Singapore were level with world number 33 Paraguay for 15 minutes at the National Stadium on Friday night, and that was the part of the evening that will stay with Gavin Lee. Paraguay won 4-1 in the opening match of the Mizuho Blue Challenge, a four-nation friendly series that also brings Japan and Brazil to The Kallang, and the Lions, ranked 149th, now face Brazil on Tuesday 17 November.
How the goals came
Paraguay scored with their first opportunity. In the seventh minute left-back Alexandro Maidana crossed for Gustavo Caballero, unmarked, to head past Izwan Mahbud. Izwan kept the gap at one in the 19th minute, saving when Caballero was put clean through.
Singapore found their equaliser on the half-hour. Kyoga Nakamura sent in a low cross and Song Ui-young glanced it past Orlando Gill and in off the post. For the next ten minutes the hosts were the better side. Farhan Zulkifli had the ball cleared off his foot in front of goal, and Ilhan Fandi, picked out by Ryhan Stewart in the 35th minute, turned his man and then scuffed his shot into Gill’s arms.
Those misses cost them. On the stroke of half-time Mauricio Magalhaes slotted in to make it 2-1, and eight minutes after the restart Caballero had his second, finishing into an empty net after Izwan could not hold a cross.
Paraguay held Brighton’s Diego Gomez, Ipswich’s Julio Enciso and former Newcastle United winger Miguel Almiron in reserve until late. Almiron, just on, had a shot blocked by Stewart, and then teed up Enciso to smash in the fourth. Enciso later rattled the post with a long-range shot.
What Lee took from it
Lee felt Singapore hurt themselves by conceding early in each half and just before the break, and that they managed the spell between the first two goals well. “We competed well, there was a period where we had the momentum and we should have punished them a little bit more, but we didn’t and I think at this level, every small mistake can hurt you, and they did that today,” he told CNA.
This was the Lions’ first match at the National Stadium since the 1-0 win over Bangladesh in March that closed an unbeaten Asian Cup qualifying campaign. The Asian Cup has since been pushed back to December 2027, and Lee has framed this window as the start of the longer build-up.
Brazil on 17 November: times and tickets
Japan play Brazil tonight, Saturday 14 November, at 6.15pm. Tuesday is a double header: Singapore v Brazil at 6pm, then Japan v Paraguay at 9.10pm. Gates open at 4pm.
Tickets for the double header on ticketmaster.sg run from S$98 in Category 4 to S$138 in Category 3, S$208 in Category 2, S$268 in Category 1 and S$888 for VIP. A booking fee of S$6 per ticket applies on every one of those prices.
- Nearest MRT: Stadium, with the Kallang Wave Mall box office near Exit A, open 3pm to 10.15pm on match day.
- Children under three go free on a parent’s lap; everyone aged three and up needs a ticket.
- Bags larger than 35cm by 20cm by 30cm, outside food, noise makers and professional cameras are not allowed in.
Brazil, the five-time world champions, are next, and Lee said the Lions would have to adapt their approach and find a different solution for that one.
