SINGAPORE -- When Singapore last won the ASEAN Championship in 2012, Izwan Mahbud did not let the fact that he was only 22 prevent him from playing a key role in that success.
With regular first-choice Hassan Sunny ruled out with a long-term injury, Izwan seized his opportunity to establish himself as the Lions' No. 1 even though he had only won his first senior cap 16 months earlier -- proving then-coach Radojko Avramović was right in opting for him over some more-experienced alternatives.
Izwan has been nearly ever-present in the Singapore setup since. So he would know firsthand just how difficult repeating that success has been in the 14 years that have followed.
Singapore are currently well and truly in the hunt to end their agonising wait for a fifth Southeast Asian title.
Next up for them is a semifinal meeting with the tournament's record seven-time champions Thailand, starting with Saturday's first leg at Jalan Besar Stadium. Coincidentally, their 3-1 first-leg win in the 2012 final remains the last time they were able to defeat the War Elephants.
Now older and wiser, especially after returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023 which he previously described as "the biggest setback" in his career, Izwan admits becoming champions of Southeast Asia again could potentially mean more this time around.
Not just for himself, but because it would allow a new generation to savour what he did all those years ago.
"For me, every game, every day I wake up, I have appreciation for ... Alhamdulillah," Izwan told ESPN in an exclusive interview, when asked if he now has greater appreciation for what that 2012 title meant.
"I understand we haven't won it [the ASEAN Championship] for a long time. Of course we want to win it.
"Every day, every game I play, I cherish every moment of it. Even if I'm on the bench.
"Of course, lifting the trophy [in 2012] - that was the last title for Singapore - was very, very memorable for me. Also because it was my first title.
"But still, now that I'm older, I want to win it more I think. To bring the next generation up, it's going to be a bigger memory for me."
The Lions have already done well to get this far after surviving a daunting Group A which also included reigning champions Vietnam and Indonesia, who were the only Southeast Asian team to reach the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite widely being regarded as underdogs in those two meetings after opening victories over Cambodia and Timor-Leste, the Lions actually remain unbeaten at the tournament -- having grinded out a 0-0 away draw in Hanoi, before coming from behind to force a 1-1 tie with the Indonesians that ultimately secured their progress to the last four.
Still, external perceptions of the team hold little weight with Izwan, as he remains solely focused on what the team believe of themselves internally.
"Honestly, we don't think anything about that [being viewed as underdogs]", Izwan explained.
"We just think about ourselves. What we can do. We talked about it in our [pre-tournament] camp in Okinawa. We know our strengths. We know our weaknesses.
"We worked on that in the camp in Okinawa. That is showing in the tournament right now.
"I think the team is feeling positive after the game against Indonesia. We've qualified for two semifinals back-to-back. We've got a positive atmosphere in the group right now.
"Of course, everybody's excited to play the semifinal. Like what coach Gavin [Lee] always says, we'll control what we can control.
"We're just concentrating on one game at a time."
Izwan also took the time to acknowledge the hard work from the backroom staff behind the scenes, that has given the Lions the best chance of succeeding.
"The key is we believe in ourselves," Izwan added. "We trust ourselves.
"We've got a good bunch of backroom staff. Everybody is putting their work in, like [media officer] Hasif [Hakim], Kak Fizah [physiotherapist Nurhafizah Abu Sujad], Encik Omar [kitman Omar Mohamed] ... everybody is doing their part to help prepare the team as well as possible to get ready for the game.
"It allows us to just concentrate on our game. As you can see from our team, we're growing into the tournament.
"That's what I think we should focus on."