Fandi Ahmad and the Lions brought home the Malaysia Cup in 1980. The joy in the streets was unprecedented. The soccer star talks to YONG SHU HOONG

IT all happened within seconds.

I scored a crucial goal for Singapore in the second half of the 1980 Malaysia Cup final and sealed the outcome of the game.

The big showdown between Singapore and arch-rival Selangor took place on June 28 that year.

Singapore had won the Malaysia Cup (known as the Malaya Cup before independence in 1965) 20 times since the competition began in 1921. The two recent triumphs were in 1964 and 1977.

On both occasions, Singapore was coached by the late legendary "Uncle" Choo Seng Quee and had classic teams skippered by Lee Kok Seng (1964) and Samad Allapitchay.

This time around (1980), a new coach, Jita Singh, was handling the national side for his first time.

Still, Singapore had a rather easy time reaching the final against Selangor, which was its toughest match of the season. To prepare for the clash, the Lions spent about five days of "in-camp training" at Jalan Besar Stadium before flying off to Kuala Lumpur just a day before the finals.

On Match Day, a Saturday, we did some stretching in the hotel carpark about 8 am.

Everyone from the squad, about 25 of us, squeezed into his room, where he briefed us on the game strategy and line-up of players.

Selangor was the firm favourite to win, but Singapore silenced the partisan capacity crowd of 35,000 with an early goal in the 7th minute. Leong Kok Fann stole the goal from a defensive lapse between star defenders Soh Chin Aun and Santokh Singh.

Stunned, Selangor attacked in waves and found the equaliser in the 20th minute from a thunderbolt by the awesome Mokhtar Dahari.

Then the big break came. I remember in the 54th minute, T Pathmanathan threw in the ball to me. I intercepted, beat an approaching defender and shot the ball past goalkeeper Ong Yu Tiang into the net.

But I quickly composed myself. I knew the game was not over and that I had to keep my focus to try to score again.

In the end, that was the last goal of the match. We beat Selangor 2-1 and took the Cup.

1966:
Golden season of Singapore football. National team finishes fourth in Bangkok Asian Games. Still considered its best-ever showing on international scene. Stars: Captain Lee Kok Seng, Rahim Omar, Majid Ariff, Quah Kim Swee and goalkeeper Wildred Skinner.

1977:
Singapore recaptures the Cup after 13 long years, beating Penang 3-2 in extra time at Merdeka Stadium.

1980:
Singapore beat the odds by winning Malaysia Cup again, conquering all-mighty Selangor 2-1. Game signals arrival of Fandi Ahmad, the match winner.

1994:
Singapore wins its last Malaysia Cup, beating Pahang 4-0. Fandi was in team. Republic pulls out of competition at year end.

1996:
Low point reached when Singapore is knocked out, on home ground, in semi-finals of first Tiger Cup. This tournament, instead of SEA Games, becomes contest for true champion of South-east Asia.

1998:
History made when national team wins Tiger Cup in Vietnam, beating host 1-0 from a R Sasikumar goal.

Justin Kong, 24, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (right): Do you have any pre-match rituals ?

Fandi: Usually I will be very quiet and not talk to anyone before an important game. For about three or four minutes, I will sit in the changing room and bow my head to pray.On that day, I prayed for a smooth game without any injuries and for victory.Safety was also my concern as some spectators had earlier thrown bottles and even assaulted players.

Juliet Tan, 19, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (left): Did you have a hunch that you were going to score a crucial goal?

Fandi: At first, I was quite worried I might not even get to play. The reason was that I was down with flu about two weeks before the final. But I trained very hard after recovering from my illness. I was so confident that I was almost certain that I would score a goal, if I were given the chance to play.

Rishi Kaul, 17, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (right): How did the Singapore team celebrate after winning the Malaysia Cup?

Fandi: The celebration started in the changing room, right after the game.There was a lot of laughing and singing. Some players even poured champagne into the Cup and drank from it. The party continued back at our hotel.We had a feast in the ballroom. During the dinner, Jita and N Ganesan, chairman of the Football Association of Singapore, gave speeches and announced special bonuses for players.
Later, there was a smaller poolside party. We threw Jita into the hotel pool.I remember giving away my No 3 jersey, shorts and a brand-new pair of soccer boots that I had worn during the game to a friend who used to live in the same kampung. On Sunday, the entire team headed back to Singapore.
We were given the heros' welcome at the Paya Lebar Airport.We then went straight to the Jalan Besar Stadium, where more fans were waiting to celebrate our victory.

STAR PROFILE

Fandi, now 36, also played for Holland's Groningen (1983-85) and Kuala Lumpur (1986-90) and Pahang (1991-92).