Singapore edge past Guam in World Cup qualifiers

Guam netted a late goal to spice things up but their efforts weren't enough to secure a win!

Two first half goals helped Singapore secure a 2-1 first leg win against Guam in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie on Thursday.

Goals from Christopher Van Huizen and Jacob Mahler towards the end of the first half gave Singapore a good lead but the spurned opportunities may come back to haunt them after a late Jason Cunliffe goal set up an interesting return leg on Tuesday.

Singapore head coach Takayuki Nishigaya opted to pack his midfield with captain Hariss Harun the central figure and Shawal Anuar leading the line as Ilhan Fandi only started on the bench.

The home side pushed for an early goal but were thwarted by a stubborn Guam side with Dallas Jeffrey Jaye in goal.

However, the resistance from the away side ended in the 35th minute, with 30-year-old defender Van Huizen scoring the priceless opener.

Singapore struck again six minutes later when Danish-born Mahler was on hand to put away the Lions’ second of the game to give the hosts extra breathing space heading into the break.

Guam tweaked their strategy at the start of the second half as they chased the game with head coach Ross Awa replacing defender Isiah Lagutang with midfielder Ka’eo Gonsalves.

However, it was Singapore who kept piling on the pressure, forcing Guam to concede five corner kicks in the opening seven minutes of the second period but they couldn't make their set-pieces count.

Nishigaya added the imposing Zulfahmi Arifin into the mix in the 77th minute for the tiring Song Ui-yong as the Japanese tactician looked to make their dominance count.

Instead it was Guam who found an opening late on, Cunliffe striking in the 90th minute to give his side a fighting chance when the two teams meet again on Tuesday.