HONG KONG – I don’t even know where to begin — or even when this journey truly began. All I know is that from the ups and downs, the doubts and the hope, this journey has been a rollercoaster. But the best one yet.

Standing inside Kai Tak Stadium last night, surrounded by fellow Singaporeans, I felt something I haven’t felt in years following this team: a deep, overwhelming sense of belief. Not just in the result, but in the people. Even though we were the away crowd, tucked high into a corner of the stands, it never once felt like we were outnumbered in spirit. From the moment we stepped into the stadium, you could hear it – that low rumble of voices warming up, the drums of plastic clappers, the familiar chants that started tentative and then grew louder, stronger, bolder.

All around us, Hong Kong fans filled the stadium in their tens of thousands, but our little pocket of red refused to be drowned out. Every duel, every tackle, every half-chance; we reacted as if the players could hear us directly. And maybe they did. Because for the first time in a very long time, it felt like we weren’t just supporting the team, we were part of them. We weren’t intimidated, we weren’t quiet, we weren’t passengers. We were present: fully, proudly, defiantly.

There was something poetic about it too; being on Hong Kong soil, in their stadium, with their crowd roaring, yet feeling completely at home. It was as if being the away fans made us even more united. Strangers became friends. Voices blended into one. Flags waved higher than they should have been able to in that cold wind. When we stood, we all stood. When we sang, we all sang. When we willed the boys on, we did it like the result depended on us.

And that’s where the belief came from. The sense that this was a shared mission. The guys at FAS have, at this point, assembled what feels like a dream team, not just on the pitch, but off it too. A team built on trust. On humility. On mutual respect. And it shows. You can feel it in the way the players acknowledge the fans. The way the staff look at the squad. The way the entire setup carries itself. It’s as if the belief flows both ways, from the stands to the pitch, and back again.

Last night, as the away crowd, in a stadium that should have swallowed us, we didn’t just cheer for Singapore. We were Singapore, strong, and ready for anything.

If you want proof, look at how we play our away games. Three games. Three wins. All of them earned on foreign soil, in tough stadiums, in high-pressure environments. That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens because the squad is well drilled, well conditioned, and incredibly clear on what they’re trying to achieve.

Yesterday was the first day the temperatures dropped in Hong Kong, and the cold bit a little sharper than usual. But for every Singapore fan who travelled here, there was fire in our bellies. We were ready — all of us. You could feel it from the start of the trip: the buzz during media day on Sunday, the tension of the pre-match press conference on Monday, and then finally the match itself. Even now, a day later, I’m still gathering my thoughts. It’s been a long ride… but somehow, this one feels different.

The gates opened at 6pm. A stream of Singapore fans poured into the little corner of the stadium allocated to us, high up in the stands. We gathered as one, voices warming up long before kickoff. Funny enough, a bunch of Hongkongers ended up with tickets in our section and sat among us — it must have been pretty awkward for them once the chanting began. The wind picked up, the atmosphere tightened, and then the match started.

We all knew it was a 50–50 game. But there was comfort in something Gavin Lee had said to us earlier: that this time, Singapore had an edge. That the team felt ready. That they understood what was at stake.

So when Hong Kong took the lead, there was no panic. No heads down. The question wasn’t “Is this over?” but rather “How do we get back into this?” In the stands, my good friend Mark leaned over and said simply, “Have faith.” And honestly, that was enough.

Because in the second half, we felt the shift immediately. Momentum. Control. Confidence. Singapore held the ball better, pressed smarter, and in the span of five unbelievable minutes, turned the entire match around to lead 2–1. Two fantastic goals. Two moments of brilliance. And suddenly, everything around us — the noise, the cold, the nerves — blurred into pure hope.

But hope can be fragile. There were still 30 long minutes to go. Yet, I’ve always believed in Gavin Lee. Match management is truly his forte. And with the players he had on the bench, he made the right changes at the right moments, tightening the structure, calming the team, guiding them to the final whistle. It wasn’t luck. It was clarity. It was coaching. It was execution.

People call it a historic night — and it is — but for many of us in the stands, it was more than that. When the whistle blew, some of us cried. Tears of joy, relief, disbelief. Because for us, this was more than a win. This was everything.

This was the perfect gift for Singapore on our 60th birthday.

Today, as I sit here having my coffee in a café in Hong Kong, there’s this immense pride swelling in me that I can’t quite shake. I’ve been replaying the match highlights over and over, and every time one of those goals hits the back of the net, that same surge of electricity rushes through me again. It’s hard to explain that feeling where pride overrides everything else. It’s been a long time since Singapore football has made me feel this way, and I’m savouring every second of it.

These boys… they are special. Truly. There is something happening here — something that feels bigger than a single match. As I’m typing this now, I have goosebumps. Because I know the people involved. I know their stories. I know how much this means to them. And on that cold night in Hong Kong, I know our hearts were all beating as one.

Last night at Kai Tak wasn’t just a football match. It was a moment. A memory. A shared heartbeat across a nation.

And I will never forget it.

Photo Credit: FAS

Singapore played Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on 18th November 2025 at Kai Tak Stadium.