Goal's Lookback at 5 Iconic Team Singapore Moments presented to you by 5-hour ENERGY

Despite being a small island nation, Singapore has enjoyed some fantastic football moments over the years, with a string of stellar performances not only leading to plenty of silverware, but also making them a revered side throughout the region.

The first and most obvious moment came during the 1998 AFF Championship, otherwise known as Tiger Cup back in the day. Having crashed out of the group stages when they hosted the inaugural competition two years earlier, Singapore were bent on proving doubters wrong this time around.

A draw against hosts Vietnam sandwiched fantastic wins over Malaysia and Laos, before they saw off Indonesia in the semi-finals to set up a mouth-watering repeat clash against Vietnam in the final in front of their boisterous home support.

Defender R. Sasikumar emerged as the hero in the final when he knocked in the winning goal in the 70th minute to give Singapore their first-ever international win and bragging rights in Southeast Asia.

AFF

It would be a six-year wait for Singapore before they managed to lift the famous trophy once again when Serbian head coach Radojko Avramovic led the Lions to success in the 2004 edition by edging out Indonesia 2-1 in the final.

Yet the most famous moment from that edition was the mammoth tussle between Singapore and Myanmar in the two-legged semi-final, which the Lions eventually won by an aggregate of 8-5.

AFF

A goalfest in the first leg gave Singapore a 4-3 advantage, but Myanmar were 2-1 up after regular time in the return leg, sending the game into extra time. Up stepped Noh Alam Shah for his moment in the sun with two goals to add to his earlier strike that kept Singapore in the hunt and the rest was history.

Goal

Success continued to side with Singapore in the following edition in 2007 as they retained the trophy after a breathtaking tussle with Thailand in the final, winning 3-2 on aggregate.

Noh Alam grabbed the headlines in the tournament with 10 goals, a record that still stands to this day and easily picked up the Most Valuable Player award to go with his Top-scorer award.

Yet the moment that remained the most pivotal in helping Singapore land their third success in the competition came from Khairul Amri. Thailand were leading 1-0 with only nine minutes remaining of normal time in the second leg when Khairul slammed home an unstoppable shot to equalise and seal the cup for his home country.

AFF

The fourth and most recent AFF Championship success for Singapore came in the 2012 edition, when Thailand once more became the opponent to overcome in the final in what was fast turning out to be the biggest fixture in the region.

Playing the first leg at Jalan Besar Stadium as the National Stadium was undergoing major revamp, Singapore knew they had to take a sizable lead to the second leg in Bangkok if they were to hold any hope of winning the competition.

With the score only at 2-1 to Singapore, Baihakki Khaizan pounced on a rebound from close range in added time to give the Lions a two-goal lead to defend in the return fixture. And with only a single goal conceded in Bangkok, Singapore became the first ever side to lift the trophy four times.

Getty

The final iconic moment came in the 1984 Asian Cup, where it was the first and only time that Singapore had played in the premier national team competition in the continent by virtue of being host of the finals.

Drawn in Group B, Singapore created history in the opening encounter against India when they produced an inspiring 2-0 win thanks to the efforts of Malek Awab and Razali Saad.

Defeats to China and United Arab Emirates before holding Iran to a 1-1 draw meant Singapore exited the competition early, but it will always be remembered as the time the Lions stood toe to toe with the finest in Asia.

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