Singapore’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign began on Thursday, October 12, with a 2 – 1 victory over Guam & nbsp at the National Stadium.
Before Jason Cunliffe pulled one up for the tourists late in the game, first-half goals from Jacob Mahler and Christopher van Huizen put the Lions away.
The 20 teams in the Asian Football Confederation’s( AFC ) first round of qualifiers, which pitted the 27th and 46th groups, were tied for first place in a two-leg tie.
In the next round, a team stage, the top 26 AFC groups will meet the Round 1 winners. Additionally, the shells mark the first two sessions of AFC Asian Cup qualification for 2027.
Singapore took the lead in the 35th moment with a magnificent reach from Van Huizen from the edge of the box after building up pressure for the majority of first quarter with several possibilities.
The Lion City Sailors’ full-back scored their initial goal on the global stage.
After Guam was unable to hit a Singapore spot, Mahler doubled the Lions’ benefit six minutes later.
In the second quarter, Ilhan Fandi was substituted, but both times he was opponent. He had the game in the back of the internet.
Guam received a complimentary blow in an unsafe area as the 90th minute drew near.
Captain Cunliffe stepped forward and delivered a vicious left-footed reach to bring his side back into the game, giving Singaporean keeper Hassan Sunny no opportunity.
The men of Takayuki Nishigaya were unable to score another purpose in the extra time, and they will regret their missed chances as they travel to Guam on October 17 for the next leg of the link.
In the following round of eligibility, the champion of the link will experience China, South Korea, and Thailand.
Singapore and Guam had previously met in 2015, when they played out a 2 – 2 draw at the Jalan Besar Stadium, with Cunliffe also appearing on the scoresheet.
The Lions are already ranked 157th in the world, while Guam, an American country with a community of approximately 170,000, is only six spots below the top of FIFA’s rankings for men, coming in at number 201.
Other Southeast Asian teams were also in action on Thursday, with Laos and Cambodia drawing with Nepal and Pakistan, respectively, while Indonesia dominated Brunei 6 – 0, Myanmar defeated Macao 5 – 1, and Timor-Leste fell 0 – 4 to Chinese Taipei.