SINGAPORE -- With the 2024 ASEAN Championship kicking off on Sunday, Song Ui-Young was a conspicuous absence from Singapore's preliminary 30-man squad that was previously announced.
After all, the South Korean-born midfielder was widely regarded to have been a shoo-in after he became the first naturalised player in a decade to debut for the Lions.
On Thursday, he could not have chosen a better time to give a reminder as to what he could have offered Singapore at the tournament.
With a superb hat-trick which started as early as the 42nd second, Song inspired Lion City Sailors to a rousing 5-2 victory over Port at Jalan Besar Stadium -- which not only saw them book their place in the AFC Champions League Two knockout round but also leapfrog their Thai opponents to finish as group winners, which theoretically should give them a more favourable draw up next.
Song, who also laid on an assist for Lennart Thy to score the Sailors' fifth, produced the highlight of the game in the 67th minute when he met Maxime Lestienne's looping cross with a stunning acrobatic volley into the top corner.
A dynamic midfield operator who is always capable of weighing in with a goal, Song's unique style of play would have have made him a real weapon for Singapore in their upcoming ASEAN Championship campaign.
Nonetheless, Song clarified his omission as his personal choice after there had been initial discontent directed at the Singapore hierarchy for leaving him out for the tournament.
"Actually, I communicated with FAS (Football Association of Singapore) and the national team and [Singapore] coach [Tsutomu] Ogura," he said, when asked by ESPN about his performance in the wake of his omission.
"I have been having personal issues with my family. I've frequently had to go back to Korea. I've been here for many years and I didn't look after my family.
"I sent [the FAS] a message and they understood. But today is not about that."
Song admitted to feeling a sense of déjà vu after the 2-0 lead he handed the Sailors were wiped out within seven minutes of the restart.
In their previous two defeats against Persib Bandung and Zhejiang Professional, the Singapore Premier League outfit had also thrown away two-goal advantages -- which was the main reason why they needed a result in Thursday's Group F finale.
Nonetheless, Song was indeed the one to put the Sailors back in front with his stunning strike before further goals by Shawal Anuar and Thy eased the pressure late on.
"As coach [Aleksandar Ranković] said, after leading 2-0 and conceding two, to be honest, I was getting scared on the field," Song recalled.
"At the same time, I didn't want to miss out on such a big opportunity to make history for club and country. It gave me inspiration to score that bicycle kick -- it's like a miracle because I never scored this [type of] goal before.
"I'm very happy to help the team make history."