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| Heads I win. |
Singapore took a two-goal advantage to Thailand and clung on despite near-relentless pressure from the spirited home side who were left to rue their dismal 1-3 first leg loss in the city-state.
Thailand's War Elephants threw everything at the visitors and dominated the game, with a bullet header from Kirati Keawsombut just before half-time giving them hope of securing a famous victory in front of fevered home support.
But they could not find a second goal to take the game into extra-time, with Singapore's defence resolute in the face of wave after wave of Thai attacks.
It was an impressive third cup victory for their coach Radojko Avramovic, who guided Singapore to the 2004 and 2007 titles.
But he will inevitably face criticism for negative tactics despite his pre-match vow to go for the jugular in Thailand.
In reality his side barely registered a shot in the Supachalasai Stadium.
Their stirring first-leg performance was enough to lift them to the historic win, with Thailand unable to undo the damage of conceding three goals earlier in the week.
Thank you, Singapore. Thank you for giving me the chance to represent the country.
Those were the first words that Aleksandar Duric uttered last night when asked for his thoughts on his retirement from international football.
It was clear that the 42-year-old naturalised Singaporean, who has scored 24 goals in 53 matches for the Lions after being called up to the national team in 2007, was feeling emotional about donning the Lions jersey for the last time.
"I will be leaving the national team with the fondest of memories, and I hope Singapore will remember me as a decent player who has always given everything to my adopted country," the Bosnia-born striker, who even skippered the Lions once.
It was Singapore's fourth AFF Championship title - a record - three of which were under Avramovic.
Even though he is bowing out as the Lions' head coach, the 63-year-old Serb preferred that the talk centred on his 22-man squad.
"There was no loser in this final. We won in Singapore and Thailand won in Bangkok. We gave our best and Thailand gave their best too. But in the end, luck favoured us a little and that's why we won the Cup."
In a rare public show of emotion, Avramovic paid tribute to his players, as well as all involved with the squad.
"I say a big thank you to my players. They won the cup for Singapore and I only played a small part," he said. "But we trusted each other and we use the trust to build a winning team.
"Maybe I have been lucky in the sense that I managed to win three AFF titles with Singapore. But there was the unwavering support from everybody connected with the team which helped a lot. I alone cannot do such a job."
Fans invited to welcome parade for Lions
Fans will get a chance to show their support for the Lions at a Welcome Home Parade on Sunday.
The national team will be returning from Bangkok on flight SQ973 and are expected to arrive at Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 1.15pm.
They will then get onto an open-top bus, which will make its way through the city and along Orchard Road, before finishing at the Jalan Besar Stadium around 3.30pm.
Fans are invited to gather at the stadium at 3pm to celebrate with the Lions.
The Lions are on Saturday entering the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup second-leg final at Bangkok's Supachalasai Stadium, with a 3-1 first-leg lead over Thailand.
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