A 10-man Lion City Sailors side battled hard but eventually fell to a 3-0 defeat to Indonesia Liga 1 outfit Borneo FC Samarinda in their 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup Group B opener at the Bakatan Stadium on Thursday (22 August) night.
Borneo’s Brazilian duo of Léo Gaúcho and Berguinho proved the difference on the night, scoring the goals that gave their side a winning start in the competition.
It was a tough night for the Sailors, who played the majority of the second half with just 10 men after Portuguese midfielder Rui Pires was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 52nd minute, while having two goals ruled out for offside and one effort that came off the woodwork.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Rankovic lamented the fine margins that defined the game.
“I think we played quite well in parts of the game, but we gave away two easy goals in the first half due to mistakes. We know that at this level, the game is decided by details and every mistake is going to be punished,” said the Serb.
“That’s something I hope we will learn from for the next games, because these types of opponents are not going to give you anything for free.”
In front of a boisterous home crowd, the Sailors got off to the worst possible start when they conceded within three minutes. Stefano Lilipaly’s outswinging corner found Gaúcho, who duly bundled the ball past Izwan Mahbud at the far post to give Borneo an early lead.
On a pitch which was still cut up from the previous day’s Shopee Cup Group A clash between PSM Makassar and BG Pathum United, Ranko’s charges tried their best to play their passing game and found the back of the net six minutes later, only for Song Ui-young’s strike to be ruled out for offside.
Toni Datković then went close with a header off Christopher van Huizen’s corner in the 16th minute, but the Croat’s effort was palmed to safety by Borneo goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata before Rui’s follow-up effort was denied by the post.
Just four minutes later, the deficit was doubled when winger Berguinho pounced on a defensive error to fire home from close range.
The Sailors continued to search for a way back into the game, with Lennart Thy and Maxime Lestienne both testing Argawinata within a four-minute spell.
Lennart then coolly lobbed home in the 41st minute after being found by a sublime Maxime cross, but the Sailors were once again frustrated by the offside flag.
Any hopes of a second-half comeback were diminished just seven minutes after the restart, with Rui dismissed for two yellow cards in quick succession.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Sailors kept plugging away and managed to carve out a few good openings through a fit-again Bart Ramselaar and Maxime, but were unable to find the finishing touch.
The contest was then settled 10 minutes from time, with Gaucho dispossessing Bailey Wright in the Sailors half before producing a delightful chip over Izwan to round off the victory.
But even in defeat, Ranko credited the boys for their spirited performance on a difficult evening.
“My players showed some character and determination – even after the red card, we had more chances than the opponent. All we needed was just one goal and I think the game would have turned,” he said.
The Sailors will have to bounce back quickly, with a crucial Singapore Premier League (SPL) game away against defending champions Albirex Niigata (S) in three days’ time.
“The only thing that I’m concerned about is getting the guys recovered. It’s going to be a tough challenge because we will only reach Singapore on Friday night and then we have one day before we play against Albirex.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’re used to this as a team and we’ll do what is necessary to help us get back to winning ways in the league.”
