The Lion City Sailors gained the upper hand in their quest to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Muangthong United in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie at Thunder Dome Stadium on Thursday (13 February) night.

In a game of two distinct halves, the Sailors stormed to a three-goal lead within the first 30 minutes, but were pegged back in the second half after going down to 10 men when Song Uiyoung was shown a red card.

Nonetheless, the Sailors will return to Singapore confident in their ability to finish the job in the second leg on 20 February. Head coach Aleksandar Ranković echoed this sentiment, saying, “I think our performance, especially in the first half, gives us the confidence and motivation to compete against teams of this level. Now, we’ll be playing (the second leg) at home, in front of our fans, and we’re ready for the challenge.”

The last time the Sailors faced Thai opposition in this competition — against Port FC — they made a blistering start, taking the lead after just 42 seconds through Song.

Incredibly, they managed to outdo themselves this time, as they struck even earlier — after just 18 seconds. Shawal Anuar picked up the ball at the edge of the box and laid it off to Maxime Lestienne, who returned the pass perfectly for the Singapore international to slot the ball past Muangthong goalkeeper Kittipong Phuthawchueak and give the Sailors the lead.

Buoyed by the early advantage, the Sailors took control of possession, dictating the tempo with confidence. Their positive play was soon rewarded in the 10th minute when Portuguese left-back Diogo Costa weaved past two defenders on the left before being brought down in the box by Purachet Thodsanit, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot for a penalty.

Up stepped Maxime Lestienne, who coolly dispatched the penalty, sending Kittipong the wrong way to double the Sailors’ lead.

In a bid to change his side’s fortunes, Muangthong Head Coach Gino Lettieri made an early substitution in the 18th minute, bringing off Purachet for forward Korawich Tasa.

But the change had little effect on the flow of the game, and Ranko’s men nearly extended their lead again in the 15th minute when Bart Ramselaar whipped in a brilliant cross from the left that sailed just inches over the head of an unmarked Shawal.

The two Sailors nearly combined again in the 23rd minute when Bart burst down the left flank and whipped a dangerous ball into the box for Shawal, who was just inches away from turning it past Kittipong.

Given the Sailors’ dominance, however, another chance felt inevitable. And when it arrived in the 27th minute, Bart made no mistake, as he calmly guided Maxime’s delightful chipped pass into the net with a stunning first-time volley for his side’s third goal of the evening.

The Sailors kept the three-goal lead till the break, but Muangthong were handed a lifeline seven minutes into the second half with Song handed a straight red red card for excessive force while attempting to shield the ball from Siradanai Phosri.

Muangthong made their numerical advantage count almost immediately, pulling one back in the 56th minute through Melvyn Lorenzen, who rose highest to head home from a well-worked corner routine.

Ranko immediately responded to the goal by bringing on defensive midfielder Anumanthan Kumar for Shawal, as he sought to shore up the midfield and protect his team’s lead. The change appeared to pay off, as the Sailors largely kept Muangthong at bay despite being a man down.

Nonetheless, the Thai side remained dangerous from set-pieces and nearly pulled one back in the 72nd minute – Lorenzen got a foot to a whipped free-kick but, under pressure from Izwan, directed his effort just wide of the post. Izwan’s heroics came at a cost, however, as he was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher after a heavy collision with Lorenzen.

Izwan’s departure triggered a series of defensive changes for the Sailors. Zharfan Rohaizad replaced him in goal, while defenders Lionel Tan and new signing Ali Alrina — making his Sailors debut — came on for Bart and Christopher van Huizen respectively.

Muangthong continued to apply pressure as they sought to claw their way back into the tie, but the Sailors’ backline largely stood firm against the hosts.

In fact, it was not until the 87th minute that Muangthong carved out another clear opportunity, when a low cross from Korawich on the left found Teeraphol Yoryoei at the edge of the six-yard box. However, the 30-year-old scuffed his shot, sending the ball harmlessly over the bar.

With Izwan’s injury leading to 10 minutes of stoppage time, Muangthong went close in the 95th minute when Korawich’s header from Tristan Do’s corner crashed off the crossbar.

Muangthong’s persistence finally paid off with the last action of the match, as Do ghosted in at the back post to steer Poramet’s whipped cross past Zharfan to reduce the deficit to just one goal.

Despite the late setback, the Sailors ultimately did enough to secure victory in Thailand, and Maxime remains confident that his side can finish the job when the two teams meet again in the second leg at Jalan Besar Stadium next Thursday (20 Feb).

The Belgian, who was named Man-of-the-Match after recording two assists and a goal, said, “We played very well today, and the first half was amazing from us. In the second half, after we went down to 10 men, it became more difficult. But we can be proud of how we fought together until the last minute.

“We are all positive about our chances of going through, and we have one more game to stay focused. If we play like we did today, there’s no reason why we can’t progress.”

While Ranko lamented Song’s red card as the game’s turning point, he praised his team for digging deep and delivering an immense defensive effort to prevent Muangthong from finding an equaliser — or worse.

“I have mixed feelings about the result,” Ranko admitted. “In the first half, we controlled the game and scored three goals. Even after the break, things were going well until the red card, which completely changed the match. I think we should be proud of the boys for playing well against a tough opponent, and I’m confident that if we hadn’t gone down to 10 men, the result would have been very different.

“Defensively, I think we did well. Muangthong’s first goal came from a corner, and their second — when you defend with a man down for almost an entire half, sometimes you lose concentration. Now, we have a Singapore Cup game this weekend that we’re focusing on, and we’ll think about the second leg again next week.”

The Sailors will next take on Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Cup at the Bishan Stadium this Sunday (16 February).