1998 can be considered a great year for Singapore football as the National Team won it first ever international trophy, the Tiger Cup, in Vietnam and the S-league also witness it best season thus far with SAFFC and Tanjong Pagar United locking horn until the very end.
It looked as though the S-league could witness it first great rivalry as the two Western teams lead the way in the S-league.
But for all that positives development, in Asia it was a terrible year for
When the draw was conducted, SAFFC was drawn against causeway counterpart Selangor while Woodlands
With the Warriors retaining the title by the date of the meeting, one cannot but feel rather confident that the two-time S-league Champions, which had make history last year by progressing to the second round of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, can be more than a match against Malaysian giant Selangor but it was not to be.
On that disastrous night, Selangor exploited the defensive lapses of the Warriors to bury the Champions 4-1 at the final whistle at Jurong Stadium. It was a disastrous outing for the Warriors on home soil. Meanwhile in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the Rams suffered a similar fate as they were being torn apart 4-1 by Sinthana in
Both clubs redeemed themselves in the second leg with the Warriors winning at Shah Alam Stadium 1-0 through a V.Selvaraj goal and the Rams holding the Thai team to 1-1 draw but the truth was, they had already let themselves down in the first leg.
The second year in which S-league clubs participate in Asian Club competition was a short and truly disappointing experience.
Nevertheless, it should serve as a wake up call for many fans that at this moment of time, even ASEAN counterparts clubs are as strong as or even better than S-league club and no teams is to be underestimated.
There is much catching up to do for S-league clubs in the Asian Club Arena after years of neglect of the domestic game.
1998/99 Asian Club Championship
Stage | Home Team | | | Away Team | Date |
First Round, First leg | SAFFC | 1 | 4 | Selangor ( | - |
First Round, Second leg | Selangor ( | 0 | 1 | SAFFC | - |
1998/99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup
Stage | Home Team | | | Away Team | Date |
First Round, First leg | Sinthana ( | 4 | 1 | Woodlands | - |
First Round, Second leg | Woodlands | 1 | 1 | Sinthana ( | - |
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