The last roar@Kallang

The day was 31 Jan 2007. The place was the Singapore National Stadium where the Singapore team meet the Thailand team, deem soccer king of South East Asia, for the 2006 ASEAN Cup final.

It was my first time there for a live soccer match and the moment I step into the Stadium, I was overwhelmed by a sight I had never seen before - a sea of red spectators. A state of euphoria caught me and by the time I sat down at the seat where Alex had 'chopped' earlier, I came to a conclusion that we should never drop soccer as a national sports. Where in Singapore can you find 50 thousands people sitting together supporting a common goal?

It was also a first for me to be in the midst of the Kallang Wave (spectators standing up to make wave like motion around the Stadium). Each time the Kallang Wave flows through the stadium, you could feel the trembling of stamping feets as a precursor to the wave which makes you feel like joining in the fun as well.

As for the game, without a doubt the Thais were faster and shown much better class in ball skills. Singapore, on the other hand, created and squandered more chances, though nothing compared to what England's Frank Lampard experienced in his last World Cup outing.

It was a hilarious sight as I watched the paramedic keep coming on the pitch with the stretcher whenever there is a Thai player down, whether the tackle was genuine or not. The crowd kept chanting "Butoh..." to express their unhappiness.

The moment Singapore scored the first game, the whole stadium rocked and I was deafened by the Kallang roar. It was sensational as I felt the adrenalin pumping through my body at the sight of the goal. But this didn't last long and the stadium was silenced quickly when the Thai scored the equalizer in the early hours of the second half.

It was a good goal by the Thai and the goalkeeper would not be able to stop the 2-on-1. After the equalizer, the Singapore tried hard but just couldn't find the goal post, so I told my friend that Singapore would need a penalty to win the game. Then suddenly, Singapore was awarded a penalty kick and it got everyone excited.

What happen next was something no one expected - the thailand team walked off in protest. I was at the far end and couldn't make out what actually happened. But I thought the Thai team were unsporting to walk off and the referee was far too lenient. He should have flashed some cards to make his stand....He should just red carded the whole team ;-)

Thai team at their own tent.

The whole stadium was stunned. No one could believe that the soccer king of South East Asia would do such an unsporting feat. The standoff persisted for some 15 minutes as everyone was rooted to their feet in disbelief.

55,000 people on their feet.

When the Thai team finally reluctantly return to the pitch, the Singapore team took the penalty shot and converted, the whole stadium rocks again.

The game finally ended 2-1 after 100 over minutes of play with Singapore winning Thailand for the first time on home ground since 1977. The soccer may not be world class, but the event would definitely remain in my memories for a long long time....