Singapore coach: 'Vietnam team is not an easy opponent'

According to Coach Gavin Lee, the upcoming away match against Vietnam at My Dinh Stadium in the next round of Group A of the ASEAN Cup 2026 is a significant test, yet he has devised a strategy to counter it.

In a press conference after the win over Timor Leste, Coach Gavin Lee stated: "The second consecutive victory is a positive result. In terms of performance, I think we played much better than in the match against Cambodia.

We have accumulated many small successes on the field, which helps the team build momentum. I commend the players for taking advantage of opportunities and scoring two beautiful goals.

I think we could have scored a few more goals, but keeping a clean sheet is always satisfying and gives us a foundation to keep improving.

Throughout the tournament, we want to keep improving and take it step by step until we reach the level we aim for.

Vietnam will not be an easy opponent, but we will go there, play to our full ability, prepare a plan, and try to execute it as we always do.

Pressure is a privilege. We would rather be in a situation where people expect something from us than in a position where no one expects anything, as has happened before.

The important thing is to embrace that challenge and keep moving forward. We need to block out the external noise, but at the same time, we want to meet the expectations of the fans."

Meanwhile, Timor Leste coach José Pedro shared: "We did not start the match well. We knew we would face a strong Singapore, playing at home in front of their fans, especially after their opening win in Cambodia.

In the first half, we had a lot of difficulty getting the ball near Singapore's penalty area. Credit must be given to Singapore, especially their defense, because they made it very hard for us to create space.

The substitutions we made in the second half brought new energy and allowed us to approach Singapore's penalty area more frequently."

After two matches, Singapore with 6 points has risen to the top of Group A. Vietnam and Indonesia are behind with 3 points each, but have played one match less. Cambodia and Timor Leste occupy the remaining two positions.

In the third round on July 31, Vietnam will face Singapore, and Timor Leste will take on Indonesia. Cambodia has a rest day.