Singapore star who once missed a match against the Vietnam national team to care for his mother now returns with a winning goal.

Midfielder Song Ui Young once agreed to withdraw from the Singapore national team just before the 2024 ASEAN Cup to return to South Korea to take care of his mother after she suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery.

That decision meant the 32-year-old midfielder could not play in the semi-final, where Singapore lost to Vietnam 5-1 on aggregate. Now, with the two teams reuniting at the 2026 ASEAN Cup, Song views this as a chance to settle unfinished business.

Song Ui Young moved to Singapore at the age of 17 to pursue his football career. After 15 years of living and playing there, he became a citizen and joined the Singapore national team.

Right before the 2024 ASEAN Cup, after scoring a hat-trick for Lion City Sailors in the AFC Champions League Two, Song suddenly requested to withdraw from the national team, citing "personal family reasons". Later, Song disclosed that his mother had a stroke while living alone in South Korea the year before and had to undergo brain surgery. His family intentionally kept it hidden to avoid impacting his career.

At the end of 2024, Song returned to South Korea to fulfill his duty as a son. His mother still requires medication, but her health has stabilized.

On the evening of August 1, Singapore will play as visitors at My Dinh Stadium in a match seen as pivotal in the 2026 ASEAN Cup group stage.

This is also the first time Song will face the Vietnam team since he missed the semi-final two years ago.

In an interview with ESPN, the 1993-born midfielder said the memories of the 2024 tournament remain fresh. "As we prepare for the match against Vietnam tomorrow, some of my teammates and the fans have mentioned the 2024 semi-final. Looking back at not being able to play then because I had to go back to South Korea to deal with family issues, I still feel a strong sense of regret," Song Ui Young said.

"Finally, I am here to face Vietnam away from home. That gives me a lot of extra motivation, and I am ready to give my all to represent Singapore," Song Ui Young continued.

"We have taken six points from Cambodia and Timor-Leste. In terms of results, it's a perfect start. That was exactly our goal. Now we have two 'finals' in the group stage against Vietnam and Indonesia. I feel tomorrow's match is like a final to advance," Song Ui Young added.

"We have accomplished our goal of six points after the first two games. Now maybe just three more points in one of the remaining two matches will be enough to earn a place in the semi-finals," the Singapore player declared.

After the match against Vietnam, Singapore will face Indonesia at home on August 7.

Despite being seen as underdogs in both matches, Song asserted that Singapore is not intimidated: "The next two games against Vietnam and Indonesia will definitely be much tougher than against Cambodia and Timor-Leste. But to be honest, this is real football and a real tournament. In the FIFA rankings, Cambodia and Timor-Leste are much lower than us. Based on that, everyone says Vietnam and Indonesia are stronger than Singapore."

"But in football, nobody knows what will happen. We believe we can get all three points against them. The whole team is very confident and well-prepared," Song Ui Young declared.

"We enjoy big tournaments, the pressure, and the atmosphere of full stadiums. The whole team embraces that. I think everyone shares that feeling. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's match and ready to take all three points," the Lion City Sailors player affirmed.

Song became a Singapore citizen in 2021 and has now earned 36 caps for the national team.