Fast-emerging Harhys Stewart one of Singapore's big ASEAN Championship positives

BANGKOK -- At 25, Harhys Stewart is now at the pivotal age where footballers -- especially at international level -- often go from being one-time promising prospect to established first-teamer.

And if his performances for Singapore at the ASEAN Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 -- are anything to go by, he is ready to take that step. If he hasn't already.

On Tuesday, the Lions suffered a heartbreaking semifinal exit at the tournament despite beating record seven-time ASEAN champions Thailand for the first time in 14 years -- as a valiant 2-1 win away at Rajamangala Stadium was not enough to prevent a 4-3 aggregate defeat.

Up for the fight from the opening whistle, Singapore took a deserving lead in the 45th minute when opposition goalkeeper Kampol Pathomakkakul's last-ditch attempt to prevent Farhan Zulkifli from racing through down the right only succeeded in diverting the ball to Stewart -- who coolly sent a looping effort into the back of the net from all of 35 yards.

After Thailand equalised a minute after the hour mark through a Kakana Khamyok penalty, the visitors took just four minutes to reclaim the lead as they forced an own-goal from Pansa Hemviboon -- but were agonisingly just unable to find another goal to force extra-time.

Understandably, much of the Singapore camp were dejected as they departed Rajamangala Stadium -- aware there would be no final to look forward as they headed home the following day.

But there was also a sense of pride in the accomplishments of their journey, which has seen a new wave of support surrounding the team.

"We came in here with a really big challenge to overcome from the first leg," Stewart told ESPN after the match.

"I'm really proud of the boys about the effort and the performance they put it. I think we definitely improved a lot in these short couple of days [after the first leg].

"We played with a lot of pride and a lot of tenacity to try and get a win here. I think it's the first win [over Thailand] in 14 games, so it's really big deal to get that result.

"Unfortunately, we just couldn't do enough to qualify."

While seasoned stalwarts like Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud continue to play pivotal roles for the team, fresher faces have also shown that the future of Singaporean football could be quite bright.

After only featuring as a substitute in Singapore's opening two group-stage wins over Cambodia and Timor-Leste, Jacob Mahler was thrown into the fray in a crucial tie against defending champions Vietnam and produced a resolute display alongside Hariss in the heart of defence in a stirring 0-0 draw -- retaining his spot in the starting XI from then on.

It is sometimes easy to forget that left-back Nur Adam Abdullah is still only 25 given his first ASEAN Championship -- back in 2021 -- came when he was just a 20-year-old.

And while uncapped duo Raoul Suhaimi and Luth Harith did not feature, as was the case with 18-year-old prodigy Nathan Mao, the trio will be better for the experience of being involved in the senior setup at a major tournament.

Yet, perhaps none had as much influence as Stewart.

A central midfielder by trade, Stewart's versatility had previously seen him also deployed in defensive positions but -- under current Singapore coach Gavin Lee -- he has been utilised almost entirely in an attacking role.

At the ASEAN Championship, he started every game as the attacking midfield pivot flanked by the wingers and just behind the main striker, which is how he found himself in the position to net his second international goal against Thailand.

Stewart may not be a typical No. 10 but what he offers that far up the ground is a determined first point of pressure, a sheer barnstorming presence with his 1.85-metre frame, and a tidy distributor in the final third.

Regarding his personal growth at the tournament, Stewart reflected: "I think anyone wants to play, so I'm really happy that I can contribute to the team.

"On a personal level, I just try and work my hardest every single day and show the coaches what I can do.

"I'm just really proud for me to establish myself, and I just want to get as many games and help the team as much as I can."

While their hopes of a fifth ASEAN crown -- which they have waited for since 2012 -- have been extinguished, Singapore can still look forward to a return to the AFC Asian Cup -- since their sole appearance as hosts in 1984 -- at the start of next year, having qualified for the first time on merit back in November.

And performances and results like the one against Thailand on Tuesday will provide a silver lining in giving them hope that they are on the right path to make an impact in Saudi Arabia, even if massive tests await them in the form of Australia, Iraq and Tajikistan.

"I think we've shown that we're really trying to step up," Stewart added. "We're not just satisfied with good results, but we want to get a good performance as well.

"And I think the coaching staff has been working really hard on analysis of all our games, both on an individual basis and a team level, to try and improve.

"I think you can see we really have a style of play. We want to attack teams, we want to be proactive off the ball.

"And I think it's really good preparation when we go into the Asian Cup - where we'll be facing some really high-level teams who have played not just in the Asian Cup, but in the World Cup.

"We have a couple more important games coming up, a couple more tournaments but, as a team, I think we're heading in the right direction."