Category: News
They have had to play on difficult pitches, cope with the departure of key players, and find a way to overcome ultra-defensive teams intent on disrupting their game.
So far, the Lion City Sailors Women’s team has managed to pass every test they have faced, often with flying colours.
This Sunday (21 May), however, the reigning Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions – who won two games out of two thus far – will have to overcome their toughest obstacle yet, when they take on Tampines Rovers at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
But it is not the formidable challenge posed by the Stags – who boast the likes of Singapore National Team players Farhanah Ruhaizat and Stephanie Gigette Dominguez – that keeps Sailors Women head coach Yeong Sheau Shyan up at night.
Rather, her primary worry lies in the emotional and mental burnout experienced by most of her players in the aftermath of the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. A total of 11 Sailors players were called up to the Singapore team that bowed out of the group stage with one win and two losses.
“The SEA Games not only put the players under a lot of stress physically, but also took a toll on their emotional and mental state,” said Sheau Shyan. “Even though they are back in Singapore now, many of them are still trying to recover.
“It’s understandable, because they had trained especially hard in the month before the Games, with many of them even taking no-pay leave to focus on National Team preparations.”
Sheau Shyan also revealed that she has concerns over whether her players can adapt quickly enough to playing the Sailors’ style of football, which is markedly different from what is asked of them at the National Team.
She elaborated: “The players wouldn’t have remembered much of what we’ve been preparing at club level; their minds were on other formations and tactics, because the National Team plays in a different way. For them to adjust back to our style of play is going to take some time and that’s something I’ve been trying to get them to do for the past week.
“Most of our players were called up for the Games, so for the past month, we’ve only been able to do individual and small-group training for the few players remaining. But it is what it is – these are things that we know we have to cope with and we’re up to this challenge.”
Given the difficulties faced by the Sailors, Sheau Shyan expects her side’s fixture against Tampines to be a scrappy affair.
“This is the biggest test for us and will allow us to see how strong our girls are mentally,” she said. “But I might have to play some of the younger girls who may not be tactically ready, but at least they’d be in a better physical condition.
“It’s not going to be easy for them to come in and adapt straight away, so I expect this Sunday’s game to be a messy battle, and whoever wants it more will win. Tampines are an up-and-coming team, so this will be a good challenge for us.”
The SEA Games experience, however, was not completely without its merits. For Nur Umairah Hamdan, it gave her a chance to understand the game from a different perspective, as the 21-year-old – who plays as a centre-back for the Sailors – was deployed as a centre-midfielder for the National Team.
“The SEA Games was tough, but it was an eye-opening journey for me because I played in a new position,” Umairah explained. “It taught me how to push my limits and try something new.
“More importantly, I’m more aware of how a central midfielder sees the game, and how they would like to receive the ball from defence. So now I have a better understanding of how a midfielder plays, I can help them out by giving them the kind of passes that makes life easier for them.”
The challenging experience of the Cambodian Games also brought the Sailors in the National Team closer together.
“We bonded a lot at the SEA Games. We were together in close proximity, and we helped each other throughout the physically and mentally draining journey,” said Umairah.
“But we’re all now excited to go back to play in the WPL. We miss the local league and playing for our club. I’m looking forward to stepping onto the pitch as a Sailor again and we’re all relishing this responsibility of helping the club become champions again.”
Sailors stopped by resolute DPMM
They had the opportunity to close the gap on Singapore Premier League (SPL) leaders Albirex Niigata (S), but the Lion City Sailors were held to a 3-3 draw by a dogged Brunei DPMM side at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May) evening.
After the Sailors had done brilliantly to come from behind to take the lead twice, Andrei Voronkov netted a 89th-minute equaliser to seal his hat-trick and steal a share of the spoils for Adrian Pennock’s side.
The result was enough for the Sailors to leapfrog Tampines Rovers – who face Tanjong Pagar United later today – into second in the nine-team SPL standings on goal difference. But it left Risto Vidaković’s men wondering what could have been.
“I cannot fault my players, they gave everything today. The team played a good game and this is football, sometimes unpredictable,” the Sailors head coach said after the match.
“We have to look forward. We are playing good football. I can tell that the team is growing. We are improving and taking a step in the right direction.”
Just like their 2-1 win over Geylang International last week, it was a case of déjà vu when the Sailors found themselves behind early in the game with Voronkov nodding home Hakeme Yazid’s corner after just four minutes.
The opener sparked the Sailors into life and they nearly got an immediate response down the other end, but Bernie Ibini-Isei and Maxime Lestienne failed to put their chances away.
It did not take long for the visitors to equalise, however, with Diego Lopes sweeping home Maxime’s cutback on 15 minutes.
Diego would return the favour four minutes later as his laser-guided through pass picked out the run of Maxime, who proceeded to curl the ball beyond DPMM custodian Akmal Tursunbaev with trademark precision.
But DPMM levelled matters again on the half-hour mark.
The lurking Voronkov was quickest to react after Sailors custodian Zharfan Rohaizad could only parry Abdul Azizi Rahman’s effort into his path.
The Sailors would then retake the lead for a second time on the night just before the interval.
It was the combination between Diego and Maxime yet again, with the former slipping the ball through to his Belgian teammate down the right with a smartly taken quick free-kick.
Maxime still had work to do as he cut inside Angel Martinez to drill an unerring finish into Tursunbaev’s far post for his 10th goal of the season, with the goal allowed to stand following a VAR check.
Praising the duo, Risto said: “They know and understand each other’s style of play and that makes it easy to have that kind of connection. Their teammates also have a good chemistry with the pair and that can only be a good thing for us.”
The second half was a stark contrast of the five-goal first half, with clear chances few and far between.
Bernie and Shawal Anuar – a returning name to the Sailors starting line-up – both came close, but it was all the Sailors could muster after the restart.
Just as the Sailors thought they had done enough for the win, Voronkov slammed home the loose ball at the death in the area to earn a point for the 2019 SPL champions.
There was one final chance for the Sailors to steal a dramatic late victory shortly after, but Maxime could only drag his right-footed effort wide.
Risto still refused to pin any blame on his players.
“We should have closed the game with the chances we created. They (DPMM) didn’t do anything special in the second half, but got one chance and they scored,” said the Serbian.
“We now need to rest and recover well, analyse this game and see what we can improve on.”
Midfielder Adam Swandi echoed Risto’s sentiments.
“All of us came into this game looking to get the three points, so we were naturally disappointed to concede late on. There’s nothing we can do now, except to bounce back stronger in our next game,” added the 27-year-old.
With Albirex up next in a huge clash at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (21 May), Adam has his eyes firmly set on taking down his former employers.
“Albirex are comfortable at the top and we will go into this with everything we have,” he declared.
“A win against DPMM would have set the stage nicely for this game, but we are definitely gunning for the three points to show that we mean business.”
Fresh from their 2-1 comeback win over Geylang International last Sunday (7 May), another stern test awaits the Lion City Sailors as they face Brunei DPMM at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May) evening.
It will be the second time the Sailors will come up against the 2019 Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions this season, having run out 3-1 winners in their first encounter at Bishan Stadium in March.
Adrian Pennock’s side may sit sixth in the nine-team SPL table, but Christopher van Huizen has warned against complacency and believes Sailors have what it takes to make it two wins in two against them.
“There was an element of surprise for us as we were unsure as to what to expect from DPMM in their first game back in the SPL. We ultimately got the win, which is the most important thing,” said Chris.
“I’m confident we can claim the three points again, but we are not going to be big-headed and take things lightly. We will be watching them closely and work really hard to achieve what we want.”
Against the Eagles, however, Risto Vidaković’s men had to dig deep. Going behind to a 10th minute Iqbal Hussain’s opener, they eventually prevailed via a pair of brilliant Maxime Lestienne free-kicks in the final 20 minutes.
Reflecting on that game, Chris said of his former side: “Geylang wasn’t an easy opponent who played fantastic football. I thought we started well, but that early goal did catch us off guard.
“We were not particularly worried and I thought we played better with the way we kept the ball after the break. It is a good sign that we were creating chances.
“With players like Max and Diego (Lopes) who are able to carve out the opportunities, we just need to work on our end product by converting them.”
While a winger by trade, Chris – who topped the SPL assists chart with 10 in the 2019 season – has found himself being deployed at full-back in recent times for both club and country.
He admits that although the position change may be something still new to him, it is something the fleet-footed 30-year-old relishes.
“I feel blessed to be this versatile and contribute to the team. I am always learning and I acknowledge that there is still room for improvement – especially in my defensive positioning and in 1 vs 1 situations. That said, I also hope to protect Zharfan (Rohaizad)’s goal and help him keep as many clean sheets as possible.
“I also count myself lucky to have someone like Max playing in front of me, I can just support him from the back. I don’t bother about the criticism I face, I simply want to prove people wrong and I’m happy as long as the team gets the three points at the end of the day.”
Victory against DPMM will not only see the Sailors leapfrog Tampines Rovers into second spot for at least 24 hours, but also put pressure on leaders Albirex Niigata (S) – their opponents in a blockbuster clash on 21 May.
“As you can see, we are not very far off the top two of Albirex and Tampines in the standings. Going into the second round of the SPL, it’s important to do our best and maintain the consistency week in, week out if we are to stand a chance to reclaim the title,” said Chris.
“The fans are our 12th man and they will play an important role once again. I hope to see them in the stands cheering us on as we push for the win.”
Majestic. Matchwinner. Maxime.
Is Maxime Lestienne currently the best player in the Singapore Premier League (SPL)?
According to Lion City Sailors Head Coach Risto Vidaković, the answer is a resounding “Yes”.
It would be hard to argue with Risto’s assessment, especially after the Belgian scored twice – both via free-kicks – to inspire the Sailors to a 2-1 comeback victory over Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (7 May) evening.
When asked about the 30-year-old’s match-winning display, Risto did not hold back in his praise, as he said: “There is no doubt in my mind that Maxime is the best player in the league. He’s a superstar, he has played at a higher level, and he shows in every game that he’s the main man on the pitch.
But Maxime and the Sailors were made to work hard for the three points, as Geylang gave as good as they got in front of the raucous home fans.
With the Sailors missing defenders Nur Adam Abdullah, Bill Mamadou and forward Abdul Rasaq Akeem due to their involvement in the ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Nathan Mao was handed a spot in the starting line-up, making him the youngest-ever player to start a SPL game at 15 years and 42 days old.
Nathan, who surpassed the previous record holder Raoul Suhaimi (15 years and 239 days old), is also only the second player below the age of 16 to start a SPL game.
Nathan’s big day, however, got off to a bad start as Geylang took the lead after just 10 minutes, with Iqbal Hussain calmly finishing off a clinical counter-attacking move.
The early goal seemed to take the wind out of the Sailors’ sails, and they found themselves pegged back by the Eagles for much of the first half.
This was when Zulqarnaen Suzliman rose to the occasion for the Sailors, as the marauding right-back put his body on the line to prevent Geylang from doubling their lead on at least three occasions.
“That was just defensive instinct,” said Zulqarnaen. “I always give my best for the team, and I’m happy that I contributed today by preventing the opposition from scoring.
As the clock ticked on, however, it was clear for all to see that the Sailors desperately needed a touch of inspiration to get back into the game against a resolute Geylang side.
And Maxime duly obliged.
When the Sailors were awarded a free-kick on the right edge of the Geylang penalty box in the 69th minute, everyone expected Maxime to send the ball into the box for someone to get his head on to.
Instead, the forward blindsided the Geylang defence, as well as goalkeeper Hafiz Ahmad, and curled the ball into the top corner with his left foot.
20 minutes later, Maxime struck again. This time, the Sailors were awarded a free-kick on the left edge of the Geylang penalty box – but while the position was different, the outcome was the same, as Maxime curled the ball into the top corner and left Hafiz grasping at air.
Even though the Sailors went down to 10 men in stoppage time following Rusyaidi Salime’s dismissal for an off-the-ball incident, Maxime’s late goal proved to be enough to secure all three points for his team.
“I work a lot on my free-kicks during training,” Maxime revealed. “I’ve taken quite a few already, and it doesn’t go in all the time, so I’m happy that it resulted in goals today. It was a strong game from Geylang, but we had a lot of chances which we should have converted. Thankfully, in the end we managed to score and get a good result.”
Zulqarnaen corroborated Maxime’s account, as he added: “He practices his free-kicks during training, and you can see the results of that today because it made the difference. His technique is incredible, but it also shows that you need to work hard because it will pay off.”
The win leaves the Sailors third in the table, just one point behind Tampines Rovers in second, and five points behind current league leaders and reigning champions Albirex Niigata (S).
The Sailors will next take on Brunei DPMM at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 May).
It has been close to three weeks since the Lion City Sailors’ last Singapore Premier League (SPL) match – a dramatic 1-1 draw with the Young Lions, who scored a penalty in the last minute of stoppage time for a share of the spoils.
The frustration from dropping points, especially in that manner, is still evident in Risto Vidaković’s voice when he talks about that game.
“We dropped two points against the Young Lions, that was a game that we should have won,” said the Sailors Head Coach. “If we had won, we’d be three points off the top of the SPL table right now.
“Overall, I think we lost too many points in the first round of the SPL, and that (Young Lions) match was just one instance in which I think we should have done better.
“But we cannot think about that game anymore. We must forget it and look forward to the next round of the SPL, because the title race is still open.”
Risto is not wrong – with 16 points after the first eight SPL games, the Sailors currently find themselves third in the table, five points behind league leaders and reigning champions Albirex Niigata (S).
And they are only just getting started.
“I’ve always said that this team needs time before we can see its full potential. It’s natural that we’ve not hit the heights in the first part of the season because there are many new components at the club,” mused the Serbian.
“But I can see that the team is growing, it’s progressing well. There is a good atmosphere at the club, and everyone is working hard to improve, so I’m confident that the second round of the SPL will be better for us.
One of these “new components” is striker Bernie Ibini-Isei, who only signed for the Sailors barely a month ago.
Risto remained tight-lipped over whether the former A-League forward would feature in the Sailors’ next game – against Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday – but revealed that the 1.87m forward will be ready to start if called upon.
“He (Bernie) is ready to play. In fact, he is ready to start against Geylang,” said Risto. “However, he is not at 100 percent yet – that will only come with more games, when he builds his confidence and scores goals. That’s when we’ll be able to see the best of him.
“But he is trying his best in every training session to reach the level we know he can. His will to get to where he needs to be is strong, and he’s determined to help the team for the remainder of the season.”
While the Sailors remain firmly in the chase for the SPL title, Risto insists that they are simply taking it game-by-game, starting with this weekend’s clash against the Eagles.
“We’re not thinking about the title for now. All we’re focused on is the next opponent, and the work that we have to do to beat them,” Risto said.
“Geylang are a very good team that plays good football. They are just three points behind us in the table, and they will be a stern test for us.
“Winning and losing is part of football, but the most important thing is that the players are giving their 100 percent in every game. I can assure the fans that our team will do just that and leave everything on the pitch to get the three points against Geylang.”
The Lion City Sailors’ Singapore Premier League (SPL) away fixture against Brunei DPMM scheduled for Saturday, 13 May will take place in Singapore at Jalan Besar Stadium at 6pm, instead of in Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed on Wednesday (3 May) night that DPMM will play all seven of their remaining home fixtures from Matchweek 10 to Matchweek 19 at Jalan Besar, as their home ground Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium in Brunei is still undergoing renovation works till at least mid-June.
Risto Vidaković’s men will face Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday, 7 May before playing DPMM.
The Sailors will then end the month with a big home clash against reigning SPL champions Albirex Niigata (S) on Sunday, 21 May.
The Sailors emerged victorious the last time they faced DPMM, with a 3-1 home victory earlier in March through goals from Maxime Lestienne, Kodai Tanaka and Abdul Rasaq Akeem.
Three players from the Lion City Sailors have been called up to represent the Singapore Under-22s at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, from 5 to 17 May 2023, in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.
The football competition at the biennial competition kicks off a week earlier.
Defenders Nur Adam Abdullah, Bill Mamadou and forward Abdul Rasaq Akeem make up part of Philippe Aw’s 20-strong final squad which was confirmed by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Wednesday (26 April) evening.
The latter two are set to make their bow in the biennial regional competition after impressing for the Sailors in the first round of the 2023 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season.
Bill has started four of the Sailors’ eight matches this year, demonstrating the versatility to slot into both full-back and centre-back positions.
Meanwhile Rasaq has displayed his ever-sharpening predatory instincts up front, with five goals in six appearances – equalling his career-best tally achieved last season over 19 games in all competitions with the Young Lions.
This will be Nur Adam’s second SEA Games campaign after making his debut in last year’s delayed edition in Hanoi, Vietnam – playing in all four games, including a feisty 2-2 draw with Malaysia.
The effervescent left-back will be a key figure for the U22 setup, with his experience playing in regional competitions like the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup qualifiers and the AFC Champions League over the past couple of years.
Aw’s boys face a tough challenge to qualify from Group B as they will jostle with the likes of record 16-time champions Thailand, regional powerhouses Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as an ever-improving Laos over 12 days between 30 April to 11 May.
Nur Adam – who recovered from a shoulder injury in time for this tournament – is determined to do all he can to help the national U22s put up a respectable showing.
“I know I’m one of the more experienced ones in the squad, so the responsibility is on me to lead and guide the younger players here. Also, it’s going to be my last SEA Games so I’m going to give my all to do the country proud,” said the 22-year-old.
“We all know how tough it will be, but nothing is going to stop us from trying. We’ve been gelling well as a group, and we’re all prepared to go out there to show what we can do.”
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A strong continent from the Lion City Sailors Women’s Team have been selected to represent Lionesses at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, from 5 to 17 May 2023, in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.
The football competition at the biennial competition kicks off a week earlier.
Singapore Women’s National Team and Sailors skipper Ernie Sulastri Sontaril, along with ten others – goalkeepers Noor Kusumawati and Beatrice Tan, defenders Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar, Fatin Aqillah, Syazwani Ruzi, Umairah Hamdan, midfielders Ho Hui Xin and Venetia Lim and forwards Nur Izzati Rosni and Lila Tan – make up part of the 20-strong squad that was confirmed by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Monday (24 April) evening.
Hui Xin earns a recall to the team after missing the cut for the recent Women’s Olympic Tournament 2024 Asian Qualifiers – where the Lionesses lost 6-0 to Thailand and were held to a 2-2 draw by Mongolia – while Lila is set to make her SEA Games debut after missing last year’s delayed edition due to school examinations.
Placed in Group B, the Lionesses will kick off their 2023 SEA Games campaign against five-time champions Thailand on Wednesday 3 May before facing Cambodia three days later. They will close their group stage campaign against Laos on 9 May.
With Moroccan Karim Bencherifa at the helm of the Lionesses, Ernie is looking forward to building on last year’s encouraging campaign that saw the Singapore women beating Laos for their first SEA Games win in 37 years.
“We feel very honoured to represent Singapore at the SEA Games for a second time. We have a good mix of experienced and young players, our team spirit is excellent, and we’ve been adapting well to our new coach’s tactical plans.
“There has been a lot of improvement in terms of our transition from defence to attack, and we’ve been working a lot on our fitness as well. We’re going into this year’s competition with a good mindset and we believe we can give a good account of ourselves again,” said the 34-year-old, who is Singapore’s most capped woman with 56 caps.
“Our target is to reach the top four. Hopefully with this more favourable grouping, we can get out of our group and win a medal for Singapore.”
The next generation of the Lion City Sailors will have an opportunity to hone their craft and showcase their talents when they kick off their 2023 Centre of Excellence (COE) Under-21 League campaign earlier next month.
Led by Head Coach Daan van Oudheusden who is also the assistant coach for the Sailors first team, the Sailors U21s will look to start the season on a good note against Balestier Khalsa on Tuesday, 9 May.
The first two fixtures against Young Lions B on 25 April and against SAFSA on 28 April will be rescheduled to a later date.
Played in a double round-robin format, the fledging Sailors will play a total of 16 games in the nine-team COE U21 league.
The Sailors Under-21s will feature some of the brightest talents who have already featured for the club’s first team – including forward Nathan Mao, who made history by becoming the youngest ever player to play in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at 15 years and 5 days old when he came on against Tampines Rovers on 31 March 2023.
Attacking midfielder Jonan Tan and centre-back Idzham Eszuan Shah are another two who have already tasted top-flight professional action in the 2023 SPL season.
Yasir Nizamudin and Danie Hafiy, who shone by assisting the Sailors’ two goals in the 7-2 friendly defeat to German giants Borussia Dortmund last November, are also part of the squad.
Daan’s boys will wrap up their campaign against the Albirex Niigata (S) U19s on Tuesday, 3 October.
The Sailors U21s’ full COE U21 fixtures list for the 2023 season can be accessed here.
