The Lion City Sailors’ slim hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup were extinguished after they fell to a 3-0 defeat against reigning V.League 1 champions Nam Định FC in their penultimate Group B clash at the Thiên Trường Stadium on Thursday (29 January).
While the Sailors put in a committed performance on the road, they ultimately found themselves outgunned by a Nam Định side who maintained their perfect record in the competition to confirm their place in the knockout stage.
The Sailors, however, had to contend with several absentees on the night. New signings Kyoga Nakamura and Luka Adžić were unavailable as they have already represented Bangkok United earlier in the same stage of the competition, while Bart Ramselaar and Rui Pires were not included in the matchday squad due to the competition’s limit on the number of foreign players permitted.
Song Uiyoung also missed the trip through injury, and Hami Syahin was absent on paternal leave following the birth of his second child.
“It was a very disappointing match,” said Ranko after the final whistle. “We missed plenty of key players and it is not easy to play against a team of Nam Định’s quality with so many players out. The 3-0 scoreline might have been a bit flattering, but they deserved to win.”
In contrast, Nam Định head coach Mauro Jerónimo was able to name a full-strength line-up that included tournament top scorer Nguyễn Xuân Son. And after a cautious opening from both sides, it was the forward who registered the game’s first notable effort in the 28th minute, though his overhead kick drifted wide.
The Sailors responded soon after, with Shawal Anuar cutting inside to test goalkeeper Trần Nguyên Mạnh. But it was the hosts who eventually opened the scoring in the 35th minute, when Caio César curled a fine effort past Ivan Sušak to send Nam Định into the break with a 1-0 lead.
“We were too slow on the ball in the first half,” Ranko reflected. “That was our biggest problem. We gave away some goals, but I am still proud of my team’s effort.”
Looking to wrest control in midfield after the restart, club captain Hariss Harun, making his first Shopee Cup appearance of the season, combined with Tsiy Ndenge as the Sailors pushed higher up the pitch.
However, an attempt to build-up from the back proved costly in the 61st minute, as Bailey Wright’s pass was intercepted by Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, allowing Xuân Son to twist and turn before doubling Nam Định’s advantage.
Three minutes later, Percy Tau threatened to extend the lead with a solo effort, but Ivan produced a fine save to keep the Sailors in the contest. And though the Sailors entered the final quarter two goals down, their bench offered limited attacking options.
“We have had a small squad all season,” Ranko explained. “We have around 20 first-team players and today we only had three outfield players on the bench. To make it tougher, all three were defenders, so preparing for this game was always going to be difficult.”
Nonetheless, Ranko did ring the changes, with Christopher van Huizen, Hafiz Nor and Nur Adam Abdullah introduced late on in an attempt to change the game’s momentum, but clear chances remained scarce.
Indeed, Tsiy’s low effort on target in the 90th minute proved to be the Sailors’ closest attempt in the second half. Moments later, substitute Lâm Ti Phông’s pass released Xuân Son, who calmly finished to claim his seventh Shopee Cup goal of the campaign and seal the result in front of 3,918 spectators.
Xuân Son was duly named Man of the Match, as Nam Định maintained their perfect record in the competition to secure qualification for the knockout stage.
“Nam Định are a physically strong and well-organised team with a very good squad,” added Ranko. “This was one of the toughest matches we have faced in terms of quality.”
The Sailors will now turn their focus back to domestic matters as they resume their Singapore Premier League title defence, beginning with a home clash against Balestier Khalsa this Sunday (1 February).
