'Never give up': President Tharman cheers on S'pore Lions taking on Thailand

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam penned words of encouragement for Singapore's national football team ahead of their second leg semi-final match against Thailand in the Asean Championship.

The Lions went down 1-3 to Thailand, who are the top-ranked football team in the region, in the first leg of the Championship semi-finals on Aug. 15.

The match was played at Jalan Besar Stadium.

The Thai team pulled ahead early in the match, with Singapore's Ilhan Fandi curling one into the net in the 84th minute to grant the Lions some respite.

Amidst the roaring crowd of Lions supporters were President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife Jane Ittogi, who were seen singing along to "Home".

Never give up: President Tharman

Following the Aug. 15 match, President Tharman took to Facebook to cheer the Lions on ahead of their next match against the Thais.

"The Lions went down against Thailand tonight, but earned the hearts of the crowd with their fighting spirit," he wrote.

President Tharman, known to be a sports enthusiast, noted that Singapore had equal command of the game, but the Thai's "superior finishing" game them a two goal advantage.

To the Lions, he wrote, "Wish them the best in the second leg of the Asean Championship semi-finals in Bangkok next Tuesday. Never give up!"

Going again in Bangkok

The teams will face off again in the second leg of the semi-finals on Aug. 18 in Bangkok.

The Thais have won the Asean Championship the most times, being seven-time champions.

Singapore follows behind, having lifted the trophy four times.

In a post-match interview, Lions head coach Gavin Lee acknowledged the performance put up by the 12th man in the stands, saying that the fans' unyielding spirit kept the team going despite the scoreline, CNA reported.

The head coach commented that the players will recover from the defeat "as good as they can" and will want to "go and right the wrong" in Bangkok.