In a scene reminiscent of Singapore's football fever days - in the 1970s to 1990s, early 2000s and 2010s - snaking queues were seen around the stadium on Dec 22, when tickets to the Asean Championship semi-final, first-leg clash between the hosts and Vietnam on Dec 26 went on sale.
A total of 5,375 tickets were sold out by 6.20pm, with scalpers attempting to resell them on online platforms soon after.
The first two fans in line, Gustarisha and her 24-year-old son Qash Adam Ng, began queueing at 7.30pm on Dec 21. Others came armed for the long wait with foldable chairs and snacks.
Gustarisha, 43, said: "We expected people to queue early when they announced details of the ticket sales."
Ng added: "So, we came extra early as we are die-hard fans and we want to support Singapore and see them win."
Earlier in the group stage, the Lions played at the 55,000-seater National Stadium, beating Cambodia 2-1 in front of 12,391 fans on Dec 11, and losing 4-2 to Thailand on Dec 17 before 22,611 fans.
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