Will Cambodia cause a surprise at the ASEAN Cup 2024?

After holding Malaysia to a draw in the opening match, the Cambodian team is aiming for its first win at the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

In the second match of Group A taking place at 6pm tonight, December 11, the Cambodian team will visit Singapore - the champion team in 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012. Coach Koji Gyotoku and his team want to break the streak of not winning against Singapore in history, with one draw and 14 losses.

With so many naturalized players in the squad, Cambodia are no longer caught up in the hasty and disorganized style of play they once had. The players confidently play from the back, control the tempo of the game and organize effective attacking combinations.

The presence of Mohamed Faeez Khan, Takaki Ose, Yudai Ogawa or Kader Coulibaly also brings certain concerns to Singapore in the upcoming encounter.

However, Singapore still aims to win the championship. Under coach Tsutomu Ogura, Singapore drew 2-2 with China in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Japanese coach's message has always been that players should try to win every match.

Besides, the team also has its own motivation when the ASEAN Cup 2024 could be the last tournament of legendary midfielder Hariss Harun - playing 132 matches for the national team.

Coach Tsutomu Ogura identified Thailand as the best team in Group A, while Cambodia and Malaysia are the two main opponents. Against Cambodia, Singapore has home advantage, and they also have a rest from the first round, and they also want to extend their impressive history of confrontations with their opponents.

On the other side of the front line, Cambodia's "captain" Koji Gyotoku was quite cautious when he said that the match with Singapore would be very difficult. "Singapore is a strong team, but I believe in the home team's ability."