Tsutomu Ogura would not have been wrong to describe his bow as Lions coach as one that merited congratulating.
After all, his charges produced a spirited comeback as they rallied from 2-0 down at half-time to draw 2-2 with China at the National Stadium on March 21.
Their first point in their 2026 World Cup Asian qualifying campaign saw the Singapore fans among the 28,414 crowd leaving the ground waving national flags in jubilation.
And yet, Ogura – who entered the post-match press conference looking sombre – was not in a celebratory mood after overseeing the 156th-ranked Singapore’s draw with their world No. 88 rivals, who had won 6-1 in their last encounter in a 2013 friendly in Tianjin.
The Japanese, 57, said: “Somebody told me (after the match), ‘congratulations’. I asked why? I am not satisfied. I told the players this also.
“Please don’t (tell me) congratulations. If we got another goal, that is congratulations.
“Of course, China is a good team and it was difficult but we had chances to win. In the last five to 10 minutes, we could have won.”
In his first match in charge, Ogura was initially served a stark reminder of the challenges ahead but, by full-time, he saw a roaring display that earned firm backing from the fans.
Ogura earned his spurs with his changes too, with both goals coming via substitutes – Faris Ramli and Jacob Mahler.
This story is from the March 22, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the March 22, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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