For a man who has largely been known for his polite and soft-spoken demeanour, constantly with a smile on his face, Singapore coach Tatsuma Yoshida showed -- at least publicly -- for the first time on Saturday that he also has a defiant side.
Following the Lions' 2-0 loss to Thailand in their final Group A tie at AFF Suzuki Cup 2020, Yoshida was questioned for the second time in as many matches about a negative reaction from the supporters at the performance and result.
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Three days earlier, the Japanese had managed to keep his composure while imploring onlookers not to expect his team to be at the level of Spain, South Korea or Japan.
On Saturday, his post-match press conference looked to be going down the same path as he calmly explained how he was not Pep Guardiola. But this time, as the emotions gradually boiled over, he took umbrage at what he deemed to be unnecessary criticism.
In almost one breath, Yoshida proceeded to declare his love for Singaporean football, implored all involved -- from the fans to the local media -- to believe in his players, revealed he was on the verge of tears, before standing up and ending the press conference prematurely.
And then, as if the old Yoshida had returned, he picked up the microphone once more to apologise before walking off.
The scenes hinted at a man burdened by a unique pressure of leading a team that was initially written off before the start of the tournament by many of their own, who suddenly expect the Lions to go all the way after a series of decent results sealed a place in the semifinals.
Yoshida's behaviour could now dominate the headlines when it should really have been about Singapore's excitement at featuring in the semis of the Suzuki Cup for the first time since they last won in 2012. Admittedly, it was perhaps a bit of an overreaction.
Nonetheless, the important thing for Yoshida and Singapore now is to not take the bait offered by their detractors, but regroup for the continuation of what is already proving to be a positive campaign.
All they need to do is to take a step back and realise that, while there were indeed some boos from a small section of the crowd at the National Stadium on Saturday, the majority of supporters applauded them off the field at the final whistle.
It was certainly in stark contrast to the reaction the Lions received in their previous outing -- a 2-0 victory over bottom-placed Timor-Leste.
In that game, they had been expected to dominate and win handsomely. Understandably, the crowd got frustrated upon seeing their team show little attacking intent even when leading by just a solitary goal.
Against the Thais however, in spite of the defeat, these fans recognised that the opposition on the day were just at a different level and appreciated the effort from the Singapore players regardless.
Perhaps the most important reason why Yoshida must ignore the boos, more so than the fact that they are only coming from a minority, is the fact that the Lions are showing progress under him.
Granted, they remain some way behind the likes of Thailand and Vietnam and still look most dangerous at set-pieces and on the counterattack, not unlike how things were under his predecessors.
But Singapore are also now playing with a distinct emphasis on possession and fluidity -- an attractive brand of football that has not been associated with the Lions for a while now. They are not there yet but they are on the right path.
From the moment they opened their Suzuki Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Myanmar, there has been a positive vibe back in Singaporean football.
Winning the tournament was always going to be difficult, although the Lions could still pull off an upset. Them reaching the semifinals is already a good enough achievement and Yoshida must be made to see that the Singapore faithful are aware of that.
Even if a handful of brickbats from the crowd suggest otherwise.