Many more who watched the Lions' magnificent comeback would agree that their Tiger Cup feat tugged at their heartstrings and resonated, once again, with that special spirit that united friends, families and the nation.

"The way the team played transformed the support that the nation has been giving to national football. Because of the team's performance, national pride and support come back to football again," says Radojko Avramovic, Head Coach of the Lions.

"Our team might not look as good as the more established teams of countries like Malaysia and Indonesia on paper, but we were driven by team spirit and full commitment," says Eugene Loo, Team Manager.

Equally instrumental to the team's outstanding game was Coach Raddy. Believing strongly in youth development, he took an initial risk to bring in younger players. The results paid off - the winning team was a well-balanced blend of experienced and younger players who were willing to fight and run for the ball, learn and be guided by their more experienced seniors.

For their brilliant performance in 2004, the Lions have been named the Team of the Year (Team Sport). This is the third time football has received the Award.

Aide Iskandar, Captain of the Lions, sums it up: "The team feels ecstatic about the win, because we had put in so much effort and had gone through the ups and down. Winning the Tiger Cup was a big boost for us and this Award is sweet icing on the cake."