After suffering a disappointing 4-1 defeat to BG Tampines Rovers in the Community Shield at the start of the season, the Lion City Sailors arrived in the Singapore Cup Final with redemption firmly on their minds. 

That intent was clearly reflected on the pitch, as the Sailors produced a commanding display and collected a deserved victory over the Stags after extra time to secure their third consecutive Singapore Cup title.

Central to their dominant display was full-back Akram Azman, who was tasked with containing BG Tampines’ main threat Trent Buhagiar. It was a test the 25-year-old passed with maturity, as he produced a disciplined and assured performance to nullify the winger’s threat.

“Winning my second Singapore Cup title felt great. That is why I joined the Sailors – to win trophies,” said Akram. “The team put in a dominant display, and I’m happy we came away with a win that we fully deserved.” 

That early setback against the Stags made this triumph all the more satisfying, and underlined how much the team had progressed since the Community Shield defeat.

“Losing the Community Shield was very disappointing for all of us. We were caught by surprise by the way they played and attacked in that game,” Akram recalled. “But we learned from it and adopted a different approach in the cup final. Both matches were played for silverware, so any victory in games like these is hugely important.”

Introduced at half-time for the injured Christopher van Huizen, Akram was immediately thrown into the thick of the action, with Buhagiar’s nine goals and five assists this season making him a formidable challenge for any full-back. 

“I was very clear on what the coach wanted me to do. We all knew how dangerous Trent and his runs in behind can be, but we were already well prepared for that thanks to the work on the training ground,” said the Singapore international. 

“The whole backline did well to limit the spaces he could exploit, and that came down to everyone carrying out their duties effectively.”

With the Sailors adding a host of new signings during the transfer window, including winger Luka Adžić and midfielders Kyoga Nakamura and Lucas Agueiro, the battle for places has intensified.

That, in turn, has pushed the local contingent to raise their game, with Hami Syahin providing a prime example by coming off the bench to break the deadlock in the 115th minute.

“The new signings have added a lot of quality on top of the players we already have, so we’re looking forward to building on that,” said Akram. “All of us are working hard to earn our place in the team. Rather than turning it into a competition, we want to uplift one another and make sure whoever plays gives their best.”

After a three-month hiatus, the reigning Singapore Premier League champions return to league action against Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (18 January). Recent meetings have been closely contested, with the Sailors recording one win, two draws, and losing once across the four league encounters last season. 

“We are very determined to defend our title this year, and it starts with this game,” declared Akram. “It doesn’t matter who we face. Our goal is always to take the three points and move closer to the title.”

The Eagles have bolstered their squad with former FC Augsburg youth centre-back Kim Tae-Ho, as well as young Japanese goalkeeper Yu Kanoshima, who featured for Japan at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup.

“We know Geylang has technical players like Vincent Bezecourt who have caused us problems in recent seasons,” Akram noted. “But as long as everyone fulfils their responsibilities on the pitch, we should be able to handle them.”

Having notched one goal and two assists in his previous two SPL outings, Akram is eager to further develop the attacking side of his game.

“I want to be more present in the final third and contribute more to our attacking play,” he explained. “That takes time, but it’s something I’m actively working on.”

Buoyed by the energy of the Sailors’ faithful in the cup final, Akram called on the fans to once again bring that same passion for the run-in.

“I hope the fans can come down to all our matches. We need the unwavering support they showed during the final, because our 12th man always gives us that extra boost.”