There was to be no Cinderella ending to the Lion City Sailors’ fairytale run in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two, as they fell to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Emirati side Sharjah FC in Sunday’s (18 May) final at the Bishan Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 to a Firas Ben Larbi strike as the match edged into stoppage time, the Sailors showed remarkable resilience in front of esteemed Guest of Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore, to pull level through Maxime Lestienne.
But just as the partisan 9,737-strong crowd roared them on in hope, Marcus Meloni delivered the decisive blow in the 97th minute to snatch the ACL Two trophy for the visitors.
It was a cruel end to what had been a historic campaign – one that saw the Sailors defy expectations and push the boundaries of Singapore football by reaching a first-ever continental final.
Despite the crushing nature of the defeat, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković was full of praise for his players as he reflected on the magnitude of their achievement.
“We are very disappointed and upset that we lost in that fashion, but at the same time, incredibly proud of how we presented ourselves,” said Ranko. “It was one of those 50-50 games where a single moment decided the outcome, and unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.
“But I have nothing but pride in my boys – for the way they’ve played and the journey we’ve had. We’ve brought something special to Singapore football, and every single one of them did a tremendous job.”
As rain poured down on the newly refurbished 10,000-seater Bishan Stadium, the final kicked off as a cagey affair, with both sides cautiously probing for the right moment to strike. Aside from a disallowed goal by Caio Lucas in the 10th minute for offside, the Sailors’ resolute defensive structure largely succeeded in containing their highly regarded opponents.
The home side’s first real sight at goal came in the 19th minute when a loose ball from a corner fell to Bart Ramselaar on the edge of the area, but his effort was well-blocked by defender Shahin Abdulrahman.
Flying full-back Diogo Costa – who had already made several marauding runs down the left – then nearly opened the scoring in the 34th minute, with a volley from the edge of the box that ricocheted off Sharjah goalkeeper Adel Al-Hosani’s near post.
Sharjah had a chance of their own just before the break, as Luanzinho rose to meet a David Petrovic cross in stoppage time, but the winger’s header flew wide of Izwan Mahbud’s goal.
The Sailors came out strong after the interval, with early second-half efforts from Song Uiyoung and Bart both sailing over the bar. Sharjah gradually began to assert themselves and created their best opening of the match in the 67th minute, but forward Ousmane Camara could only head wide from close range.
That chance proved to be a sign of ominous things to come for the Sailors. Just six minutes later, Caio threaded a brilliant lofted pass to pick out the run of Khaled Ibrahim, who had ghosted in at the far post. The full-back slid the ball across goal for Ben Larbi to tap home the opener for the visitors.
Now chasing the game, the Sailors searched desperately for a breakthrough, and nearly found it in the 83rd minute. A header from Lennart Thy in the Sharjah box deflected off the heel of substitute Shawal Anuar, but the Singaporean international could only send it wide of the goal.
However, as the match ticked into the second of 11 minutes of stoppage time, star man Maxime produced the moment the home fans had been waiting for. Latching onto a low cross from Diogo, the Belgian struck a precise first-time shot with his left foot that flew beyond Al-Hosani and into the net. It was a stunning equaliser that sent the crowd at the Bishan Stadium into raptures, and briefly reignited the Sailors’ hopes.
But the Sailors’ euphoria was short-lived. With the hosts pushing forward in search of a winner, Sharjah struck a cruel counter-punch in the 97th minute. A delightful reverse ball from Caio released Meloni down the left, and the Brazilian-born Emirati skipped past a challenge before rifling a low shot into the bottom corner to swing the final back in his side’s favour.
As the Sailors stared down the barrel, they threw everything they had at Sharjah in a desperate push for another equaliser. But some resolute last-ditch defending from the visitors denied Shawal during a series of frantic goalmouth scrambles. That would be as close as the home side came, as the final whistle sounded after 103 gruelling minutes of football — and the Sailors sank to the turf, heartbroken but proud.
Speaking after the match, Ranko emphasised that the journey — not just the result — will leave a lasting impact.
“Apart from the defeat, the number one lesson we can take away is that we should never stop dreaming and believing,” said the Serbian. “We were the underdogs in almost every game this campaign, and rightfully so because we come from Singapore. If we can achieve even half of what we’ve done this season — especially in the Champions League Two — I’ll be very satisfied.
“This year showed me that if we believe — and of course, if you have such a group of players — you can go so far.”
There will, however, be little time for the Sailors to dwell on this heartbreak, as they return to action on Wednesday (21 May) in the first leg of a crucial Singapore Cup semi-final tie against Brunei DPMM.
As the steadying presence in the dressing room, club captain Hariss Harun was quick to rally the team and turn their attention to the next objective.
“We have one more competition to fight for, so we need to pick ourselves up,” said Hariss. “We can give each other a pat on the back for what we’ve achieved in this ACL Two campaign, but now, it’s about putting this setback behind us and finishing the season strong with another trophy.”
