Singapore continued their impressive start to the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 with a composed 2-0 victory over Timor-Leste at Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday, making it two wins from two to strengthen their grip on the top of Group A.
Goals from Ilhan Fandi and Song Ui-young ensured Gavin Lee’s side maintained their 100 percent record after opening the tournament with a dramatic win over Cambodia, moving the Lions onto six points and taking another significant step towards the knockout stage.
After emerging as the hero with a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Cambodia, Ilhan Fandi was handed a place in the starting eleven ahead of Shawal Anuar—and the 23-year-old striker wasted little time justifying the decision.
Ilhan looked lively throughout the opening exchanges, registering Singapore’s first attempt on goal before having a powerful header ruled out for a marginal offside in the 30th minute after meeting Song Ui-young’s inviting cross.
The breakthrough eventually arrived four minutes before halftime.
Reacting quickest to Nur Adam Abdullah’s deep delivery from the left, Ilhan cleverly stepped inside his marker before guiding a precise header into the bottom corner beyond Timor-Leste goalkeeper Dylan Niski, giving Singapore a deserved 1-0 lead.
Singapore carried their momentum into the second half and continued to pile pressure on the Timor-Leste defence.
Although Niski denied Ilhan with an excellent save shortly after the restart, the visitors’ resistance was finally broken again in the 56th minute.
A perfectly delivered cross from Kyoga Nakamura found Song Ui-young arriving unmarked inside the penalty area, with the experienced midfielder powering a header past Niski to double Singapore’s advantage.
The goal effectively ended Timor-Leste’s hopes of mounting a comeback.
Singapore dominated the remainder of the contest, creating several opportunities to extend their lead.
Glenn Kweh and Nur Adam Abdullah both tested the Timor-Leste defence, while captain Hariss Harun narrowly missed adding a third with a late header.
Despite their attacking pressure, the Lions were unable to add further goals, though the comfortable 2-0 victory was more than enough to underline their growing confidence under Gavin Lee.
With consecutive victories over Cambodia and Timor-Leste, Singapore have emerged as one of the early pace-setters in Group A and will now head into their remaining fixtures full of belief.
The performance also highlighted the growing influence of Ilhan Fandi, whose decisive contributions in back-to-back matches have quickly established him as one of Singapore’s standout performers in the tournament.
For Timor-Leste, meanwhile, a second successive defeat leaves their qualification hopes hanging by a thread, with improvements needed quickly if they are to remain in contention for a place in the semi-finals.
Credit Photo : FAS
