“First and foremost, I think those moments weren't good for my heart!” he said in a recent interview. “But jokes aside, I think our comebacks, our fightbacks, are just an expression of how much the qualification meant to the players and the staff. In order to do that, you really must have a strong belief in something.

“For us, I think we really believed that we could do it, and that was what we wanted. That desire just helped us to get going. So that never-say-die, never-give-up kind of mentality – I think that's just part of our identity, really. In those tough moments, we got to show our true identity, and I'm very proud of that, to be honest.”

After saluting the away contingent at full-time, the team arrived home to a packed reception at Changi Airport that further underlined the magnitude of their achievement for a Singapore side that has not experienced many highs since winning the 2012 AFF Championship.

“That night in Hong Kong just shows how powerful football is – (it has) the ability to unite a whole country, to ignite those emotions. Those memories, we'll never forget. Coming back to Singapore and receiving that kind of messages and support, it just makes you realise that the qualification meant so much to many people in Singapore.”

The success marked the latest chapter in Lee’s coaching career. A former youth international who played alongside current Singapore captain Hariss Harun, he obtained his AFC 'C' License in 2011 and became the youngest-ever head coach in Singapore league history when he helmed Tampines Rovers FC in 2019 at the age of 28.

In March 2024, he was roped into the Lions’ backroom staff as assistant to then head-coach Tsutomu Ogura, before being handed the reins on an interim basis when the latter stepped down in June 2025.

“Coming in, it was about reminding everyone of the responsibility of representing the country (and) how much of a privilege it is every time we get the chance to put on the red jersey,” Lee said. “Ultimately, it's about what we want, right? What is our destination? If qualification is what we want, then we know the direction, and we know what it requires to get there.

"Subsequently, the sacrifices and commitment are just things that we need to do with that knowledge… (it was) about continuing the work that was started by Coach Ogura and then just amplifying the meaning and purpose within the team.”

Five months later, the 35-year-old became a household name and was subsequently appointed on a permanent basis as the Football Association of Singapore picked the local boy over more illustrious names that had reportedly indicated interest, such as Jesus Casas, Fabio Cannavaro, Harry Kewell, Mano Polking and Nick Montgomery.

As he has always done, Lee paid tribute to other key figures within the ecosystem and reiterated that the return to the AFC Asian Cup™ should spur Singapore football to greater heights.

“I'm just very, very proud and pleased for the whole group… the qualification itself is a consequence and accumulation of everybody's hard work,” he asserted. “It's not just me; it's the players, technical staff, the support staff, people in the federation. Let's not forget the academy coaches, grassroots coaches, because we're all just standing on their shoulders and those that have come before us.

“Now that we've qualified for the Asian Cup, I think we've got access to a bigger stage and our job is to really make use of it to hopefully inspire the next generation so that we can further the growth of football in the country.”

“Where are the gaps? How far are the distances? How can we bridge those gaps for the team? Then it's about planning… so that when we do arrive back in Riyadh next year, we can come here and compete as the best version of ourselves. When we go out there, we go out there together; we compete as one.

“There is a lot of noise outside, and if we choose to focus on things we cannot control, then life can be quite miserable. For us, it's just about staying focused on the task and making sure we do everything better each and every day… on this stage, we know that there will be many big moments because we're playing many strong teams. So the question for us is, can we stay calm and consistent in those big moments? Because that is the kind of identity that I think we have, and we want to show it to Singaporeans back home.

“With the national team, we've got so little time together, but a lot more scrutiny. It's about maximising the time, being efficient, and not taking anything for granted. That's something that we preach a lot internally. Every window counts, every second we spend with each other matters, because ultimately when we step on the pitch, we have a job to do. That job is to make sure that the people have a national team that they can be proud of, so we cannot lay on our laurels. It's nice to have qualified, but it's (also) about ‘let's keep doing better’.”