In an evening that will echo through the corridors of Singapore football for years to come, the Hariss Harun Singapore Lions record was broken in style — the skipper becoming the nation’s most-capped player ever as the Lions dismantled Mongolia 4-0 at Jalan Besar Stadium on 31 May 2026, in front of 4,234 passionate supporters who roared their hero to a new milestone.
Hariss Harun Singapore Lions Record: 148 Caps, A Journey Since 2007
Surpassing Daniel Bennett’s long-standing record with his 148th cap, the 35-year-old skipper was substituted in the 76th minute to a standing ovation that brought the house down. In his first competitive action on that turf since December 2024, Hariss ran the show with the quiet authority of someone who has given everything to the red jersey — and then some.
“It’s a special moment and it’s been a long journey stretching all the way back to 2007 when I made my debut against North Korea,” Hariss reflected after the final whistle. “When you’re a young boy, you just dream of putting on the red jersey and playing at the National Stadium. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of achieving this milestone.”
Lions head coach Gavin Lee, who has known Hariss since his younger days, paid a glowing tribute. “He is not normal. From a young age, he has been laser-focused on what he wanted to achieve, and what he has accomplished tonight is amazing,” said Lee. “If there is one person who deserves this milestone, it is him. He brings the right values to the team and is a great role model.”
Goals, Goals, Goals: How The Lions Dismantled Mongolia
Singapore, deployed in an attacking-minded 4-3-3 formation, dominated a Mongolian side ranked 187th in the world and playing their first international fixture in nearly two years. The opener arrived on 23 minutes: Song Uiyoung was brought down in the box, and Safuwan Baharudin stepped up to convert from the penalty spot with aplomb — his 14th international goal and first since netting against the Philippines in March 2022. Composure personified.
The second goal was a thing of beauty. Farhan Zulkifli, named in the starting XI after catching Gavin Lee’s eye in training, produced a silky run down the left flank on 38 minutes to slip Song clean through on goal. The returning midfielder took one touch and finished with aplomb for his eighth goal in 33 appearances. Lee saved special praise for the 23-year-old: “I thought Farhan deserved to start because of what we’ve seen in training, and he went on and did the job.”
Shawal Anuar put Singapore 3-0 ahead on 58 minutes, nodding in a downward header from Kyoga Nakamura’s precise free-kick — his 19th goal in Singapore colours and a moment that put any Mongolian hopes of a comeback firmly to bed. The night’s fairy-tale ending came from substitute Ikhsan Fandi, who directed a crisp header from Irfan Najeeb’s inch-perfect cross two minutes from time to complete a 4-0 rout and seal back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since December 2022.
Lee was delighted with the squad’s collective contribution across all 11 substitutions made on the night: “We started well and we maintained it. We were calm and consistent. The whole squad has to play their part, regardless of their role.”
China PR Next: A Tougher Test Awaits At Jalan Besar On Friday
The Lions face a considerably stiffer test in their second June FIFA Window match, when China PR — ranked 94th in the world and more than 50 places above Singapore — visit Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday, 5 June, with a 7.30pm kick-off. The match will provide a much sharper gauge of Singapore’s readiness for the major campaigns ahead.
Hariss acknowledged as much: “We played well today and we controlled the game from start to end. But the next game will be much tougher and we need to take this performance to a higher level.” Both matches form part of the Lions’ Road to Riyadh preparations for the ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup 2026 in July and August, and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, where Singapore — drawn in Group D alongside Australia, Iraq and Tajikistan — will need to be at their very best.
Having already announced a 28-man squad, Gavin Lee is clearly thinking big. And on a night when Hariss Harun wrote himself into Singapore football legend, the Lions looked every inch a team ready to dream bigger still. Follow all the latest sports news and Singapore football updates right here on Little Big Red Dot.
