Month: May 2023
Sailors stopped by resolute DPMM
They had the opportunity to close the gap on Singapore Premier League (SPL) leaders Albirex Niigata (S), but the Lion City Sailors were held to a 3-3 draw by a dogged Brunei DPMM side at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May) evening.
After the Sailors had done brilliantly to come from behind to take the lead twice, Andrei Voronkov netted a 89th-minute equaliser to seal his hat-trick and steal a share of the spoils for Adrian Pennock’s side.
The result was enough for the Sailors to leapfrog Tampines Rovers – who face Tanjong Pagar United later today – into second in the nine-team SPL standings on goal difference. But it left Risto Vidaković’s men wondering what could have been.
“I cannot fault my players, they gave everything today. The team played a good game and this is football, sometimes unpredictable,” the Sailors head coach said after the match.
“We have to look forward. We are playing good football. I can tell that the team is growing. We are improving and taking a step in the right direction.”
Just like their 2-1 win over Geylang International last week, it was a case of déjà vu when the Sailors found themselves behind early in the game with Voronkov nodding home Hakeme Yazid’s corner after just four minutes.
The opener sparked the Sailors into life and they nearly got an immediate response down the other end, but Bernie Ibini-Isei and Maxime Lestienne failed to put their chances away.
It did not take long for the visitors to equalise, however, with Diego Lopes sweeping home Maxime’s cutback on 15 minutes.
Diego would return the favour four minutes later as his laser-guided through pass picked out the run of Maxime, who proceeded to curl the ball beyond DPMM custodian Akmal Tursunbaev with trademark precision.
But DPMM levelled matters again on the half-hour mark.
The lurking Voronkov was quickest to react after Sailors custodian Zharfan Rohaizad could only parry Abdul Azizi Rahman’s effort into his path.
The Sailors would then retake the lead for a second time on the night just before the interval.
It was the combination between Diego and Maxime yet again, with the former slipping the ball through to his Belgian teammate down the right with a smartly taken quick free-kick.
Maxime still had work to do as he cut inside Angel Martinez to drill an unerring finish into Tursunbaev’s far post for his 10th goal of the season, with the goal allowed to stand following a VAR check.
Praising the duo, Risto said: “They know and understand each other’s style of play and that makes it easy to have that kind of connection. Their teammates also have a good chemistry with the pair and that can only be a good thing for us.”
The second half was a stark contrast of the five-goal first half, with clear chances few and far between.
Bernie and Shawal Anuar – a returning name to the Sailors starting line-up – both came close, but it was all the Sailors could muster after the restart.
Just as the Sailors thought they had done enough for the win, Voronkov slammed home the loose ball at the death in the area to earn a point for the 2019 SPL champions.
There was one final chance for the Sailors to steal a dramatic late victory shortly after, but Maxime could only drag his right-footed effort wide.
Risto still refused to pin any blame on his players.
“We should have closed the game with the chances we created. They (DPMM) didn’t do anything special in the second half, but got one chance and they scored,” said the Serbian.
“We now need to rest and recover well, analyse this game and see what we can improve on.”
Midfielder Adam Swandi echoed Risto’s sentiments.
“All of us came into this game looking to get the three points, so we were naturally disappointed to concede late on. There’s nothing we can do now, except to bounce back stronger in our next game,” added the 27-year-old.
With Albirex up next in a huge clash at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (21 May), Adam has his eyes firmly set on taking down his former employers.
“Albirex are comfortable at the top and we will go into this with everything we have,” he declared.
“A win against DPMM would have set the stage nicely for this game, but we are definitely gunning for the three points to show that we mean business.”
Fresh from their 2-1 comeback win over Geylang International last Sunday (7 May), another stern test awaits the Lion City Sailors as they face Brunei DPMM at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May) evening.
It will be the second time the Sailors will come up against the 2019 Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions this season, having run out 3-1 winners in their first encounter at Bishan Stadium in March.
Adrian Pennock’s side may sit sixth in the nine-team SPL table, but Christopher van Huizen has warned against complacency and believes Sailors have what it takes to make it two wins in two against them.
“There was an element of surprise for us as we were unsure as to what to expect from DPMM in their first game back in the SPL. We ultimately got the win, which is the most important thing,” said Chris.
“I’m confident we can claim the three points again, but we are not going to be big-headed and take things lightly. We will be watching them closely and work really hard to achieve what we want.”
Against the Eagles, however, Risto Vidaković’s men had to dig deep. Going behind to a 10th minute Iqbal Hussain’s opener, they eventually prevailed via a pair of brilliant Maxime Lestienne free-kicks in the final 20 minutes.
Reflecting on that game, Chris said of his former side: “Geylang wasn’t an easy opponent who played fantastic football. I thought we started well, but that early goal did catch us off guard.
“We were not particularly worried and I thought we played better with the way we kept the ball after the break. It is a good sign that we were creating chances.
“With players like Max and Diego (Lopes) who are able to carve out the opportunities, we just need to work on our end product by converting them.”
While a winger by trade, Chris – who topped the SPL assists chart with 10 in the 2019 season – has found himself being deployed at full-back in recent times for both club and country.
He admits that although the position change may be something still new to him, it is something the fleet-footed 30-year-old relishes.
“I feel blessed to be this versatile and contribute to the team. I am always learning and I acknowledge that there is still room for improvement – especially in my defensive positioning and in 1 vs 1 situations. That said, I also hope to protect Zharfan (Rohaizad)’s goal and help him keep as many clean sheets as possible.
“I also count myself lucky to have someone like Max playing in front of me, I can just support him from the back. I don’t bother about the criticism I face, I simply want to prove people wrong and I’m happy as long as the team gets the three points at the end of the day.”
Victory against DPMM will not only see the Sailors leapfrog Tampines Rovers into second spot for at least 24 hours, but also put pressure on leaders Albirex Niigata (S) – their opponents in a blockbuster clash on 21 May.
“As you can see, we are not very far off the top two of Albirex and Tampines in the standings. Going into the second round of the SPL, it’s important to do our best and maintain the consistency week in, week out if we are to stand a chance to reclaim the title,” said Chris.
“The fans are our 12th man and they will play an important role once again. I hope to see them in the stands cheering us on as we push for the win.”
Majestic. Matchwinner. Maxime.
Is Maxime Lestienne currently the best player in the Singapore Premier League (SPL)?
According to Lion City Sailors Head Coach Risto Vidaković, the answer is a resounding “Yes”.
It would be hard to argue with Risto’s assessment, especially after the Belgian scored twice – both via free-kicks – to inspire the Sailors to a 2-1 comeback victory over Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (7 May) evening.
When asked about the 30-year-old’s match-winning display, Risto did not hold back in his praise, as he said: “There is no doubt in my mind that Maxime is the best player in the league. He’s a superstar, he has played at a higher level, and he shows in every game that he’s the main man on the pitch.
But Maxime and the Sailors were made to work hard for the three points, as Geylang gave as good as they got in front of the raucous home fans.
With the Sailors missing defenders Nur Adam Abdullah, Bill Mamadou and forward Abdul Rasaq Akeem due to their involvement in the ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Nathan Mao was handed a spot in the starting line-up, making him the youngest-ever player to start a SPL game at 15 years and 42 days old.
Nathan, who surpassed the previous record holder Raoul Suhaimi (15 years and 239 days old), is also only the second player below the age of 16 to start a SPL game.
Nathan’s big day, however, got off to a bad start as Geylang took the lead after just 10 minutes, with Iqbal Hussain calmly finishing off a clinical counter-attacking move.
The early goal seemed to take the wind out of the Sailors’ sails, and they found themselves pegged back by the Eagles for much of the first half.
This was when Zulqarnaen Suzliman rose to the occasion for the Sailors, as the marauding right-back put his body on the line to prevent Geylang from doubling their lead on at least three occasions.
“That was just defensive instinct,” said Zulqarnaen. “I always give my best for the team, and I’m happy that I contributed today by preventing the opposition from scoring.
As the clock ticked on, however, it was clear for all to see that the Sailors desperately needed a touch of inspiration to get back into the game against a resolute Geylang side.
And Maxime duly obliged.
When the Sailors were awarded a free-kick on the right edge of the Geylang penalty box in the 69th minute, everyone expected Maxime to send the ball into the box for someone to get his head on to.
Instead, the forward blindsided the Geylang defence, as well as goalkeeper Hafiz Ahmad, and curled the ball into the top corner with his left foot.
20 minutes later, Maxime struck again. This time, the Sailors were awarded a free-kick on the left edge of the Geylang penalty box – but while the position was different, the outcome was the same, as Maxime curled the ball into the top corner and left Hafiz grasping at air.
Even though the Sailors went down to 10 men in stoppage time following Rusyaidi Salime’s dismissal for an off-the-ball incident, Maxime’s late goal proved to be enough to secure all three points for his team.
“I work a lot on my free-kicks during training,” Maxime revealed. “I’ve taken quite a few already, and it doesn’t go in all the time, so I’m happy that it resulted in goals today. It was a strong game from Geylang, but we had a lot of chances which we should have converted. Thankfully, in the end we managed to score and get a good result.”
Zulqarnaen corroborated Maxime’s account, as he added: “He practices his free-kicks during training, and you can see the results of that today because it made the difference. His technique is incredible, but it also shows that you need to work hard because it will pay off.”
The win leaves the Sailors third in the table, just one point behind Tampines Rovers in second, and five points behind current league leaders and reigning champions Albirex Niigata (S).
The Sailors will next take on Brunei DPMM at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May).
It has been close to three weeks since the Lion City Sailors’ last Singapore Premier League (SPL) match – a dramatic 1-1 draw with the Young Lions, who scored a penalty in the last minute of stoppage time for a share of the spoils.
The frustration from dropping points, especially in that manner, is still evident in Risto Vidaković’s voice when he talks about that game.
“We dropped two points against the Young Lions, that was a game that we should have won,” said the Sailors Head Coach. “If we had won, we’d be three points off the top of the SPL table right now.
“Overall, I think we lost too many points in the first round of the SPL, and that (Young Lions) match was just one instance in which I think we should have done better.
“But we cannot think about that game anymore. We must forget it and look forward to the next round of the SPL, because the title race is still open.”
Risto is not wrong – with 16 points after the first eight SPL games, the Sailors currently find themselves third in the table, five points behind league leaders and reigning champions Albirex Niigata (S).
And they are only just getting started.
“I’ve always said that this team needs time before we can see its full potential. It’s natural that we’ve not hit the heights in the first part of the season because there are many new components at the club,” mused the Serbian.
“But I can see that the team is growing, it’s progressing well. There is a good atmosphere at the club, and everyone is working hard to improve, so I’m confident that the second round of the SPL will be better for us.
One of these “new components” is striker Bernie Ibini-Isei, who only signed for the Sailors barely a month ago.
Risto remained tight-lipped over whether the former A-League forward would feature in the Sailors’ next game – against Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday – but revealed that the 1.87m forward will be ready to start if called upon.
“He (Bernie) is ready to play. In fact, he is ready to start against Geylang,” said Risto. “However, he is not at 100 percent yet – that will only come with more games, when he builds his confidence and scores goals. That’s when we’ll be able to see the best of him.
“But he is trying his best in every training session to reach the level we know he can. His will to get to where he needs to be is strong, and he’s determined to help the team for the remainder of the season.”
While the Sailors remain firmly in the chase for the SPL title, Risto insists that they are simply taking it game-by-game, starting with this weekend’s clash against the Eagles.
“We’re not thinking about the title for now. All we’re focused on is the next opponent, and the work that we have to do to beat them,” Risto said.
“Geylang are a very good team that plays good football. They are just three points behind us in the table, and they will be a stern test for us.
“Winning and losing is part of football, but the most important thing is that the players are giving their 100 percent in every game. I can assure the fans that our team will do just that and leave everything on the pitch to get the three points against Geylang.”
The Lion City Sailors’ Singapore Premier League (SPL) away fixture against Brunei DPMM scheduled for Saturday, 13 May will take place in Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium at 6pm, instead of in Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed on Wednesday (3 May) night that DPMM will play all seven of their remaining home fixtures from Matchweek 10 to Matchweek 19 at Jalan Besar, as their home ground Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium in Brunei is still undergoing renovation works till at least mid-June.
Risto Vidaković’s men will face Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday, 7 May before playing DPMM.
The Sailors will then end the month with a big home clash against reigning SPL champions Albirex Niigata (S) on Sunday, 21 May.
The Sailors emerged victorious the last time they faced DPMM, with a 3-1 home victory earlier in March through goals from Maxime Lestienne, Kodai Tanaka and Abdul Rasaq Akeem.
