Lions' morale-boosting win comes at a price

The Lions got a much-needed morale booster ahead of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship as they beat Tokyo Verdy 2-1 on Oct 11 in the second of three friendlies against J1 League opponents in their Japan training tour.

- David Lee

However, in a second-period collision, midfielder Jacob Mahler suffered a right knee injury that makes him doubtful for the Dec 8-Jan 5 tournament. He had to be taken to hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging scan to assess the damage.

Many have questioned the wisdom of playing friendlies against club sides during an international window, but other than missing potential Fifa ranking points that could help them climb the world rankings - these could be minimal if they beat lowly ranked teams or zero if they lose to another national team - Singapore have gained much from these games.

The J1 League is regarded as one of the best domestic leagues in Asia, and FC Tokyo, who beat the Lions 4-0 on Oct 7, are sixth, while newly promoted Verdy are eighth in the 20-team league. On Oct 14, Singapore will play 12th-placed Yokohama F. Marinos, who were 2023-24 Asian Champions League finalists.