With the score at 0-0 on the brink of half-time, Lions coach Takayuki Nishigaya and his charges could have gone into the break giving one another a pat on the back, before regrouping for another half of trying to hold South Korea at bay.
But a lapse in concentration put paid to that, as a 44th-minute goal from South Korean forward Cho Gue-sung opened the floodgates that saw the Lions go on to suffer a 5-0 loss to the Asian giants at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday.
Singapore, 131 places below the 24th-ranked South Korea in the world rankings, showed plenty of spirit in the opening period, and limited the hosts to minimal chances.
But the sheer quality of their opponents ultimately came to the fore in their first Group C World Cup qualifying match, as the hosts racked up second-half strikes from Hwang Hee-chan, South Korea captain Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo and Lee Kang-in.
Nishigaya, who hailed his opponents as being "amazing as a team and as individuals", said he was "really proud" of his players.
He added: "Our plan was to not concede a goal, especially in the first half. But unfortunately we did."
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