lions fans who thronged Kallang last night, as they watched their team squander chance after chance against a resilient Vietnam.

Most went home bemoaning Singapore's failure to convert their superiority into goals.

A defeat Singapore find painful
Lions' hurt stems from loss before 48,000 fans in match they controlled
By Terrence Voon & Wang Meng Meng

ONE by one, the Lions slumped to the Kallang turf as if their legs had been swept from under them.

Never had a defeat felt so painful.

It was not so much because Singapore had lost their 22-game unbeaten run in the Asean Football Federation Cup.

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