Hassan Sunny's nasi padang stall in Tampines draws China fans after his heroics against Thailand

Source: The Straits Times
Author: Maximilian Oh

SINGAPORE - Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny has become a hero among China football fans after recording 11 saves in the 3-1 loss to Thailand in a World Cup qualifier on June 11.

The Thais needed to win by a three-goal margin in Bangkok to leapfrog second-placed China and advance to the final round of Asia's qualifiers.

However, Hassan's heroics and Ikhsan Fandi's goal meant that China, who lost 1-0 to already-qualified South Korea in Seoul, progressed instead due to a better head-to-head record over the Thais.

As a result, Hassan has become the toast of China fans in online forums, with some Chinese news outlets even publicising details of his Muslim food stall in Tampines.

The outlet in a coffee shop at Block 144 Tampines Street 12 quickly became a hotspot for China fans on June 12. In pictures seen by The Straits Times, there was a long queue of customers for its Muslim fare such as nasi padang and nasi lemak.

Some of them also took selfies with the stall's green signboard in the background.

Jing Tao, a Chinese national on holiday in Singapore, was one of those in the queue.