Category: News
Defensive solidity, an audacious Kim Shin-wook Panenka penalty – and perhaps a dash of luck – were what it took for the Lion City Sailors to defeat Tampines Rovers in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday night (13 March) and return to winning ways in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
In a week that saw the team hard at work to sort out issues that resulted in a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Geylang International on 4 Mar, Head Coach Kim Do-hoon did not have the luxury of a full squad with a number of players not in condition to train, and others out through injuries.
The South Korean went with seven changes to the Sailors’ lineup and the much-changed side repaid his confidence with a clean sheet – and the three points – to deny a solid Tampines side that carved out several promising opportunities.
This was only the Sailors’ second clean sheet in 14 outings, including the AIA Community Shield, since Kim took over in July 2021, and he acknowledged that his team should be coming away with clean sheets with regularity.
“I’ve always said that playing better football and dominating the game starts from being solid in defence, and that’s what the boys showed today. This is our first clean sheet this year and that was the most satisfying thing from this match,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai man.
“It’s not an excuse, but this was a difficult week with the conditions that we had. I put out the players in the best shape to play in the match, and every one of them did their part tonight. They played for their teammates who were not with us this week.
“I just want to thank the boys who played for making such an effort to get the result, and it’s clear that everyone needs to be ready to play – there’s no so-called best eleven for us – when the opportunity comes, you have to take it. And this also ensures healthy competition within our team,” he added.
Kim restored stalwarts Hassan Sunny, Shahdan Sulaiman and Shin-wook to the starting eleven, while others like Diego Lopes, Haiqal Pashia and Naqiuddin Eunos were handed their first starts of the campaign. In the absence of the suspended Pedro Henrique, Amirul Adli also came in to partner Hariss Harun at the heart of defence.
The rejigged Sailors faced issues against a fluid Tampines side, especially in the first half, but held the fort. Hassan was his usual excellent self in goal, tipping Boris Kopitović’s shot onto the post before denying Taufik Suparno with two point-blank saves all within the first 10 minutes. When the 37-year-old was finally beaten in the 21st minute, Adli was alert and positioned himself well to clear Yasir Hanapi’s goal-bound shot off the line.
With Gavin Lee’s men constantly working their way into dangerous areas, the Sailors stood firm with Diego – on his first start since September 2021 – also putting in a solid defensive shift, dropping back into his area to block off another promising Tampines chance.
The Sailors’ only meaningful opportunity was a 14th minute Shin-wook header off a Diego cross, but that did not hit the target.
Half-time provided the opportunity for Kim to change things around – with Hafiz Nor coming on to play in an unfamiliar right-back role in place of Naqiuddin, while Adam Swandi replaced Saifullah Akbar as Shahdan’s midfield partner.
The changes appeared to bring more balance to the team, and the Sailors began to show more desire and aggression to press higher up the pitch – with Diego hassling Kyoga Nakamura to win the ball before seeing his curling shot tipped around the post two minutes into the second half.
The match-deciding moment came in the 55th-minute after Pashia was adjudged to be brought down by Christopher van Huizen in the area. Shin-wook duly stepped up from the spot and had the audacity – as well as execution – to pull off a Panenka effort that bamboozled Tampines goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari.
A combination of some dogged defending and Lady Luck thereafter ensured the Sailors held out for the victory. First, left-back Iqram Rifqi produced a goal-saving challenge on Zehrudin Mehmedović when the Serbian was through on goal on 66 minutes.
Then Tampines saw two goals ruled out – with substitute Firdaus Kasman’s opportunistic 68th minute shot disallowed with Yasir adjudged to be interfering with play from an offside position, before Mehmedović was deemed marginally ahead of the Sailors’ last defender when he fired home an overhead kick in the area six minutes later.
In what was a welcome sight, Gabriel Quak then came on for the final five minutes for his first appearance since sustaining a shoulder injury during last December’s AFF Suzuki Cup as the Sailors collected their second win of the season to remain level on six points with Albirex Niigata (S) – and one behind leaders Tanjong Pagar United.
While Kim readily admitted it was not the most fluent of performances, the three points was ultimately most important as they gear up for an important away clash against Albirex this coming Friday (18 Mar).
“It was a well-deserved victory, the boys did exactly what we asked of them at half-time and changed the game for us, but we won’t get too carried away with this win,” said the 51-year-old.
“We know we need to show huge improvement in our football. We need to start to play our football from the first minute, we need to do better in timing our press, and also our positioning.
“(For Tampines’ disallowed goals) Luck is part of this Beautiful Game and it’s the referee who makes the decisions. For us, we will definitely look back on those images – not to see and decide whether it’s a goal – but to work on how we can defend better as a team.”
As the Lion City Sailors trudged back into the dressing room after another gruelling training session at the Jalan Besar Stadium, Song Ui-young was still out on the pitch firing one ball after another at goal.
The Singaporean midfielder was stung by last week’s 1-0 defeat to Geylang International that saw the Sailors fall to the club’s first defeat in 20 Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches, and he is determined to do everything he can to ensure there is no repeat as the Sailors host Tampines Rovers this Sunday (13 March).
“We were very disappointed that we couldn’t take the three points. We were one man down (after Pedro Henrique’s sending-off) which made our task more difficult, but there are no excuses for the loss,” said the 28-year-old.
“That game is already history, so we’ve been focusing on training hard to bounce back in our next game. No matter whether we win or lose, it’s always the same aim for us – to keep improving and get better in every area that we should.
“We have a very strong bond within the team, so the belief and motivation is always very high – we’re ready to take the three points this time.”
It is exactly this drive that Sailors’ Head Coach Kim Do-hoon believes will put his team in good stead.
“I’ve said before the SPL kicked off that I’ve been delighted with the spirit that everyone in the team brings to training sessions – and that drive has got stronger this past week,” said Kim.
“We are determined to bounce back from last week’s loss, and we are soldiering on.”
The Sailors were undefeated against Tampines in 2021, with a 3-3 season-opening draw followed by emphatic 4-1 and 6-1 victories en route to winning their first-ever SPL title. But Song is not bothered by past statistics and prefers to focus on the development of the team in a season where other teams are also vastly improving.
Kim Do-hoon’s men lie third in the table with three points after two matches, behind Albirex Niigata (S) on goal difference, and a point behind surprise leaders Tanjong Pagar United.
“It’s important how we play, not who we play against. We have to focus on ourselves rather than thinking too much about our opponents,” stressed Song, who has played in the SPL since 2012.
“This year, my role on the pitch is a bit different from where I usually play but it doesn’t matter. Whatever role the coaches want me to play, I do my best and make sure I support my teammates in the best way I can.”
Kim is counting on the spirit and team ethic to help the Sailors to power through what has been a challenging week.
“We don’t expect any easy games in the SPL, and it is clear from results that we’ve seen so far in the league that it is going to be very competitive this year. Tampines are a good side with quality players who play with a clear structure, and we expect a very tough game,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai man.
“The Geylang loss hurt us, and a big part of that was the awful feeling that we let our fans down last week. It is us who have a point to prove in this game against Tampines – we must bounce back from the defeat, and to do that we must win the internal mental battle.
“And from what I’ve seen from the team this past week, we are going into the game ready to give everything we’ve got.”
Sailors must learn from Geylang defeat
As the final whistle sounded at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) on Friday night (4 March), shoulders slumped and heads hung low amongst the Lion City Sailors.
On the other half of the OTH pitch, jubilant fists were thrown into the Tampines sky, as confetti rained down as Geylang International celebrated what will go down as a famous 1-0 victory over the defending Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions.
The Eagles scored an early goal, then put in a stubborn defensive performance to hand the Sailors their first defeat in 21 matches in all competitions. It was Kim Do-hoon’s first loss in 13 outings as Sailors coach since he took over in July 2021.
The former Ulsan Hyundai man made no excuses for the Sailors’ off-colour display.
“Geylang prepared well, so credit to them for that. In football, you have to score to win and we didn’t do that today. So we’ll have to go back and take a look at the game again, keep our chins up, work harder to prepare better and bounce back – I’m confident we will bounce back,” said the 51-year-old.
Playing in front of a boisterous 978-strong crowd at OTH, with the majority turning out to root for Geylang in what was their first game of the 2022 season, a rejigged Sailors side had issues finding their rhythm in the first half.
An aggressive Geylang side pressed high up the field before the visitors could settle, forcing the Sailors to concede possession near their own penalty area in the ninth minute of play – and that proved fatal. Eagles’ French midfielder Vincent Bezecourt picked up possession and lashed in a low rasping drive past Izwan Mahbud.
Izwan’s debut game for the Sailors saw three other changes to the Sailors’ lineup, along with Adam Swandi, Faris Ramli and Amiruldin Asraf who led the Sailors’ attack.
Amiruldin toiled hard upfront, with the Sailors going close midway through the first half with Faris firing wide from the edge of the box.
The Sailors’ bid for a come-from-behind victory was hamstrung by the dismissal of Pedro Henrique in the 34th minute, with the Brazilian centre-back shown a straight red for what was deemed a professional foul on Eagles’ Croatian forward Šime Žužul.
“The red card obviously had an impact on the game – it’s not easy to play against any opponent when you are one man down – but Pedro was trying his best for the team,” said Kim.
Despite being a man down for the majority of the game, Kim continued to push his Sailors forward in search of goals, introducing added attacking impetus at half time with Diego Lopes and Kim Shin-wook both coming on as part of a triple change, before Maxime Lestienne joined the fray soon after.
Shin-wook’s presence upfront created a few problems for the Eagles’ backline and the former Shanghai Shenhua man almost poked home on the hour mark after Amirul Adli had knocked on Adam’s inswinging corner.
The Sailors’ best chance of the night came on 66 minutes with Maxime and Diego combining to great effect down the left, with the latter looking set to slot into the bottom right corner before a stunning fingertip save by Geylang custodian Zaiful Nizam.
Hafiz Nor was the last throw of the dice as the Sailors threw bodies forward in the final 15 minutes, but could not find a way past a resolute Eagles backline led by Rio Sakuma.
A couple of late set-piece opportunities bore no fruit as the Sailors fell to their first defeat of the season. This was the first time the Sailors had failed to score in 35 matches – they last drew a blank in a 4-0 defeat to Tampines Rovers in March 2020.
Kim and his Sailors will host Tampines at the Jalan Besar Stadium the following Sunday (13 Mar) and he called for reflection and improvement.
“We learn from every game, and we’ll learn more from games that we lose,” said a resolute Kim.
“It’s only the second game of the season for us, so we’ll go back, analyse what happened, and we’ll learn – we’ll learn and bounce back.”
The Lion City Sailors have had a perfect start to the 2022 domestic season with two wins in two outings, but no one is getting carried away – Sailors’ Head Coach Kim Do-hoon is having none of that.
The Sailors were forced to come from behind to win on both occasions – in the season-opening 2-1 AIA Community Shield victory over Albirex Niigata (S) and the 3-1 win over Hougang United in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) – and there remains much work to be done for the reigning SPL champions to defend their crown.
“Coach Kim has said this a couple of times already – that we must keep our feet on the ground and stay humble. We can celebrate after the game, but we have to switch our focus to the next match immediately, the day after,” said goalkeeper Hassan Sunny.
“It has been a tale of two halves for both the matches we played. We struggled to get our momentum going in the first half, but Coach Kim identified the problems that we were facing and we got going well in the second half. It’s early days and it’s good that problems are coming now rather than later (in the season), so we have time to work on them.”
Joint-leaders alongside Tanjong Pagar United after the SPL’s first Matchweek, the Sailors will face Geylang International next at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) on Friday (4 March).
While Kim’s charges have won all five encounters since their 2020 inception, the new-look Geylang could prove to be a tougher proposition. The Eagles have signed former Major League Soccer (MLS) midfielder Vincent Bezecourt and the 2021 SPL’s joint-third highest scorer, Šime Žužul.
Noor Ali’s side have an excellent record in season-opening fixtures at their OTH home, beating Albirex 1-0 in 2019 and edging out Tanjong Pagar 2-1 in 2021.
Ahead of the game, Hassan called for his team to secure a second successive win and continue to set the pace.
“The first game of the season is always difficult but I think our game management is now better, and that showed against Hougang. We just have to fix some issues and hopefully we get a good win, and a clean sheet this time, to continue our momentum,” said the 37-year-old.
The Geylang fixture will have extra significance for Sailors’ defender, Iqram Rifqi, who spent 2021 on loan with the Eagles, enduring a mixed spell there.
After five substitute appearances in the first half of the season, the 26-year-old tore his hamstring in a friendly match and was out for almost five months before returning to start the final two matches of 2021 for the Eagles.
“It’s going to be a memorable game for me. I had a bunch of nice teammates, the fans (Ultras Eagles) were very welcoming to me, and the club really treated me very well,” he reflected.
“I’m thankful that they gave me a chance to get some playing time and I only wish I was able to contribute more to the team.”
It has been a long road back for Iqram – he only played one game in the Sailors’ inaugural season in 2020 before missing the rest of the campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury – who has started 2022 on a strong note.
Starting both games at left-back, Iqram acquitted himself well, even scoring his first Sailors goal in the win over Hougang with a memorable strike.
After getting a taste of playing in the Sailors’ first team, the effervescent wide player is determined to feature regularly – and the first step to that, is to stay fighting fit.
“It was so frustrating, but when injuries strike, you can’t do anything but focus on rehab. I really wanted to go back to being the player I was before,” he shared. “When I came back to the Sailors this season, I knew it’s going to be hard to get back into the team, but I told myself I just have to work hard.
“I’ve been working a lot on not just my fitness, but also my crosses, one-vs-one defending and overall reading of the game. The club’s medical department has also done a lot for me to ensure my condition is good going into games. I’m just glad now my career is going back on the right track and touch wood, I hope I won’t get injured again,” added Iqram, who is looking forward to building on what has been a good 2022.
Hassan is similarly looking to continue his solid start to the season at OTH.
“When you don’t play well at my age, people will start to say that your career is over, so it definitely feels good when people are saying good things about you when you have played well,” said Hassan.
“But I’m not getting carried away. I just have to focus on the physical and mental aspects, especially recovery, so I’m ready for matches.”
Fight, flexibility and a fiery desire to win
Just like in the AIA Community Shield victory over Albirex Niigata (S) on 19 February, the Lion City Sailors fell behind to an early goal in their 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season-opener against Hougang United on Sunday (27 Feb).
But the defending SPL champions showed spirit and resolve to come through a difficult game at the Jalan Besar Stadium to prevail 3-1, and that Sailors’ fire out on the pitch was what brought on a big smile to the face of Head Coach Kim Do-hoon.
“From Hassan Sunny at the back all the way up to our forwards, the boys gave more than 100 percent. By conceding the first goal, we made it difficult for ourselves and it clearly took more effort to come from behind against a quality team like Hougang. But what impressed me about my boys was that they stayed cool and continued to play our brand of football, instead of feeling nervous or rushing things because of the score line,” said the 51-year-old.
This victory is another milestone in the Sailors’ history books – this was the first time they began a league season with three points after unsuccessful attempts in 2020 and 2021.
But things did not look too good at the start of the game.
Trailing just seven minutes into the game, with Cheetahs debutant Pedro Bortoluzo finding space just outside the box to drill home an accurate shot, the Sailors were stung into action and carved out a few opportunities before restoring parity in the 24th minute.
Shahdan Sulaiman picked out Kim Shin-wook with a pinpoint free kick and the latter did the rest with a precise close-range header for his third goal in two Sailors matches.
Hougang were determined not to concede a second goal, slowing the game down and refusing to allow the Sailors to dictate the tempo – a key facet that Coach Kim had called for in the build-up to this game.
The Sailors had to rejig to find new solutions to unlock the Cheetahs backline. Hafiz Nor and Diego Lopes came on for Hami Syahin – who suffered a hand injury – and Saifullah Akbar on either side of the break. And it was the pair of substitutes who combined to great effect for the Sailors’ second goal.
Released by Diego’s crafty outside-of-the-foot pass, Hafiz looked set to square it across the six-yard box but surprised everyone by cutting it back for Iqram Rifqi to slam a first-time effort beyond Ridhuan Barudin to put the Sailors ahead on 67 minutes.
“The players were tactically flexible and that’s something we needed when we made changes from the bench. They knew how to press, where to press and reacted immediately to what we asked of them,” he explained.
“Now we have different options on the football we want to play and we have to keep developing in this way.”
Kim made a triple change in the dying stages of the game, including throwing on Maxime Lestienne whose warm-up routine stirred the Jalan Besar crowd. The former PSV Eindhoven winger came on to sensational effect, chalking up an assist within six minutes of his Sailors debut. He squared the ball across goal for Diego to finish off a devastating counter-attack and round up a 3-1 win.
But the explosive Belgian talent believes he will only get better as the season goes on, when he gets into prime physical shape.
“I definitely need more games because I’ve gone one and a half months without a match before this. I felt good out there to be able to play my first minutes of Singapore football, and I could have gotten two assists and maybe even one goal, but what’s most important is that the team gets the victory,” said the 29-year-old.
“It’s good to win our first game, but tomorrow is another day and we’ll have to go again.”
While admitting the Sailors class of 2022 is still a work in progress, Kim believes the team’s burning desire for excellence will drive the Sailors forward as the season progresses.
“You can clearly see, from the physicality and attitude of the players, how much they want to win every game – they just don’t give up. Hassan’s energy at the back seeps through to the whole team and we also have senior players like Hariss Harun and Shahdan to keep the team together in difficult situations like the first half (on Sunday),” said the former Ulsan Hyundai coach.
“We’re on the right track, but there’s still big room for improvement. We’ve to be more precise and aggressive in our attacking patterns and combinations to score more goals.
“It’s early in the season, and I believe the title race will be wide open this year, so we have to keep improving.”
Hungry Sailors on the hunt for more
Kim Do-hoon was not happy with his Lion City Sailors after last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Albirex Niigata (S) in the AIA Community Shield. He gathered the Sailors before the trophy presentation last Saturday (19 Feb), and told them exactly what he expected of them at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
But they did not deliver.
“One message I threw to the boys before celebrations was that I want to see them enjoy more, because they deserved to enjoy that night. But maybe it was to show more respect for our opponent, or maybe it’s the hunger from this very positive group of players,” said the Sailors’ Head Coach.
The Sailors had given their all to get up to speed in the lead-up to the 2022 season of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) and just seen off a stiff challenge from Kazuaki Yoshinaga’s new-look White Swans, but after the confetti drifted down and customary celebratory photos were taken, the Sailors trod off into the dressing room to cool down, receive medical treatment and wash up.
There was no wild afterparty.
“I didn’t see even one player who got carried away after we won the SPL title last season, and that attitude has been the same this (past) week. No one in this team walks onto the pitch thinking we’re the champions. In training their attitude has been amazing, and there’s this wonderful team spirit.
“It’s clear that the team is still hungry,” said Kim, who will lead the Sailors out against Hougang United at Jalan Besar this Sunday (27 Feb), the first match in defence of their SPL title.
“The boys have empty stomachs and we’ve to continue to fill it with more trophies – and we will get more trophies with this attitude.”
Hougang finished third last season to equal their best-ever finish and the Cheetahs recruited well with signings like former Crystal Palace midfielder André Moritz and 2021 second-highest local scorer Amy Recha.
The Cheetahs are certainly no easy fodder. They were the only team to beat the Sailors in 2021, taking a total of four points off the Sailors across three games.
Kim is adamant that his side must dominate Sunday’s match to get all three points.
“We don’t want to be playing football at the pace that Hougang wants to play – we have to take control and manage the game at our pace. We want to play offensive football – not just build up to keep possession in our own half, but build up to score,” he emphasised.
“Hougang have really strengthened their squad and they now know how we play our football based on the Community Shield fixture. We just have to concentrate on getting better at how we want to play and fix our weaknesses on the pitch to bring home the three points for the fans.”
The Shield win not only gave the Sailors a good foundation to build on, but also provided specific indicators on areas which Kim is looking to improve – the speed in offensive and defensive transitions – ahead of a gruelling four-round SPL season.
“We’ve had a team meeting and went over the Albirex match to figure out what we did well and didn’t. It wasn’t the best football that we could play, so there’s plenty of room for improvement,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai coach.
“There are always questions before the start of a season – not just amongst coaches, but also players. The 90 minutes last Saturday did give us more confidence and showed us that we’re on the right track.
“But we have to stay grounded and humble because that was only just one game, even though it came with a trophy.”
Local sporting headlines were stolen by Kim Shin-wook after his two-goal salvo against Albirex. While the 1.98m giant is widely expected to take the bulk of the goalscoring responsibilities, Coach Kim is keen to stress that the Sailors have other weapons in their arsenal.
“Shin-wook creates a lot of synergy within the team and he gives us a different option too, but we’re not just a Shin-wook team. It’s not just about passing him the ball to score,” he said.
“We have a squad that is all working hard and we’ve been preparing different tactics; different ways of attacking and different offensive patterns.”
The Sailors are unbeaten in 11 games since Kim took the helm last July, and they have set their sights on defending the Singapore football crown, with the 51-year-old optimistic about the challenges that lie in wait.
“The Sailors’ history book is still being written, and we want to keep writing memorable stories,” he said.
“This is the start of a new season, and the start of a new beginning for us.”
Lion City Sailors have partnered SISTIC to leverage best in class ticketing tech solutions for football fans in Singapore, as the club embarks on the 2022 domestic football season as defending champions of the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
Football fans came out in force to back the Sailors’ drive to the SPL title last season, with queues seen snaking around the Jalan Besar Stadium. In a bid to improve the fan experience the Sailors continue to improve off-the-pitch aspects of the club, in tandem with progress already witnessed in Head Coach Kim Do-hoon’s team.
It is a drive for progress shared by SISTIC.
SISTIC has in the past year pivoted to a technology company, having introduced new Covid-ready features with a slew of new key initiatives and products slated for launch this year.
Through this new partnership, SISTIC will provide state-of-the-art ticketing software and technology – focusing on delivering innovation while streamlining and enhancing the experience across the season for Sailors’ fans and deliver a reliable, consistent journey from sale to seat for every single game.
SISTIC will also offer the Sailors expanded marketing services, including season-wide fan insights designed to strengthen digital marketing efforts and engage fans on both a national and global level. In addition, the partnership with SISTIC also allows the Sailors to tap into SISTIC’s extensive global network of API partners to connect with both local and regional fans.
Sailors’ Chief Executive Officer, Chew Chun-Liang said: “We look forward to delivering a fan-friendly ticketing experience and providing our fans with a trusted place to buy tickets and merchandise. We are confident this partnership will be successful for both organisations and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”
Joe Ow, Chief Executive Officer, SISTIC, added, “We are committed to support the region’s sporting scene through technology and are delighted to partner the Sailors for their upcoming 2022 season with insights and technology that allows them to better serve their fans. The Lion City Sailors have been a positive force for the football scene and we are looking forward to supporting their vision in taking Singapore football to the next level.”
It was just one clean swing of his right boot, but in that technique, timing, and temerity, Kim Shin-wook has started to demonstrate why he is worth all the hype surrounding his high-profile arrival at the Lion City Sailors.
The score was locked at 1-1 and with just three minutes left on the clock, the 2022 AIA Community Shield between the Sailors and Albirex Niigata (S) on 19 February looked poised for a penalty shootout.
But “Wookie” was having none of that.
As the ball hung in the Jalan Besar air after an excellent Diego Lopes cross, the South Korean – who had scored over 100 goals in K League 1 – spotted the opportunity and moved into position, a predator poised to strike. He connected with a sweet acrobatic volley with an athleticism not often associated with a 1.98m giant, and sent the ball flying past Takahiro Koga to make it 2-1 and win the Sailors the Shield – the club’s second trophy after being crowned SPL champions last October.
It was an incredible strike which probably will be replayed over and over again in the season ahead – a strike that clearly signalled Wookie’s arrival in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
Earlier that evening, Shin-wook had already introduced himself to the local public by showcasing his trademark aerial prowess to get in between the Albirex centre-backs and nod home Tajeli Salamat’s teasing right-wing cross for the equaliser.
It was all in an evening’s work for the 33-year-old, his clinical brace helping to overturn an early deficit against the White Swans, who had drawn first blood through Tadanari Lee’s penalty conversion.
Shin-wook was undoubtedly the star of the show, but he was happy to stay out of the limelight in the ensuing trophy celebrations as he stood with a face of calmness in the back row. As the Sailors’ players and staff lifted the Shield, he clapped briefly for a few seconds before exiting the podium first to do some stretching on his own.
There was a whiff of the dedication that fuels Shin-wook’s winning mentality – one that perhaps showed that the two-time Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) winner has his eye set to achieve even more with the Sailors.
When asked about how he rated his performance, he laughed as he said: “I felt that the team had one man less in the first half because I didn’t do too well. In the second half, it was better, but I cannot do it alone of course. I need my teammates to give me good balls and I’m happy I’m at the end of two brilliant assists.
“I would give myself a 7/10.”
On a sweltering Saturday afternoon, the Sailors did not have it all their way in the season’s curtain-raiser. Albirex – back under two-time league winner Kazuaki Yoshinaga – proved to be a real handful with their swift and neat passing.
Lee made the most of a soft foul from Shahdan Sulaiman in the penalty area to put the White Swans ahead from the spot on 14 minutes, before centre-back Keito Hariya saw his header denied by the woodwork six minutes later.
Shin-wook’s equaliser four minutes before half-time altered the momentum of the game as the Sailors began to play with more verve and intensity in the second half.
Debutant Pedro Henrique showed his class at the heart of defence alongside new skipper Hariss Harun, with the former Vitoria Guimaraes captain showing poise on the ball and aggression in winning it back to limit the Albirex attackers.
Behind him was the evergreen Hassan Sunny who pulled off two superb saves – one of those a superb reaction save to deny Lee from point-blank range – to keep the score level.
Coach Kim Do-hoon drew on the strength of his bench, with M. Anumanthan coming on at half-time to inject steel in midfield on his Sailors bow, before calling upon Hafiz Nor and Diego for more attacking impetus in the final stages of the game.
In the end, it was the latter two who combined to great effect down the right leading up to Shin-wook’s brilliant late winner as the Sailors began a big 2022 season on a positive note – a first win over Albirex in six competitive meetings and another piece of silverware for the trophy cabinet.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Kim expressed his pleasure of seeing his Sailors turn the tide to win a game in which they were admittedly not at their fluent best.
“Football is a 90-minute game, not 45. Our transitions – both defensive and offensive – didn’t quite work for us in the first half,” said the 51-year-old. “Of course there was some pressure in the dressing room coming into this important match against a strong opponent.
“And what impressed me was the boys’ will and spirit to give everything on the pitch and bring the Shield back home. If we can keep up the quality football and pressing that we showed in the second half, I believe they can bring many more good matches for the fans to enjoy.
“I’m happy we’ve finally managed to beat Albirex and this will help to give us a good start to the league.”
The Sailors will begin their SPL defence with a home match against last season’s second runners-up Hougang United next Sunday (27 Feb).
On the pitch and in our heads
After a tough couple of weeks pushing physical boundaries in pre-season training, Hariss Harun and the Lion City Sailors stand on the threshold of the 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, and will face Albirex Niigata (S) in Saturday’s AIA Community Shield, its traditional curtain raiser.
The Sailors’ skipper is determined for the team to start the domestic football season on the right foot – against a White Swans side that pushed the title race down to the wire in 2021 – and he believes that the Sailors must win the mental side of the game if they are to retain their SPL crown.
“We are acutely aware that it is going to be a challenging season ahead, because teams always have extra motivation when playing against the defending champions, and every SPL team has already made moves to strengthen their squads,” said the 31-year-old.
“To handle everything that will come at us this year, we will need to win the mental battle in our own heads from the start.”
The Sailors have the opportunity to win the club’s second trophy – the Community Shield – just some four months after their first SPL title, and Hariss was clear that the target for 2022 must be to try and win every domestic title on offer.
“We’re aiming for excellence and to raise the bar for ourselves and Singapore football, to do that we have to go out and win matches consistently,” said the captain of Singapore’s Lions.
“We have expectations of ourselves, and there will of course be external pressures placed on us as well – and we haven’t even started talking about the football side of things yet.
“We’ll need level heads if we do find that games are not going our way, and we will also need to keep our heads even when we’re winning, to make sure that we can close out games. So simply put, every Sailor will need to have the right mentality from the get go.”
The signs are positive.
In 2021, the Sailors were made to dig deep – chasing down then league leaders Albirex with three games to go at the business end of the season – and found cool heads and steely nerves.
Hariss and company won three games on the trot, convincingly beating Tampines Rovers 6-1, overcoming Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub, then sealed the title with a 4-1 victory over Balestier Khalsa on the final day of the season.
It is that same resilience and calm that Hariss believes will put the Sailors in good stead for another successful domestic football season.
“We’ve shown that we have what it takes, and from how the team is shaping up in pre-season, I’m feeling positive about the new season. The new signings have settled in well, and we’re all pushing each other at training sessions,” said Hariss.
“With the work that we’ve put in, I think we’ll be able to play at a higher intensity, with more speed and sharpness too. And with the added aerial threat that (Kim) Shin-wook brings with him, there are various dimensions to our game.”
Alongside South Korean international forward Kim, the Sailors have signed Brazilian defender Pedro Henrique and Belgium’s Maxime Lestienne, adding European top-fight pedigree to the squad.
Singapore internationals Izwan Mahbud and M Anumanthan are the Sailors’ two other major signings ahead of a season that will see the club make its maiden appearance in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL).
“We want to give a good account of ourselves at the ACL, test ourselves to see where we stand against the region’s best, and just what we need to do to play at that level,” said Hariss.
“It’s clear to me that we have the right ingredients in place for both the SPL and the ACL, and we’ll just need to put everything together consistently – and the first step to that is to approach it all with the right mentality.”
Standing on the pitch at the Jalan Besar Stadium, hands behind his back, Kim Do-hoon watched as his Lion City Sailors warmed up on the sidelines. This training session would be one of the last few before his charges raise the curtain on the 2022 domestic football season – as defending champions of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) – but there was no tension in his shoulders, or his eyes.
It was only his words that hinted at that winning mindset and relentless drive for excellence.
“There’s always tension and pressure on match days and that should only help our players to bring up their concentration for the game. In order for the Sailors to become a strong and great team, we need to overcome this and it’s also the job of our coaching team to prepare them to go into every game full of confidence,” said the man who led Ulsan Hyundai to the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) title in 2020.
Expectations are understandably sky-high this season, with many expecting the Sailors to run away with the title and sweep all three domestic trophies – including this weekend’s (19 February) AIA Community Shield and Singapore Cup.
Kim acknowledged that pressure is something the Sailors have to learn to live with, but stressed that there are other barometers of success he is looking for in 2022, indicators that go beyond just winning silverware.
“We hope to improve endlessly and provide joyful and touching moments for the fans – not only through victories but also by showing our persistence in putting in our very best efforts till the last minute of every game. Only through that then more fans will gradually grow their love and affection over football,” he emphasised.
But the fiery drive to win clearly remains.
The first order of the season is the Community Shield clash against Albirex Niigata (S) and Kim wants his team to lay down the marker ahead of what could be another tough race to the SPL title.
“Winning the first game is a very important first step to the season,” he said matter-of-factly. “Albirex will obviously be up there again, but looking at the recruitments of the other teams we’re also expecting them to put up serious challenges.
“That can only lead to excitement, interest and development of the league – which can only be good for Singapore football in the long run.”
Behind the scenes, much work has gone into ensuring the team is well prepared to battle and win, this despite the fact that a large number of players only had a two-week break following the Singapore national team’s semi-final exit in December’s AFF Suzuki Cup.
“The preparations are not entirely smooth of course, but I’ve to say everyone is displaying the right attitude and effort in training to keep improving and developing physically to a standard that we need to be at,” he said.
At the very least, having a pre-season where there is more time to try and instil his philosophy and get his ideas across to the players ahead of his first full year at the club is something that has given Kim satisfaction, and he is delighted that he has – in the Sailors’ backroom staff – an excellent, committed team.
“Pre-season’s crucial for us to share the upcoming season’s directions and preparations through effective communication and meetings with the players. It’s not just the physical aspects, we also have to make improvements on players’ tactical and positional understanding,” explained Kim.
“I’ve happy that we’ve a strong technical team behind us – there’s Myung Jae Yong, Kim Young Kwang, Noh Rahman, Mario Jovanovic, Firdaus Maasar, Chua Lye Heng and many others who have put in many sacrifices to fulfil their specific roles and convey their experience to the players.”
To prepare for a proper assault on all fronts – including a first-ever ACL campaign coming in April – the Sailors have brought in credible foreign signings in the form of Maxime Lestienne, Pedro Henrique and Kim Shin-wook.
While Lestienne has yet to train with the team, the latter two have already “assimilated well”, with Coach Kim eagerly anticipating the impact that his fellow countryman Shin-wook – a scorer of over 100 goals in Korea – could make.
“I’m very thankful for the club’s support and assistance to recruit these great players. Shin-wook is a player that any manager would have the desire to work with. I’m sure his performances and level of professionalism is something that will rub off on the players and bring excitement to the fans,” he shared.
Having also recruited national team players Izwan Mahbud and M. Anumanthan, the Sailors now have a handy squad with good depth to call upon throughout the season.
“Healthy competition is necessary. We are planning to utilise the players based on the game strategy and their conditions,” he said.
Kim’s philosophy has been largely focused on having a strong defence and being compact as a team – indeed the Sailors have not conceded more than one goal in each of his 10 matches in charge.
While that will not change this season, the South Korean has hinted that the team could adopt a more front-foot attacking style with the number of quality attackers at his disposal.
“We’ve been focused on improving the speed of our game including on transitions… we’re working on scoring through various attacking combinations by creating space, changing and controlling the pace of the game in the attacking area, as well as our build-up and taking aerial advantages,” he revealed.
Kim is ready for a charge after a restful post-season, that included a family trip to his hometown in Korea – Tongyeong, Gyeongnam – before returning to Singapore to explore his newly adopted country.
But football was never far from his mind. The 51-year-old set aside time to watch his charges at the Suzuki Cup.
“This is the first time I have cheered for a country other than South Korea,” he said. “Hassan Sunny and Shahdan Sulaiman proved their worth with their performances, but the performance and persistence of the other players until the very last minute of the final game (against Indonesia) also touched the hearts of many fans.”
That, and the fresh memory of being crowned SPL champions – Kim’s first league title victory as a coach, that came just three months after taking the reins at the Sailors – seemed to have redoubled his resolve for excellence as the 2022 season looms.
“That was a very memorable moment for myself and the club,” said Kim.
“It was a title that allowed us to remind ourselves with a lesson that persistence without giving up will lead to great results.”
