The Lion City Sailors Women produced a scintillating attacking display to sweep aside Tanjong Pagar United 12-0 in to continue their perfect start to the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Saturday (7 February).
The emphatic victory saw the Sailors close the goal-difference gap at the summit of the table, after defending champions Albirex Jurong defeated Still Aerion 6-2 earlier in the day.
Both sides now boast maximum points from their opening three matches, with the Sailors trailing Albirex by just four goals after a ruthless showing in front of goal.
“It was definitely a strong result for Albirex, but regardless of the outcome, we have our own targets and we knew what we needed to do to deliver while under pressure,” said Sailors forward Farah Nurzahirah, who netted her second hat-trick of the season.
Farah’s strike partner Ami Takeuchi led the charge with four goals, teenager Nur Ain Salleh grabbed a brace, while Ami Kawase and Nur Izzati Rosni were also on the scoresheet as the Sailors overwhelmed their opponents.
Head Coach Daniel Ong made several notable selections, handing 18-year-old Alysha Nasrina her first start of the season in goal, while Dhaniyah Qasimah wore the captain’s armband for the first time in her Sailors career.
There were also first starts of the season for Tyan Foong and Amelia Tan, who made history by becoming the youngest Sailors Girls Academy graduate to start for the senior team at just 14 years, four months and four days old.
And the teenage debutant wasted little time making her presence felt. Inside the opening ten minutes, Irsalina Irwan surged forward before laying the ball off to Amelia, whose neat pass picked out Ain, who rifled her effort in off the underside of the crossbar to open the scoring.
Takeuchi and Farah combined soon after for the second, before the Japanese forward got on the scoresheet herself in the 35th minute. Kawase (pictured below) then unleashed a superb strike from the edge of the box, before Farah’s deft loop over Tanjong Pagar goalkeeper Batrisyia Ilya capped a dominant first-half display and sent the Sailors into the break with a 5-0 lead.
“In the first half, we played a bit cautiously,” said Takeuchi, who used to play for Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies. “As the game went on, we wanted to be more dynamic as a team. Personally, I tried to create more space for myself, and that helped me get more chances to score.”
The Sailors emerged after the interval with their sights firmly set on further closing the gap on goal difference, and it took just eight minutes after the restart for them to net their sixth through Ain, who then turned provider moments later as she delivered an inviting cross for Takeuchi to head home.
A lapse in the Jaguars’ defence then resulted in an own goal to put the Sailors 9-0 up, before Farah curled in her third of the night in the 70th minute to complete her hat-trick.
The final quarter of the game belonged to Takeuchi, as she teed up substitute Izzati to score from the edge of the area, before adding two more clinical finishes to bring her WPL tally for the season to 10 and round off the scoring.
“In order to win the league title this season, we know we have to win every game,” said Takeuchi. “I’ll continue to work hard with that determination.”
With 29 goals scored in three matches and the only defence in the league yet to be breached, the Sailors have made a solid start to the campaign.
They will next be in action on Friday (13 February) against BG Tampines Rovers, who will be seeking a response after a 4-1 defeat to Geylang International in their previous outing.
The Sailors, however, have no intention of easing off as they continue their pursuit of the WPL summit.
“At this point, we’re quite confident as a team,” concluded Farah. “But we have to take things step by step, follow the coach’s plans and stay focused on our overall performance.”
