BANGKOK - Singapore successfully defended their Asean Football Championship crown as substitute Khairul Amri struck a late goal to give the Lions a 3-2 aggregate win following their 1-1 draw with Thailand in the second leg of the final on Sunday.

Singapore went into the match at the Supachalasai Stadium leading 2-1 on aggregate but their advantage was cancelled out in the 37th minute when Pipat Thonkanya levelled the tie.

However, Thailand's hopes of a fourth Asean Football Championship title were snuffed out with nine minutes left in a hugely entertaining final when Khairul Amri's shot from just inside the box flew past goalkeeper Kittisak Rawangpa, who was wearing the captain's armband in the absence of Kiatisuk Senamuang.

Singapore looked to have extended their advantage when Sharil Ishak prodded the ball into the Thailand net from close range with just eight minutes on the clock.

However, Indonesian referee Jimmy Napitupulu ruled out the effort as the striker and tournament MVP and top scorer Noh Alam Shah were deemed to be in an offside position.

Fahrudin Mustafic, scorer of the controversial penalty that gave the Lions the first leg victory and the recipient of the loudest boos when the home fans jeered the announcement of the Singapore players, became the first to go into the Indonesian referee's book for a crunching tackle on Pichitphong Choechiu in the 14th minute, just 60 seconds after the same player - one of three changes to the Thai starting 11 - had Thailand's first real effort on goal.

Datsakorn Thonglao stepped up to take a 17th minute free-kick from a similar range to the one he scored against Vietnam in the semi-final and while the midfielder struck it with similar aplomb, Singapore keeper Lionel Lewis was equal to the task and flew across the goal line to keep the ball out.

Lewis, MVP at the last edition of the tournament, denied the Thais again six minutes later with an equally impressive save following a powerful shot from Pipat Thonkanya.

However, the Singapore keeper could do nothing when the BEC Tero Sasana striker opened the scoring with eight minutes of the first half remaining.

Datsakorn, who is set to move from BEC Tero Sasana to Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai, played a delicate chip over the Singapore back line and in to the path of his former team-mate, who poked the ball past Lewis to level the tie on aggregate.

The Thais sniffed blood and laid siege on the Singapore goal in the second half, with the defending champions needing a last-ditch block from Noh Rahman to prevent Suchao Nutnum from putting the home side two up.

But Singapore remained firm, with their defending both stubborn and scattergun, and caught the Thais with their goal on the counter-attack, their only real chance of the half outside of a tamely hit scissors kick from Alam Shah 18 minutes after the interval.