The Lion City Sailors kicked off their Singapore Premier League (SPL) title defence with a narrow 2-1 win over Hougang United at Our Tampines Hub on Monday (25 August).

A Maxime Lestienne brace proved decisive in a closely-fought contest, with the Belgian striking in each half to hand the Sailors an important victory to begin the 2025/26 season.

After the game, Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković praised his charges for securing three points against a spirited Hougang side, just four days after their gruelling ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup clash away against Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).

He was, however, quick to highlight the growing competitiveness of the SPL.

“I’m satisfied with the three points, but not with the way we played,” said Ranko. “We had a tough game a few days ago, but that’s no excuse, as we sometimes played seven or eight matches in a month last season.

“We have some new players and need to settle better at the start of games. This isn’t the same SPL everyone is used to, because the league is much stronger now. I like it, but nobody can expect to win easily anymore.”

With a point to prove after back-to-back defeats, the reigning league champions started brightly and nearly struck inside four minutes. Diogo Costa whipped in a teasing cross from the left that was met by Anderson Lopes’ diving header, only for Sailors loanee Zharfan Rohaizad to tip the effort away.

The Sailors’ fast start paid off just six minutes later. Pouncing on a miscued clearance from Ryaan Sanizal, Maxime bent a precise shot into the bottom corner to open his account for the season.

Hougang, however, hit back in the 28th minute through young winger Farhan Zulkifli who showed brilliant pace to fire home from a tight angle.

The Sailors almost responded immediately through another Diogo cross, but Tsiy Ndenge’s flick-on evaded Anderson at the far post.

The Cheetahs then thought they had gone ahead just before the break when Yotsakon Burapha fired past Ivan Sušak from close range, but the offside flag quickly cut short their celebrations.

Looking to seize back control, Ranko turned to Song Uiyoung and Bart Ramselaar at the break, and the move reaped immediate rewards. Within two minutes, Bart slipped a perfectly-weighted pass into Maxime’s path, and the Belgian delivered with a trademark curler into the bottom corner.

“There’s no doubt about Max’s ability and mentality,” said Ranko. “We have to manage him carefully at times, but he always delivers. He’s the difference-maker for our team.”

Hougang continued to probe and thought they had levelled again on the hour mark, but Ryohei Yoshihama’s close-range finish from a Yuma Suma cross was once again ruled out for offside.

That proved a turning point as the Sailors controlled the rest of the half, though Hougang still carved out one final chance in the 87th minute when substitute Settawut Wongsai raced through on goal, only to be denied by Ivan’s vital fingertip save.

As nine minutes of stoppage time ticked away, Bailey Wright made his much-anticipated return from injury as he came on to shore up the backline. And the Australian stood firm as the Sailors repelled late pressure from Hougang to seal the all-important opening-day win.

Speaking post-match, Man-of-the-Match Maxime emphasised the significance of the team starting with three points to set the tone for the title defence.

“It wasn’t an easy game, but winning the first match of the league is always important to build confidence. I’m happy with the two goals and with how we responded after the two defeats,” he said.

As the Sailors gear up to compete in four different competitions this season once again, Maxime is embracing the challenge of another gruelling campaign.

For now, the team will head into the international break, before returning to SPL action at Our Tampines Hub against Balestier Khalsa on Sunday, 14 September.

“It will be a long season, but we have a squad of top players this year, and Coach knows how to keep everyone fresh. I’m confident in our quality and I’m looking forward to see how we perform in the next few matches,” concluded Maxime.