SEMI SPOT MAKES UP FOR BUS WOES

Lions' fans rejoice after final whistle as the FAS apologises to 300 who missed first half

- Deepanraj Ganesan and David Lee

What started out as a day of frustration turned into a night of jubilation for Lions fans who made the trip across the Causeway with the chartered coaches provided by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

On Dec 20, the Lions secured a heroic 0-0 draw against hosts Malaysia to qualify for the Asean Championship semi-finals for only the second time since they last won the title in 2012.

At the final whistle, the Singapore fans twirled scarves and sang "ole, ole, ole" as they showed their appreciation to Tsutomu Ogura's men who battled their way to a draw, sealing their spot in the last four.

While there were only about 600 Lions supporters in the crowd of 31,127, their chants of "Singapura" echoed around the stadium in the latter stages as the dispirited Malaysian fans went quiet.

Unknown to the Lions on the pitch, however, was that about half of the Lions fans had reached the Bukit Jalil National Stadium only in time for the second half due to traffic jams.

To give the Lions a much-needed boost, the FAS arranged free bus rides for fans heading across the Causeway for the derby.