Category: News
For a third straight Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, the Lion City Sailors have a representative gunning for the honour of being named the season’s best performer as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) earlier this afternoon (7 November) announced the list of nominees for tomorrow’s FAS Awards Night 2022 – an annual event to recognise the best on and off the pitch in domestic football.
Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne has had an outstanding first season with the Sailors, contributing a league-high 23 assists to go with 12 goals in 25 appearances, as he was named as one of three players nominated for the AIA Player of the Year (POTY) award.
The 30-year-old will have to fend off competition from the SPL’s top two goalscorers of the 2022 season, namely Tampines Rovers’ Boris Kopitović (35 goals) and Albirex Niigata (S) forward Kodai Tanaka (33 goals).
Gabriel Quak was the 2020 recipient of this award, while the duo from the Sailors’ 2021 title-winning campaign, Stipe Plazibat and Jorge Fellipe, lost out to Hougang United’s Tomoyuki Doi the following year.
There is also joy on the Women’s Premier League (WPL) front after the Sailors Women completed a memorable unbeaten title-winning campaign, with Nur Izzati Rosni nominated for the Deloitte WPL POTY award alongside Albirex’s Manami Fukuzawa and Tanjong Pagar United’s Haziqah Haszman.
The 23-year-old has claimed the Golden Boot with her 10 goals in 11 appearances and it could be triple happiness for her as she is also in the running to win the Deloitte WPL Goal of the Year award for her brilliant long-range strike against Still Aerion.
Teammate Dorcas Chu is also up for the Deloitte WPL Young Player of the Year award – along with Haziqah and Hougang United’s Dhaniyah Qasimah – after an impressive campaign in which she finished as the league’s third-highest scorer with seven goals in 11 appearances.
Meanwhile, Yeong Sheau Shyan will also jostle with Albirex’s Nahar Daud and Tanjong Pagar’s Samawira Basri for the Deloitte WPL Coach of the Year honour – in a season which witnessed the Sailors Women become Invincibles.
To round off a long list of potential Sailors nominees, goalkeeper Beatrice Tan will have the honour of being the first-ever Deloitte WPL Golden Glove winner with the most number of clean sheets – six – throughout the season. Incredibly, the 30-year-old conceded just one goal all season.
The FAS Award Nights will be hosted as a full scale in-person event for the first time since 2019. It was hosted virtually for the past two pandemic-affected years. Themed Legacy, this year’s event will aptly be held at Orchard Hotel – the venue where the first-ever domestic league Awards Night was held in 1996.
Sailors’ Nominees for FAS Awards Night 2022
AIA Player of the Year: Maxime Lestienne
Deloitte WPL Player of the Year: Nur Izzati Rosni
Deloitte WPL Young Player of the Year: Dorcas Chu
Deloitte WPL Coach of the Year: Yeong Sheau Shyan
Deloitte WPL Goal of the Year: Nur Izzati Rosni
Deloitte WPL Golden Boot: Nur Izzati Rosni (winner)
Deloitte WPL Golden Glove: Beatrice Tan (winner)
Battling Sailors fall agonisingly short
The Lion City Sailors were made to rue missed chances as they crashed out of their maiden Singapore Cup campaign, going down 2-1 to Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (5 November) evening.
Needing victory to seal a semi-final spot and make it out of Group A, the hosts put in a battling display but were left undone when Kodai Tanaka netted the winner after Maxime Lestienne had cancelled out Masaya Idetsu’s stunning opener.
Speaking after the final whistle, interim Head Coach Luka Lalić lamented his side’s profligacy but refused to pin any blame on them.
“This game is the story of our season, where we dominated the game and created chance after chance but Albirex won after scoring two goals from two chances,” said the 35-year-old.
“It’s not the result we wanted and I don’t think we deserved it, but we cannot fault the players because they played their hearts out today. There were small mistakes made, but I cannot take anything away from anyone – they gave their 100 percent.”
With Faris Ramli leading the attack and Diego Lopes in support, the Sailors started the brighter of the two sides.
Maxime’s free-kick flew narrowly over the bar on two minutes before Diego stung the palms of Albirex custodian Takahiro Koga after waltzing past a number of challenges.
The hosts continued to lay siege on the Albirex goal and came close through winger Gabriel Quak and Maxime in quick succession.
But failure to convert these chances led to the White Swans going in front on the half-hour mark.
After Masahiro Sugita was fouled on the edge of the box, custodian Izwan Mahbud could only watch on as Idetsu curled a dipping free-kick over the wall and into the far corner.
It was nearly 1-1 before the break, but Faris blazed over from close range after getting onto the end of Maxime’s cutback.
The Sailors continued their search for an equaliser after the restart and could have found it in the 52nd minute, only for Koga to keep out Faris’ downward header.
After Sugita had a pair of chances on either side of the hour mark and a Tanaka volley which was pushed away by Izwan, the Sailors eventually got the equaliser on 73 minutes.
A pinpoint cross from substitute Hami Syahin fell nicely onto the left foot of Maxime, who had the composure to cut inside an Albirex defender before slotting into the bottom left corner.
Diego then should have put the Sailors ahead for the first time in the game five minutes later, but scuffed his shot with the goal gaping.
It was a miss that proved costly, with Albirex sealing the three points and their third win in as many Group A games six minutes from time.
Ghosting in behind the Sailors defence, Tanaka connected with Kan Kobayashi’s cross before nodding in past Izwan.
The result meant the Sailors finished third in Group A with just two points, behind Balestier Khalsa who advanced as runners-up following their 5-2 win over the Young Lions.
Reflecting on his time since taking over the first team in August, Luka was circumspect.
“I always told myself that I would never take a team halfway through the season but circumstances demanded it and I’m thankful to have worked with this group of players,” he said.
“With the players that I had at our disposal, I did the best that I could. There is definitely quality in the team, which we haven’t been able to fully utilise for various reasons.”
Luka also took the opportunity to thank the Sailors fans for being with the team through thick and thin.
“The support has been great, that’s the first thing I want to say,” he added.
“I tried to make the team play attractive and attacking football, but the results didn’t turn out as expected and I can only apologise for that. This chapter is now over and we are eagerly looking forward to a much better 2023 season.”
A fight for the badge, our fans – and pride
Faris Ramli has called on his teammates at the Lion City Sailors to make a statement when they face Albirex Niigata (S) in a must-win Singapore Cup clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (5 November) evening.
After draws against Balestier Khalsa and Young Lions, Luka Lalić’s men sit second in Group A and will progress to the semi-finals should they beat the Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions.
Anything less than three points will mean they have to rely on the outcome of the tie between Balestier and Young Lions on the same day.
“Everyone knows what’s at stake against Albirex and it’s a position I love to be in. Things are still in our own hands and we need to show what we are capable of,” Faris said.
“We want to be Singapore Cup champions and we really need to play and fight like it. We didn’t start the competition well, but it’s not too late to fix things and we are all eager to rebound stronger.”
The Singapore international also reflected on their 1-1 draw against Young Lions last time out, where the Sailors only managed a point despite creating a host of chances.
“I had trouble sleeping that night just thinking about the game, how we can move forward as a team and do better on Saturday,” admitted the 30-year-old winger.
“To be honest, it’s something we are still figuring out, but this is football. On your day, any kind of shot that you take will go in but if it’s not, the ball will not go in no matter how hard you try.”
Echoing Faris’ sentiments, captain Hariss Harun has urged for an improved showing from the get-go.
“The result might not have helped us, but it is what it is. We just have to accept it and move forward,” he said.
“We didn’t seize the initiative and create enough chances in the first-half against the Young Lions. We tried to push harder after the break, but it wasn’t enough.
“Football is a game of 90 minutes and we need to stay focused over the course of it – something we didn’t really do in our last game.”
The fans will play a big part in spurring the Sailors on in their crucial encounter against the White Swans, added Hariss.
“They have been wonderful and have come in full force even though we didn’t manage to retain the SPL title this season,” said the Singapore skipper.
“We have to do it for them, for ourselves, and for the club. When we step onto the pitch, we represent the club and we have to play for the badge on our chest with pride and fire.
“It’s never easy playing against Albirex but we have to use the disappointment from the last two months to be the fuel to achieve the result we want, which is to make the semi-finals.”
The Lion City Sailors have it all to do in the Singapore Cup after a 1-1 draw against the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday (31 October) night.
Kim Shin-wook cancelled out Amirul Adli’s own goal on the stroke of half-time to earn the Sailors a share of the spoils in the second match of their Group A campaign.
It was a result that left interim Head Coach Luka Lalić fuming.
“Two points in two games, this is unacceptable. This is absolutely not good enough and I can only take responsibility for this,” the 35-year-old said.
“We are playing like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders and we need to stop doing this. We didn’t deserve anything from this game, not even a point.”
Unlike the Sailors’ thrilling 3-3 draw against Balestier Khalsa at the same venue four days ago, chances were at a premium this time around.
The first real opportunity of note came only in the 39th minute, with Shin-wook’s header off Hafiz Nor’s cross cleared off the line by Syahrul Sazali.
The former South Korean international then should have scored two minutes before the break, but contrived to miss from close range after taking down a superb ball from Maxime Lestienne.
The Sailors were made to rue those misses as Nazri Nasir’s Young Lions went ahead just before half-time.
Under pressure from Amir Syafiz, Adli’s volleyed pass back to Izwan Mahbud bounced and appeared to have taken a touch off the stranded goalkeeper’s head before bobbling into an empty net.
Luka rang the changes at the interval, bringing on Shahdan Sulaiman and Hariss Harun in a move that nearly worked a treat.
Moments after his introduction, Shahdan forced Young Lions custodian Ridhwan Fikri into a save after being teed up by Maxime.
There were further chances from the Sailors from the likes of Adli and Hariss to pull level and it all came to naught, until “Wookie” struck with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Substitute Diego Lopes cut inside his defender and masterfully squared it for the lurking 34-year-old, who took a touch before hitting a shot that Ridhwan could only parry into his own net.
There was one final chance for the Sailors to steal a late winner, but Maxime poked the ball onto the bar after Ridhwan could only parry Hafiz’s powerful shot into the path of the Belgian.
As things stand, the Sailors – who sit second with two points in as many matches – will need to beat Group A leaders Albirex Niigata (S) this Saturday (5 November) to qualify for the semi-finals.
Failure to do so will mean they have to rely on results elsewhere, with Balestier and Young Lions facing off on the same day.
Luke is acutely aware of the task that lies ahead of his team in their maiden Singapore Cup voyage.
“We have no choice but to win the game against Albirex or we will go out of the Cup,” he mused.
“We have quality in the team but at this moment, the ball is just not going in. This is the least of the issues if you look at today’s match – there were so many issues all over the field.
“But we must first stop playing like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.”
Nur Adam: We can and will be better
After a frustrating 3-3 draw with Balestier Khalsa in their opening Singapore Cup match, the Lion City Sailors will seek their first win in the competition when they come up against Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday (31 October) night.
Both sides meet just slightly over a week since last facing off in the final match of the 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season when the Sailors edged it 2-1 courtesy of a Faris Ramli double.
Having sat out that match as he was still recovering from sickness, Nur Adam Abdullah watched keenly from the stands and is acutely aware the Young Lions will not be as easy fodder as widely perceived.
“Young Lions have faced a lot of criticism this season for losing games and conceding a lot of goals, but I know for sure they have quite a few talented players and they’re out to prove to the fans that they can do something.
“They did well to come back against us recently and gave themselves a chance of getting a point. It is clear that we cannot take this coming game lightly – we’ve to go out there with full focus and commitment to get the three points,” said the Sailors full-back.
The Sailors trudged off the Jalan Besar pitch on Thursday (27 Oct) night, visibly exasperated after a night of wasted chances saw Balestier equalise three times.
Nur Adam, who played the full 90 minutes, admitted the team could have managed the game better.
“We didn’t put away our chances and conceded goals that we should not be conceding,” said the 21-year-old matter-of-factly. “We have to learn to kill the game off earlier and not allow our opponents a way back into the game.
“Defensively we have to stop allowing space in between our players and be tighter so that we won’t be easily breached. We’ve been putting in good performances and we need the results to back that up.”
The Sailors will need all hands on deck to go far in the Singapore Cup and Nur Adam has faith that the team will deliver the goods.
Now joint-second with Balestier in Group A, Luka Lalić’s charges are targeting wins against Young Lions and Albirex Niigata (S) to qualify for the semi-finals.
“I’ve read comments online saying we’re not motivated or committed. That’s absolutely not true – you can see we’ve been fighting for each other. Everyone’s pushing themselves and we were still creating chances till the final whistle against Balestier.
“Those who didn’t start but came on as substitutes like Sai (Saifullah Akbar) and Gab (Gabriel Quak) contributed massively to the team and could have scored,” said Nur Adam.
“This is part and parcel of football – we have to get through the tough period and all of us have to stick together in this. What’s important now is to ignore the noise, look forward to the upcoming games and focus on our ultimate aim of winning the Singapore Cup.”
The Lion City Sailors did not get an ideal start to their maiden Singapore Cup voyage on Thursday (27 October) night, as they were held to a frustrating 3-3 draw by Balestier Khalsa at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
In an open game which saw both sides recording more than 20 shots each, the Sailors – led by two-goal hero Maxime Lestienne – took the lead three times but defensive lapses allowed the gritty Tigers to come back on each occasion to claim a point.
At the end of the game, Sailors interim Head Coach Luka Lalić was left wondering what could have been.
“This is not the first game that ended this way for us. Instead of going into half-time with a big lead, we put ourselves in this situation. We lost focus after scoring and were a bit shaky at the back – which were the issues we had previously.
“This game shouldn’t have ended as a draw, but that’s the reality,” said the 35-year-old.
The Sailors got off to an assertive start and took a deserved lead in the 14th minute, with Faris Ramli nodding home Hafiz Nor’s pinpoint cross for his third goal in two games.
But Balestier hauled themselves back into the game just eight minutes later with Kuraba Kondo sweeping in after Daniel Goh’s shot was spilled by Izwan Mahbud in the Sailors’ goal.
After wasting a few chances before half time, the Sailors reclaimed the lead in the 47th minute with Maxime – who asked questions of the Balestier defence all night – firing into the bottom right corner after great work by Faris to set him clear.
The visitors then restored parity again – through the same man – eight minutes later as Kondo cut inside Hariss Harun before slotting past Izwan.
Luka’s men went back ahead at 3-2 on 57 minutes with Maxime producing another moment of magic as he raced down the left courtesy of Kim Shin-wook’s through ball, expertly giving his marker the slip before slamming it in from a tight angle.
But Peter de Roo’s Tigers levelled it up for a third time on the night, through Shuhei Hoshino who converted from close range after Izwan could only parry Delwinder Singh’s shot into his path.
The Sailors kept going in search of the winner in the latter stages of the game but could count themselves unlucky not to leave with all three points. Saifullah Akbar was denied by the post a minute after coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute, while fellow substitute Gabriel Quak saw his goal on 81 minutes controversially chalked off offside.
After Izwan pulled off a wonder save to deny Goh on 89 minutes, the Sailors could have stolen it at the death – in the fifth and final minute of injury time – but Shin-wook could only direct Gabriel’s cross straight at Balestier custodian Hairul Syirhan.
The result meant the Sailors are now joint-second in Group A with Balestier, behind Albirex Niigata (S) who thrashed Young Lions 4-0 in a concurrent match, with the Sailors looking for more improvement ahead of their second group match against Young Lions next Monday (31 October).
“We have to continue to work hard,” said Luka. “We have to work out the things that we didn’t do well in this game and do better in our next match.”
The disappointment of not retaining the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title still lingers, but the Lion City Sailors are now more determined than ever and fully focused on their task ahead: to win the Singapore Cup and end the season on a high.
The Sailors take on Balestier Khalsa in the tournament opener at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (27 October) night, looking to get their maiden cup voyage off to a positive start.
Sailors interim Head Coach Luka Lalić is relishing this latest challenge and has seen enough from his charges that they have what it takes to go all the way.
“We all know the Cup competition is a different prospect – you can win a trophy by doing well in a short space of six matches and it’s something surely not beyond us.
“We’ve worked on some things recently and it’s been improving. Training for the past week went very well and there has been this new wave of energy within the team. We’re going into this game confident and we’re going for first place in the group,” declared the 35-year-old.
Captain Hariss Harun is similarly convinced that the Sailors are ready to make a splash in the cup, after ending their league campaign with two straight victories – 3-1 over Tanjong Pagar United and 2-1 against Young Lions.
“Obviously winning matches gives the team a boost and that feel-good factor. We’ve been honest with ourselves and learnt some harsh lessons over the past couple of months, but now there’s this opportunity to win something and all of us are eager to make up for the disappointment,” said the 31-year-old.
Placed with Balestier, Albirex Niigata (S) – two teams that they had lost to just earlier this month – and the Young Lions in Group A, the Sailors have extra motivation to do well.
“There are always lessons to learn in football. Against Balestier (in that 5-3 SPL loss), they showed that they wanted it more than us. In this upcoming game, we have to go in with the right mindset – we have to prove that we are hungrier,” said Hariss.
“With the quality we have, there are no excuses for us. We’re grabbing this opportunity to win something with both hands and we want to put up a good show for our fans who have stuck with us throughout the season.”
Faced with a long list of unavailable players, the Lion City Sailors Women’s Team showed resilience and character to dispatch Thailand’s Phranakorn FC 3-0 in their final Women’s Football Championship (WFC) 2022 match at the German European School Singapore on Friday (21 October) night.
Without the services of captain Ernie Sulastri, Nur Izzati Rosni, Umairah Hamdan, Fatin Aqillah, Venetia Lim and Dorcas Chu, the 2022 Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions were only able to call upon 14 players for this game – including four Under-16 players.
Three of them started, with Ardhra Arul Ganeswaren and Seri Ayu Natasha playing in defence, while Madelin Sophie played in midfield alongside the experienced Ho Hui Xin – who took the armband in the absence of Ernie.
The final one, Cara Chang, came on as a second half substitute.
It was truly all hands on deck for the embattled Sailors, with goalkeeper Noor Kusumawati coming on as an outfielder for the final 30 minutes and even went close to score – on two occasions.
The reshuffled Sailors took a while to get going and required a stunning point-blank save from custodian Beatrice Tan in the 68th minute to stay level, before finishing the game with a flourish.
The in-form Miray Altun poked the ball past Phranakorn goalkeeper Pimlapat Aeewong to break the deadlock on 77 minutes, before producing another calm finish from close range 10 minutes later to put the Sailors firmly in charge.
Paula Druschke then benefitted from Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar’s 89th minute free-kick, cheekily lobbing home to round off an emphatic Sailors’ victory.
Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan was proud of how her charges battled against the odds to defeat a young and feisty Phranakorn outfit.
“The first half, our performance was really quite poor – we were sloppy and not focused. I haven’t seen the girls play so badly for a long time. Perhaps they were just tired from work and also the tournament schedule (playing three games in five days),” said the 44-year-old.
“We did much better in the second half, showing good fitness and intensity. It was a good blend of experience and youth. The young players play with no fear and aren’t scared of making mistakes, while the older ones play with more urgency – they can learn from each other that way.
“And I have to praise Wati (Kusumawati). She has never played outfield in a match before, but she is willing to do it for the team and didn’t look out of place at all.”
With two wins out of three, the Sailors Women finished a creditable second in the four-team WFC – just behind champions Kaya FC-Iloilo – as stand-in skipper Hui Xin reflected on what was a good tourney.
“We didn’t have the full squad due to various reasons, but the fact that we could still do well showed the depth and versatility of our players,” said the 30-year-old.
“It’s great that our current squad players were able to guide and instruct the younger players on the pitch. Everyone here is mature enough to know that any instructions given are really for the team and for us to execute a good game plan.
“All in all, we did well to take the step up to go toe-to-toe with these teams (from the region) and that’s something which we should always strive to achieve.”
Sheau Shyan sang from the same hymn book as the Sailors Women now take a deserved break before preparing for the 2023 WPL campaign as defending champions.
“It’s a fun learning experience especially for the younger girls because the game play is quite different from what we’ve been experiencing in the league – it’s cagier. When I wanted to sub players off, they would always say ‘no, no, no! Coach, I still want to play!’.
“That desire and hunger to improve and test themselves against the best is something that stands us in good stead for next year.”
The Lion City Sailors had winger Faris Ramli to thank after his second-half brace secured a 2-1 win over Young Lions in their final Singapore Premier League (SPL) encounter at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday (21 October) evening.
It was by no means the most convincing of victories for Luka Lalić’s men, who struggled to find rhythm and were made to rue a number of missed chances throughout.
A late penalty conversion from Jordan Emaviwe halved the deficit to give Young Lions hope, but the Sailors eventually prevailed. The result meant they finished the season two points behind SPL champions Albirex Niigata (S), who drew 1-1 with Geylang International on the same day.
Luka admitted his side were not at their best and gave credit to the performance of Nazri Nasir’s Young Lions.
“I wouldn’t say it was a good win, but a win nonetheless. It was difficult to play against a well-organised and compact Young Lions side, who came with an effective game plan,” said the 35-year-old.
“We could have scored more today but like in recent matches, we conceded again and I’m not too happy about that, but we’re all looking forward to the Singapore Cup.”
Seemingly with an eye on their Singapore Cup opener against Balestier Khalsa on Thursday, the Sailors named an all-local starting line-up.
But without the likes of Song Ui-young and the suspended Maxime Lestienne, the Sailors found it hard to get going in the opening exchanges.
Faris came close to putting the hosts in front after 20 minutes with an effort that sailed narrowly wide, before Gabriel Quak missed a gilt-edged opportunity when he fired straight at Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri from point-blank range.
At the other end, Emaviwe was a constant thorn in the Sailors defence who were nearly made to pay for their profligacy three minutes before the break.
With Izwan Mahbud at sea after keeping out Amir Syafiz’s initial shot, Danish Qayyum could only see his left-footed effort crash off the frame of goal.
Luka’s half-time team talk seemed to work a treat, with the Sailors taking the lead within four minutes of the restart.
Taking down Hafiz Nor’s beautiful pass from deep, Faris held off his marker before unleashing a crisp shot into Ridhwan’s far post for his fourth goal of the season.
Buoyed by the opener, the Sailors went in search of a second and could have doubled their advantage.
Gabriel blazed over on the hour mark before Faris’ header pinged off the crossbar after Ridhwan had parried Gabriel’s low drive into his path.
There was no denying Faris on 66 minutes however, as his cheeky chipped finish gave the Sailors some breathing space.
Picked out by Izwan’s inch-perfect pass, the Singapore international proceeded to lift the ball over an onrushing Ridhwan to make it 2-0. With that pass, Izwan became the only goalkeeper to register an assist in the 2022 SPL season.
Emaviwe then smashed home a penalty to set up a nervy finish after skipper Hariss Harun was adjudged to have handled in the box.
It proved merely a consolation as the Sailors hung on for three points to end their season on a high.
Two-goal hero Faris said the win was a ‘morale booster’ ahead of the Balestier clash.
“As a team, we haven’t been at our best in the last few games but we managed to pick ourselves up and we are already looking ahead to our Singapore Cup opener,” he added.
“This year has been a roller-coaster ride for me, I’m happy with my performance thus far, but I know I can do better and I hope it’s not too late to make an impact for the team.”
Gritty Sailors Women sink Persib
The Lion City Sailors Women’s team followed up an encouraging display in the 3-1 defeat to Philippines Kaya FC-Iloilo two days ago with another impressive runout in the Women’s Football Championship (WFC) 2022. They dispatched Indonesia’s Indonesia’s Persib Bandung Putri 3-1 at the Bedok Stadium on Wednesday (19 October) night for their first win at the tourney.
The 2022 Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions took a deserved lead in the 29th minute through an emphatic 25-yard drive by Miray Altun, then had goalkeeper Beatrice Tan to thank for retaining that lead – she pulled off two stunning point-blank saves that gave the Sailors women a platform to build on the 1-0 advantage.
German winger Paula Druschke curled home a stunning free kick on the stroke of half time to double their lead, before Windi Nopianti Putri slalomed through to pull one back for the visitors four minutes into the second half.
However, the victory was sealed in the 57th minute with forward Nur Izzati Rosni getting just ahead of Persib goalkeeper Neni Apriyanti to net the Sailors’ third and final goal of the night.
There were positives all across the pitch, including 15-year-old Ardhra Arul Ganeswaren who continued to give a good account of herself – doing well on the Sailors’ left flank after coming on as a second-half substitute for captain Ernie Sulastri.
Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan was proud of how her charges overcame adversity to defeat the reigning Liga 1 Putri champions.
“We came into the game today with a difficult situation. We had some injuries and some players weren’t feeling too well, but they still got through the entire game. That’s a testament to how tough these girls are and I know I can depend on them,” said the 44-year-old.
“It’s difficult for our players in this tournament because most of them are working or still in school while the visiting teams get to rest during the day. You would notice the first 10 minutes, they found it hard to get into the rhythm.
“But they managed to create some good chances and played some good passing football – that’s what was pleasing to me and we can definitely improve even further.”
Goalscorer Miray is relishing the opportunity to play against higher-level opponents and seeing hard work on the training ground pay off.
“It’s definitely a huge test so far playing against these teams, and I knew before this tournament that I didn’t want to miss this experience. Everyone in the team has been giving their 100 percent commitment to take this step up and the same goes for me,” said the 17-year-old.
“The feeling of scoring was really great. I’ve been trying that – getting the curl on the shot into the far post from a left-sided position – so I’m really glad I finally did it.”
Now second in the four-team table behind Kaya who won both their games, the Sailors will look to end their WFC campaign on a high note when they entertain Thailand’s Phranakorn FC at the German European School Singapore on Friday (21 October) night.
