Chinese football fans, along with their Singaporean counterparts, were glued to their screens on June 11 as they watched the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifier match between Singapore and Thailand.
The stakes were high for the Chinese national football team, who needed Singapore to avoid losing by three or more goals to Thailand in order to advance to the next round. After a tense match, Singapore managed to keep the scoreline to a 2-0 loss, just enough to keep China's World Cup dreams alive.
Hassan Sunny: The Hero of the Match
Screenshot via Hupu
Chinese fans were quick to celebrate and thank Singaporean goalkeeper Hassan Sunny for his remarkable performance. Hassan made 11 incredible saves, including a crucial stop in the 85th minute against Thai player Jaroensak Wonggorn. His heroics earned him the title of "top-notch goalkeeper" and "the King of Football of the people" on the Chinese sports app Hupu, where he received a perfect 10/10 rating.
Support for Dapur Hassan
Beyond words of praise, Chinese football fans discovered that Hassan owns a Muslim food stall called "Dapur Hassan" in Tampines. They quickly rallied to support his business, sharing the QR payment code for the stall and transferring money as a token of their appreciation.
One fan from Shanghai shared his joy with Sina News, saying, "I wanted to transfer S$188.88 as it was an auspicious number, but I realized it would be over 1,000 yuan. So I calmed down and transferred S$50, which is around 268.88 yuan and still sounds quite auspicious."
Other fans followed suit, sending amounts ranging from S$1 to S$100.
In response, Hassan expressed his gratitude in a video, saying, "Xie Xie (thank you in Mandarin), China!" His teammate Ilhan Fandi humorously added, "He saved China ah."
Gratitude from Chinese Fans
Chinese fans also flooded the Weibo page of the Singapore Embassy in China, showering the Singapore national football team with praise. They called the team's performance "great" and expressed their intentions to visit Singapore, hoping to boost tourism as a gesture of thanks.
This heartwarming story shows how sports can bring people together, bridging cultures and creating lasting bonds of appreciation and support.
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