Author: Lion City Sailors
The Lion City Sailors are targeting an improved showing in their second Singapore Cup campaign which kicks off next month, after the conclusion of the 2023 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season on 16 September.
Aleksandar Ranković’s side will face holders Hougang United, Balestier Khalsa and Tanjong Pagar United in Group B, following a virtual draw ceremony held at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (24 August) afternoon.
Meanwhile Group A see reigning SPL champions Albirex Niigata (S) face Geylang International, Young Lions, Brunei DPMM and Tampines Rovers.
Group stage matches will be played between 24 September to 26 November, with exact fixtures to be announced at a later date.
The top two of each group will progress to the two-legged semi-finals, scheduled on 3 and 6 December. The grand final will be played on 9 Dec at Jalan Besar.
Sailors captain Hariss Harun has called for strong performances in the Singapore Cup, especially after a disappointing debut campaign in 2022 that saw the club fail to get out of the group stages – finishing third behind Albirex and Balestier in Group A.
“We let our fans and ourselves down last season. We ought to do better this time round and we’re determined to go all the way this year,” said the 32-year-old.
“It won’t be easy as we’ll be juggling our commitments in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League while the Singapore Cup is going on. But there can be no excuses – we’re going out there to try and achieve history by winning the club’s first-ever Singapore Cup.”
The Lion City Sailors Women have moved to add depth and variation to their frontline with the signing of former Kaya FC-Iloilo forward Nica Siy.
The 25-year-old Filipino is the Sailors’ second and final signing of the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) mid-season transfer window after Sara Hayduchok, with Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan looking to add a different dimension to the Sailors’ attack alongside the likes of Nur Izzati Rosni and Lila Tan.
“Nica comes in very handy in our attack with her adaptability on both flanks and through the middle as well,” explained the 45-year-old, pointing to the departure of Chloe Koh and Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran who left for the USA, joining the IMG Academy under Unleash the Roar! scholarships.
“We’ll need to constantly find new solutions to score and she will be very helpful in this aspect.”
Nica comes with pedigree, she was named Rookie of the Year while on scholarship with Ateneo de Manila University and was shortlisted for the trials to represent Philippines at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
However, she turned down that opportunity to pursue her academic dreams at the University of Melbourne where she led the university football team to three consecutive Victoria Premier League championships.
She then joined Kaya’s Women Team upon graduating in 2021 and played alongside Philippines’ World Cup captain Hali Long. Nica’s Kaya Women’s side defeated the Sailors, as well as Thailand’s Phranakorn FC and Indonesia’s Persib Bandung Putri to win the inaugural Women’s Football Championship held in Singapore last October.
Little did she know that fate would bring her back to the Lion City and she would be reunited with the Sailors – this time as a player of the club.
Nica decided to relocate to Singapore in March after getting a job offer with a tech company, but because football remains an indelible part of her identity, she quickly moved to identify the most ideal place for her to continue to grow in the Beautiful Game – the Sailors.
“I moved to Singapore for my career, but at the same time I really wanted to play football because I haven’t played for many months. I knew the Sailors are a really established club, so I reached out and there was no hesitation after speaking to Coach Sheau Shyan,” she said.
Nica only started training with the team some six weeks ago, but already feels at home with her new surroundings and teammates.
“I was going back and forth from the Philippines quite often for work, so I didn’t get to properly train with the team until July. It has been great here – everyone in the team has been so welcoming and friendly, and we’re training off the base of a fantastic Training Centre with facilities to help us get better as football players.
“And Coach Sheau Shyan has been brilliant as well – I’ve been learning so much from her,” she added.
Having had to bide her time, Nica could finally make her long-awaited Sailors debut against Tampines Rovers this Sunday (27 August) at Choa Chu Kang Stadium and she is eager to make her mark in this new chapter of her football journey by helping the club retain their WPL crown.
“I love travelling around the world and discovering new things. I’m just really looking forward to this experience here, making new friendships, learning new things from Coach and my new teammates, as well as bringing something to the team with my versatility and experience,” said Nica.
“Firstly, I will need to bring up my stamina though because I haven’t played for a while, but I’m sure that with the great people here, we will enjoy the season together. I’m confident we’re going to win the title while having fun and building bonds with each other.”
Five players from the Lion City Sailors are in line to represent the Singapore Under-22s at the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers, scheduled to take place in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi between 6 and 12 September 2023.
Sailors first-teamers Nur Adam Abdullah, Bill Mamadou and Abdul Rasaq Akeem retain their places in the squad, while two trainees from the Sailors Academy – Nur Muhammad Asis Ijilrali and Kieran Aryan – are handed their first call-ups at the U22 level.
The quintet are part of Nazri Nasir’s 26-man provisional squad that was confirmed by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Saturday (19 August) afternoon.
The Singapore U22s will first embark on a centralised training camp in Bangkok, Thailand, from 23 August to 2 September, before the squad will be trimmed to 23 for the qualifying campaign proper.
Nazri’s side will take on Yemen on 6 Sept and face Guam three days later, before ending their Group C campaign against group hosts Vietnam on 12 Sept.
The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament, to be held next year between 15 April and 3 May in Qatar.
Asis and Kieran have been impressive for the Sailors Under-21 side that is currently third in the FAS Centre of Excellence (COE) U21 league after 12 matches. The pair have also started to make inroads into the Sailors first-team.
Asis came off the bench to make his Singapore Premier League (SPL) debut in a 7-1 win over Tanjong Pagar at the start of July and has made a total of three substitute appearances under Aleksandar Ranković so far.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder admitted the call came as a surprise, but is determined to make the most of this opportunity to play at the U22 level.
“I’m most excited about the prospect of coming up against higher-level opponents, this can only help my football development at the age of 19,” said Asis, who last represented Singapore at the U19 level in last year’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U19 Championship and AFC U20 Qualifiers.
“I’m happy that Kieran and I got called up, and I hope this can inspire our other U21 teammates to perform well and also be called up in the near future. I hope to do well in the upcoming training camp in Thailand and secure a spot in the final 23,” he added.
While Kieran has yet to make his SPL bow, he has been included in the first team’s matchday squad three times thus far, and the 20-year-old full-back is looking to make a good impression.
“Obviously it’s a huge honour to be called up to play for the country. Thanks to all my coaches that have believed in and trusted me, I’ve been playing regularly for our U21s this season and I feel I’ve improved a lot in terms of maturity and decision-making,” said Kieran, who rose through the Sailors ranks like Asis did and has been with the Academy since 2020.
“Getting the call-up is just the first step, I need to keep giving my best in training and matches to ensure I get picked for the final squad and also get more call-ups in the future.”
The Lion City Sailors Women’s Team have moved to strengthen their backline with the signing of Sara Hayduchok from fellow Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) side Tampines Rovers.
The 28-year-old Filipino-American centre-back is the Sailors’ first signing of the WPL mid-season transfer window, as Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan swooped to get cover for a backline that has conceded just a solitary goal in 10 games this season.
“We’re going into the second round of the season a bit short of depth in central defence: Fatin (Aqillah) is out for the year due to an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury and Natasha (Naszri) is leaving in September for her scholarship (with ESC LaLiga Academy) in Spain,” explained the 45-year-old.
“Sara is a powerful defender who reads the game well and attacks the ball with a lot of pace and accuracy. She was originally a central midfielder, so she possesses the ability to bring the ball up into midfield for us and I think she will fit into this team seamlessly.”
Sara featured regularly for WPL debutants Tampines in the first half of the season and enjoyed her stint with the Stags, but the opportunity to be embedded in an established setup like the Sailors was one that proved too hard to turn down.
“I spent some time deciding over this move, but I knew this was one that I had to make because I want to continue growing and improving all-round in areas like my fitness, technique and football IQ.
“I feel I can achieve my goals with the well-credentialed coaching staff and the experienced pool of players that we’ve here at the Sailors,” said Sara, who played in the USA’s top amateur league – Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) – with Philadelphia Flames SC for a couple of years before first coming to Southeast Asia in June 2022.
“I just want to thank coach Sheau Shyan for this opportunity. She’s a huge part behind this decision to join the Sailors because she’s very genuine to everyone and is someone you can really trust.”
Sara has just trained with the team for a couple of weeks, but with her serious approach on the pitch and affable nature off it, she has already struck a chord with her new teammates.
Sara came up against the Sailors earlier this year in May and the reigning WPL champions required a late goal from Paula Druschke to secure victory over the Stags.
“I remember in one of the first couple of training sessions, one of the forwards actually said this to me: “man, you marked me and really shut me down (in that game)!”. I’m not telling you who, but it was something that made both of us chuckle and warm up to each other,” said Sara, breaking into a wide smile.
“One of the things about me is that I’m really committed to this game, I take training and playing very seriously. What I’m loving about the Sailors so far is that we have this very professional setup where we take things very seriously, but at the same time the girls are also having a lot of fun and laughter alongside each other.”
Sara could make her Sailors debut against Still Aerion FC this Saturday (19 August) at Choa Chu Kang Stadium and is looking forward to helping the team retain their WPL crown, but she also already has eyes set for the long-term here.
“My target is to stay in Southeast Asia, and ideally Singapore, for the long-term. I’ve had some experience in coaching and that’s something I would like to do here as well. I want to be able to impart my experience and give more girls the opportunity to learn sports,” shared Sara.
“In the short-term, of course I’m so looking forward to this upcoming game with the Sailors. I want to do my part to not only strengthen our defence and prevent as many goals as we can, but also ideally help in the building up of phases as a team.
“It won’t be easy, but we’re setting big goals as a team and hopefully we can continue this winning streak and retain the title.”
He recalled seeing shoulders slump and heads drop, but it was understandable, the Lion City Sailors Elite Under-13 squad struggled against their Sparta Rotterdam counterparts and went down to a heavy defeat, leaving them disheartened and introspective.
Sailors’ Academy Head of Foundation Ashraf Ariffin believes that the gut-wrenching big defeat was one of the most important facets of the young Sailors’ training trip to Rotterdam, Holland earlier this year from 27 May to 11 June.
“The standard of the European trainees is above our players and our boys took some time to actually build themselves up to match their standards in a game. But even still, they couldn’t maintain that standard throughout the game,” he said.
“We lost to Sparta, but we stayed resilient, learnt from the match and came back stronger.”
The reflection that followed the loss was the catalyst for the team’s biggest achievement on the trip — an inspiring four-goal victory over the renowned PSV Eindhoven academy that was responsible for producing talents the likes of Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn and Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.
“All the matches that we played were above standards in Asia, so for the squad to match up and do well, was above our expectations, and the boys did great to reflect and come back to beat PSV.”
This training stint in Rotterdam was made possible, thanks to the three-year partnership between the Sailors and Feyenoord Rotterdam that was established in February 2022.
The experience saw them take on four challenging matches, securing three wins and lost just once. The Sailors team defeated K.M.S.K. Deinze and Excelsior, lost to Sparta Rotterdam before ending off with the win over PSV.
This trip was somewhat more significant because of a series of significant firsts.
“Previously when we went to Europe, we would play opponents of one age group younger, and this is the first time we competed with opposition from the same age group, this was the key difference,” said Ashraf.
“It was a good experience, and the more we play against this kind of quality opposition, the more the boys will realise that if they want to be truly elite players, this is the level they need to be working towards, nothing lower.”
Caden Nicholas Pereira, a left-back in the travelling squad, looked back fondly on his experience in Rotterdam.
“The trip has helped me improve in making quicker decisions on the pitch. And I think I’ve learned from playing against stronger and more physical players,” he said.
Teammate Izzan Rifqi, who scored nine goals out of the four games, recalled the win over PSV very clearly.
“Before the game, our coaches really motivated us and we felt like we desperately needed to win that match. And when we did win, we were all so excited in the locker room,” said Izzan.
“I will never forget that moment.”
Despite encouraging performances all around, Ashraf remained grounded in his assessment.
“Although we won some games, when we compare the players individually to European youth players of the same age, I think we are still quite far away. Our players learnt that we still need to work much harder because the standards are still quite far compared to their European counterparts,” said Ashraf.
“But if our boys play at this level on a weekly basis, I think it will make a huge difference in their development.”
More than just about football development, the trip offered a platform for a different kind of growth in the young Sailors.
“Learning to adapt to a different environment, managing their time effectively, and making decisions on their own, these young athletes flourished in being independent responsible professionals,” said the 36-year-old Ashraf, who witnessed first-hand the growing maturity in his players.
“They had to be more responsible because they were away from their parents and they learnt to carry themselves, and I must say it was nice to see that the boys were up to the task.”
Three young upstarts from the Lion City Sailors Women’s team that play in the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) – Natasha Naszri, Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran, and Chloe Koh – have been granted coveted overseas scholarships as part of the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) national project.
The trio are part of the eight-strong group of inaugural scholarship awardees of the UTR! Initiative that aims to revolutionise the landscape of Singapore football.
The scholarship grants Chloe and Ardhra, both 16, the rare opportunity to spend the next three years at the esteemed IMG Academy in Florida, USA, a renowned institution known for nurturing talents across various sports.
Both of them have already departed Singapore to begin their new journeys.
Natasha, on the other hand, will leave in September to embark on a transformative journey at the ESC LaLiga Academy in Madrid, Spain for a duration of three years.
The detailed selection process for this UTR! scholarship spanned over four months, commencing with an initial shortlist of nearly 40 student-athletes, identified through preliminary assessments by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and the Singapore Sports School.
These promising talents then underwent rigorous scrutiny during training sessions and competitive matches, with this exhaustive evaluation process aimed at identifying individuals who exemplify dedication, technical ability, and a potential to make an impact in the local football scene.
A group of potential players were later chosen for a face-to-face interview with members of the UTR executive committee. This stage aimed to further explore their personal motivations, goals, and dedication to their sport. Ultimately, a special panel approved their scholarships.
For Chloe and Ardhra, this award represents more than a scholarship.
“My goal is always to land a professional contract, and the short-term goal would be to get a scholarship to a Division 1 college in America,” shared Chloe. “Playing overseas will really test my limits and push boundaries, and playing and training with better, faster and stronger players on a daily basis is going to make me a better player, and help me get closer to my goals.”
One key facet Ardhra is looking forward to, is immersing in an environment where sports is the raison d’etre.
“My aspiration is also to play for a Division 1 college in the United States and the UTR scholarship will help me with that because we will be regularly playing at a higher level of competition. Moreover, we will be in an environment where the main priority is football,” said Ardhra who is appreciative of the role the club has played in her journey in football.
“The Sailors provided the infrastructure and many opportunities for us to improve ourselves as footballers and as individuals,” added the midfielder.
Chloe’s journey has been a tad more complicated.
Following an injury during an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup match in May, Chloe, who had recently earned her debut call-up to the national U-16 team, initially feared severe damage to her left leg. Concerns of meniscus tear or anterior cruciate ligament rupture arose, and although the problem was eventually diagnosed to be in the plica (an additional band of soft tissue in the knee), Chloe faced a challenging period, and was sidelined for more than a month.
Chloe knuckled down, focusing on recovery this time instead of playing football, and her dedication paid off when she marked her comeback by participating in her first matches for the national U-19 team, Lion City Sailors Women’s team, as well as the senior national team in the months that followed.
Reflecting on her journey thus far, Chloe holds a deep affection for the cherished memories she crafted during her time with the Sailors.
“My experience in the Sailors Women’s Team and the Academy has been a really pleasant one because I’ve learned so much from the coaches, and I’ve made so many friends. These are the moments and little things that I will really cherish. I think the community here is just so welcoming and everyone’s like a big family, and that has really helped me in terms of my growth,” she said.
“The Sailors have a really clear pathway for development: if you’re from the academy, there’s a pathway to our WPL team which is the path that I went down,” said Chloe.
“I think one of my most memorable moments was when I scored my first hat-trick in the WPL against Geylang and it was quite memorable in the sense that I only came on as a second half substitute – and my first touch on the ball was a goal,” reminisced Chloe.
“That is something I will never forget.
In her heartfelt sentiments, Chloe paused to pay tribute to the unwavering dedication of coaches who have been guiding lights across her journey.
“The coaches at the Sailors care more about your personal development as a player than the results in matches. Although we know results are important, coaches always say that they rather see us apply something learnt from training on the field during a match.
All in all, it was clear the coaches really care about your holistic development as a player and a person. And they actually are more than willing to go the extra mile to help you,” mused Chloe.
“I’m really grateful to Coach (Yeong) Sheau Shyan for just being one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. She has groomed me since 2018 and she really shaped me to become the player I am today so I am thankful to her for that.”
Natasha, who like her Sailors comrades is keen to play professionally, sees the opportunity to train at ESC LaLiga Academy as a platform for her to grow as a footballer.
“This is a good opportunity for me to pursue my goals in sports and academics. My development as a footballer will definitely improve and I am very thankful for that,” said Natasha.
“And I really hope that in the future, I will come back to Singapore and share whatever knowledge that I will gain overseas – lessons from on and off the pitch – with more Singaporean players.”
Bernie leaves the Sailors
The Lion City Sailors have reached mutual agreement with Bernie Ibini-Isei to terminate his contract with the club.
Having come off the bench to make his club debut in a 5-0 win over Hougang back in April, the 30-year-old Australian striker went on to make eight appearances for the Sailors – with the last coming in a 3-0 win over Hougang on 25 June.
Having scored goals in more illustrious leagues like Australia’s A-League and Korea’s K League 1, the former Central Coast Mariners and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors man was unlucky not to have netted in the Sailors’ white and blue colours.
An amiable presence on and off the pitch, Bernie leaves with the best wishes of the team. The Sailors wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.
The Lion City Sailors Women got the perfect start to the second round of the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL), beating fourth-placed Police Sports Association (Police SA) 3-0 on Sunday (13 August) night at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
Goals by Nur Izzati Rosni, Cara Chang and Lila Tan reinstated the four-point lead the Sailors held at the top of the 10-team WPL standings before Albirex Niigata (S) beat Tiong Bahru FC 10-0 on Saturday (12 Aug).
Standing in for Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan who is away on a personal matter, Izz Haziq drew several positives from both the result as well as the team performance.
“Today was one of our best performances in terms of build-up play and creating chances and it was against a team that has proven to be a tough team to beat,” said the Sailors Women assistant coach.
“For us to play the way we did and get the win in the end was very satisfying.”
The Sailors women beat Police 3-0 in their opening WPL fixture in March, but it was two late Izzati goals that put the gloss on what was a hard-earned win then.
This time around, the women needed a penalty to break the deadlock, and it was Izzati who again nudged her Sailors towards victory.
After Nur Syazwani Ruzi, Izzati and Cara all went close, 16-year-old forward, Josephine Ang was tripped inside the box. A calm Izzati stepped up to convert and give the Sailors the lead in the 25th minute and that was her 10th goal of the campaign.
Just a minute before half time, 14-year-old Cara scored her first goal for the Sailors. On her weaker foot, the Academy graduate pummeled the ball past the Police goalkeeper before dedicating the goal to her ex-teammate, Ardhra Arul Ganeswaran, who recently left to train overseas under an Unleash The Roar! football scholarship.
“I’m very happy because I missed a few chances last week. I’m happy to score for my friends who have left,” said Cara, smiling as she recounted her goal.
That feeling is something Cara already wants to recreate.
“Mostly, I just want to improve on my decision-making and how I play with the team,” she said. “Hopefully I can help the team get more goals.”
Haziq is confident that Cara will only grow from strength to strength.
“I’m so happy for her to get her goal and on her left foot too. It’ll be fantastic for her confidence and morale, and she deserves every bit of it. She’s been in our academy for many years now and we had full trust in her,” said a proud Haziq.
“We didn’t register her in the league from the start because we didn’t want to rush her, but from her performances in the last few games (since joining the team in the mid-season transfer window), it is clear that she fits right in.”
After causing problems for the opposition back line all game, Cara had yet another chance on goal in the 76th minute. She sped down the right flank and showed quick feet to turn towards goal, and unleashed a shot that was parried away by Police custodian Nur Fadhillah Hassan.
But Lila was on hand to tap the ball into an empty net for her fourth goal of the season to make it 3-0.
Haziq will continue as the stand-in Head Coach for the Sailors’ next WPL assignment, against seventh-placed Still Aerion FC this Saturday (19 Aug) at Choa Chu Kang, and he is hoping for more of the same from the team.
“We are dealing with several players being unavailable or out injured but in the next two weeks it will be about continuing what we’ve been working on and have already shown that we can accomplish,” he said.
“This win over Police is a very good start and if we continue putting in a performance like this again next week, that’s really all we can ask for.”
The task at hand was clear: win to secure second spot in the nine-team Singapore Premier League (SPL) standings, and that was exactly what the Lion City Sailors did, sweeping aside Hougang United in an emphatic 8-2 victory at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (13 August) evening.
The result meant that the Sailors will be Singapore’s representatives in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club competitions in the 2024/25 season. They have accumulated 51 points from 23 games played, seven clear of third-placed Tampines Rovers, who have played a game fewer but can no longer catch up for second.
Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković praised his charges after seeing them secure a runners-up finish in sensational fashion, with the usual suspects Maxime Lestienne and Diego Lopes delivering on the night, and the added bonus of Christopher van Huizen and Haiqal Pashia getting their first goals of the season.
“The goal we set when I came here was to finish in first place, but we knew it was going to be difficult,” said the Serbian, who has steered the Sailors to six wins in eight SPL games since being appointed on 28 June. “We didn’t get that, but we didn’t give up till the end, and finishing second is massively important for us, because it secures AFC participation.”
“Today we did a really good job in the transitions and I can see that the team is getting fitter. I’m very proud of everyone in the team and we can now go into this break with a really good feeling.”
The Sailors started the contest the brighter of the two and went 1-0 up on 11 minutes through Diego, this after Abdul Rasaq Akeem had rattled the bar earlier.
Rising highest to meet Nur Adam Abdullah’s left-wing cross, Diego planted an accurate header into Zaiful Nizam’s bottom corner to take his tally to eight for the season.
Rasaq was not to be denied, expertly curling home his 10th of the season after being picked out by Diego on 24 minutes as the 22-year-old struck double digits in a single campaign for the first time in his career.
Hougang would pull one back three minutes later when Richairo Živković inadvertently turned in Naoki Kuriyama’s header off Kristijan Krajček’s corner.
It was something Ranko was keen to cut out, having conceded in similar fashion against Tampines in their previous game.
“We controlled the match in the first-half, but conceded a really easy goal again from another set-piece. It’s happened in two straight games and we have to work on that,” he noted, with his eyes now set on the next big assignment for the Sailors, the AFC Champions League (ACL) which starts in mid-September.
“This cannot happen in the ACL because mistakes like this can cost you games.”
The second half was in stark contrast to the opening 45, with Richairo lashing home into the far corner two minutes after the restart to restore Sailors’ two-goal lead.
Chris then capped off a 20-pass move with a blistering strike for his maiden goal in Sailors colours in the 61st minute to extend the lead to 4-1.
Seven minutes later, substitute Gabriel Quak returned to haunt the Sailors when he hit an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box which beat Zharfan Rohaizad at full stretch.
That joy proved to be short-lived for the home side as Sailors made it 5-2 in the 73rd minute, with Maxime teeing up Richairo for his second of the night – with the Curaçaon forward scoring a brace for a second straight match.
Richairo then returned the favour in the 78th minute, providing the cutback for Maxime to fire in his first of the evening.
There were just 12 minutes left to play, but the Sailors were not done just yet.
Having nicked the ball off Nazrul Nazari, the effervescent Zulqarnaen Suzliman laid it on a plate for Maxime to produce an impudent flick past Zaiful seven minutes from time.
The Belgian’s brace means he currently leads the SPL goalscorer charts with 25 goals, three ahead of Balestier Khalsa’s Ryoya Taniguchi.
Pashia would then round off the scoring in injury-time with a cool finish after latching onto a pass from fellow substitute Hami Syahin – his first since scoring in a 4-0 win over Tampines in May 2022.
With a pair of goals and three assists to his name, Man-of-the-Match Maxime played down his contributions.
“The season was not easy for all of us and I felt a little sad not to have been crowned as champions. We tried and gave everything we could and while I’m happy with the goals and assists today, the most important thing was that the team won,” the former Standard Liege man said.
The Sailors’ next assignment will see them face Geylang International in their final SPL fixture on September 16, but Ranko already has eyes firmly set on what lies thereafter.
“We are definitely going for the Singapore Cup,” he asserted.
“We are also in the ACL and we need to see who we are drawn against, but we are going to prepare well and not just make the numbers. That’s my main goal in the weeks ahead.”
Sailors Women ready to rumble in Rd 2
After a dominant first half of the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) season with eight wins and a draw, the Lion City Sailors Women’s will be looking to continue their impressive form when Round 2 kicks off against Police Sports Association (SA) on Sunday (13 Aug) night at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
Yeong Sheau Shyan’s charges are now in pole position in the 10-team WPL table with 25 points from nine games, four more than second-placed Hougang United and six ahead of third-placed Albirex Niigata (S).
Despite the commanding start and gap in points tally, the Sailors Women are not taking things lightly, instead going out to secure yet another three points against Police to set the tone for the remainder of the season.
“It is very important to start positively because anything could happen in the second round. Despite the fact that we are at the top of the table, we need to have a strong and positive mindset,” said Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar, who has shown versatility this season, already featuring at both right-back and right midfield.
“If we’re complacent, teams can easily take points off us. We have to keep winning to remain top and keep the momentum going.”
Sunday’s opponent, Police, have had an encouraging first season in the WPL – after being promoted from the second-tier Women’s National League (WNL) – they have amassed 18 points from nine outings and are just three points off second spot.
A stout performance to hold title-chasing Hougang to a 0-0 draw last weekend not only showcased their defensive strength, but has also lifted their confidence before facing a Sailors side that has scored a league-leading tally of 35 goals – nine more than any side.
“Police is not a team to disregard lightly as they have a lot of experienced players,especially in their backline. Sitianiwati Rosielin is one of their key players and she is very good at distributing the ball. Furthermore, the team also has other players with good technical skills to trouble our defence,” said a serious Nisa.
“We cannot take them lightly at all.”
The Sailors have taken the approach to embrace a more youthful composition amongst the squad and give playing opportunities to rising teenagers – till date, a total of seven Under-16 girls have made WPL debuts for the team after being promoted from the club’s Girls’ Academy.
Nisa, once a junior player in the team, is now wholeheartedly embracing her more senior role. She is enjoying providing guidance to the younger ones and actively helping their seamless integration into the team.
“I try to help the younger players by giving them feedback or when they have questions about our game. And as much as possible, I try to encourage them because the level of intensity is different in the WPL compared to the WNL.
“Afterall, I’ve been in their position before so I know how a little bit of help and encouragement goes a long way in helping them adjust to playing at a higher level,” said the 20-year-old, who has made nine appearances for the Singapore national women’s team.
Sailors’ latest debutant, Cara Chang, holds a deep admiration for the senior players like Nisa who have reached out with a helping hand.
“Playing with the senior players has helped me a lot: there is a lot I am learning from them technically, tactically and physically. I really admire their mentality and composure, and they constantly motivate me by encouraging and supporting me both on and off the field.
“This helped me easily transition into the team and feel part of the Sailors’ family,” said the 14-year-old, who has made two WPL appearances so far and made two assists since being registered in the WPL mid-season transfer window.
“Nisa in particular has helped me a lot because we play in the same position and she helps me whenever I’m unsure about something.”
Cara also echoed Nisa’s sentiments, emphasising the significance of commencing the second round with a victorious start.
“I think starting this round with a strong win is very important because the gap at the top of the table between us and Albirex is quite tight. Every single game matters and winning will help us show that we are ready to compete for the title,” said the young winger, who is also part of the Singapore Under-16 women’s team.
“We’ve learnt a lot from the first round and we hope to implement what we’ve been working on in training sessions in our game this Sunday. It will also serve as a confidence booster and help us keep our momentum going for the rest of the season.”
