Category: News
As the Lion City Sailors players trudged off the pitch at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (14 May) night, celebrations were muted, perhaps overshadowed by a sense of relief to have escaped with a 1-0 win over a spiky Geylang International to collect a fifth straight Singapore Premier League (SPL) win.
The Sailors impressed with their attacking prowess in the 4-3 win over Hougang United on 6 May, and Kim Do-hoon’s men were expected to be brimming with confidence against an Eagles side that have not won in six matches since that surprise 1-0 win over the Sailors in March.
But it was a listless – even placid – performance that saw the Sailors produce just two shots on target all night, one of which was Diego Lopes’s match-winner.
It was a far cry from the swashbuckling Sailors that flew the Singapore flag at April’s Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) group stage campaign.
Kim could not hide his disappointment.
“Was the pressing as fast and aggressive as what we experienced in the ACL? No. Instead of building up play, instead of trying to challenge ourselves, we’re literally running away from what our opponents were doing, and not doing what we were supposed to be doing. Where’s the personality? Where’s the character?” questioned the SPL’s coach of the month for April.
“Today we let ourselves down. This is not acceptable.”
Geylang showed endeavour and hunger which could have gotten them a point, but Kim believes the below-par display was more an issue of the Sailors’ headspace – and called for a long hard look in the mirror.
“I’m not going to talk about our opponents, because this is all internal – it’s about us.
“I’m looking back at myself as well – because it starts from me. How can I make the most of the quality that my boys have, how can I help them bring that quality onto the field?” mulled the mastermind behind Ulsan Hyundai’s 2020 ACL triumph.
“Ever since we got back from the ACL, I kept saying that we need to prove ourselves again and we need to show on the pitch that we’re continuing to develop. But it seems like there was a bit of relaxation or a bit of the feeling that maybe we’re happy where we are now – that’s completely not the atmosphere I want in my dressing room,” said the disappointed 51-year-old.
“As professional football players, you have to do everything to perform well on the pitch but I didn’t see too much of that today. If we can’t do that, I can’t really say we’re professional enough.”
Geylang dished out the Sailors’ only domestic defeat in 2022, and Kim did not underestimate the Eagles on Saturday, naming a strong starting eleven – with only two changes: Hassan Sunny returning in goal and M. Anumanthan coming in for Shahdan Sulaiman in midfield.
The game was less than four minutes old when the Lightning Warning System came on and only resumed under a heavy rain even after three-quarter of an hour’s delay. The Sailors’ first chance came on 19 minutes with Kim Shin-wook nodding over from six yards out after Maxime Lestienne had put it on a plate for the former South Korea captain.
Geylang’s plan was clear – to have Šime Žužul holding up the play before spreading it out wide to their pacy wingers – and that almost worked a treat in the 29th minute. The Croatian front man released Hazzuwan Halim through on goal, but Hassan made himself big to deny the Geylang winger from giving his side the lead.
The defending champions broke the deadlock six minutes later, with Diego making a shrewd run to free himself from the heavy jostling in the penalty area before meeting Maxime’s inswinging corner with a firm header that flew past Geylang debutant keeper Hafiz Ahmad.
The Sailors held the one-goal advantage until half time and started the second half with Diego and Shin-wook going close. After Gabriel Quak was introduced at the break, Shahdan, Faris Ramli and Hafiz Nor subsequently joined the fray but were unable to fashion clear-cut goal-scoring chances.
Captaining the Eagles on his 33rd birthday, Abdil Qaiyyim relished the opportunity to play against the Sailors for the first time since his 2021 mid-season move and put up a dominant display at the back to thwart his former teammates.
Noor Ali’s men made life difficult for the Sailors late on and could have stolen a point, if Takahiro Tezuka’s 30-yard free-kick was not denied by the crossbar.
With a tough clash against in-form Tampines Rovers coming up next Saturday (21 May), the Sailors will need to put in a much better display to maintain their position at the top of the eight-team SPL standings.
“If we continue in this way we can maybe pick up three points every week, but this will be the level where we will remain at,” warned Kim. “I’m sure none of us want this – we can’t be happy with where we’re at now.
“One thing I’ll make sure is that the boys get this message – football is not played by reputation. It’s not about individuality, it’s about the whole team.
“Individual players will need to put in effort and show personality so that we can go to the next level. That was something we lacked in this game and I’m going to make sure we don’t repeat this attitude.”
After a victorious return to domestic football, the Lion City Sailors will continue their Singapore Premier League (SPL) title defence as they host Geylang International at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (14 May) evening.
Kim Do-hoon’s men put in a polished attacking display against Hougang United last Friday (6 May) that impressed many, but a couple of late defensive lapses meant the scoreline finished only 4-3 in favour of the champions – much closer than it should have been.
That was the first time in 18 domestic outings, including the AIA Community Shield, that the Sailors have conceded more than one goal in a game under Kim and Sailors vice-captain Amirul Adli has called for a stronger defensive display against Geylang.
“That was our first game back in the SPL, so we needed to adapt – it’s vastly different from how it is in the ACL (Asian Football Confederation Champions League),” explained the 26-year-old.
“As a defender, conceding goals is very disappointing and coach Kim always emphasises being solid in defence. Thankfully we got the win, now we just have to work on being organised as a team defensively and tighten up things at the back in the coming matches.”
The Sailors are acutely aware of the threat that Geylang pose, with the Eagles inflicting their first and only SPL defeat in a 1-0 upset at Our Tampines Hub earlier in March – although Noor Ali’s charges have since gone six games without a win.
Adli believes his side will need to focus on themselves instead of fixating on the opportunity for revenge.
“Geylang have got the players to punish us like Šime Žužul and Vincent Bezecourt, but we just have to concentrate on how we play our football and it’s important how we bring the best out of each other,” said the versatile defender.
“We have to prepare well and not be complacent, even though Geylang has not been in the best of form.”
Adli has enjoyed a good streak lately, largely featuring for the team on the right side of defence during the positive ACL campaign as well in the narrow Hougang win, and he is relishing the opportunity to shine in a new position.
“Of course my preferred position is centre-back, but the team has a big pool of talent and it’s not easy to get into the first eleven. So whatever opportunity I’m given, I will take it with open arms and give my 100 percent for the team,” said the Singapore international.
“This is the first time I’m playing at right-back for an extended time, but I’m slowly getting used to it. With tips from the coaches and my fellow defenders, I’m getting better game by game, for sure.
“Most importantly, the full-back position is one that requires a high level of fitness and stamina – much more than a centre-back. So I’ve been trying to build up my fitness so that I can be the modern full-back that the team needs.”
The Geylang fixture will be the first home game for the Sailors since returning from the ACL, and with restrictions lifted to allow full-capacity at Jalan Besar, Adli is hoping to see fans turn up in throngs to inspire them to a fifth straight league win.
“Even with the restrictions where only a certain number of people were allowed (into the stadium), the fans were amazing. So now it’s even better where more of them can turn up to support us, moreover it’s a weekend game,” he said.
“The roar from our die-hard fans means a lot to us and that gives us that extra bit of energy to reward them with positive performances and results. We really look forward to playing in front of them again on Saturday.”
On paper, it was a tricky test for the Lion City Sailors, and Hougang United proved to be exactly that on Friday night (6 May) at the Hougang Stadium.
Kim Do-hoon’s men ran out 4-3 winners in their first Singapore Premier League (SPL) fixture since returning from their maiden Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) campaign, in a match that saw the Sailors cut open the opposition defence almost at will, creating one opportunity after another – but also conceding three goals of their own.
The Sailors’ Head Coach acknowledged the unusual occurrences he witnessed, but hailed the performance that saw his team pick up where they left off after an ACL campaign that saw the Sailors play six matches in 16 days.
“To come back, play well and get three points in our first match back after a tough schedule in the ACL, what more can I ask for?” said the 51-year-old. “Kim Shin-wook scored three, but it was a team effort and the goals came from great team play.”
Shin-wook was at his clinical best at Hougang Stadium, scoring his second hat-trick in Sailors colours, while Maxime Lestienne – who tormented the Cheetahs defence all night enroute to being named man of the match – got the other goal on a night that could have seen the Sailors score more than just the four they managed.
“On top of the three points, I’m very happy with our game management, the speed and tempo at how we play – it’s definitely better than what we have shown before the ACL campaign. It’s great to see the team developing, and we have to continue to work on these positives that we gained in the top-tier tournament,” he added.
The Sailors were 2-0 up within the first 25 minutes and led by 4-1 even before the hour mark, before two late Hougang goals meant the affair finished much closer than it looked.
It is a fourth straight SPL win for the champions and the Sailors are now unbeaten in six league games since the 1-0 loss to Geylang in March, as they carried the positive momentum from their ACL campaign onto the domestic front.
The result saw the Sailors extend their lead at the top of the eight-team SPL standings to seven points, before nearest challengers Tampines Rovers and Tanjong Pagar United take to the field this weekend.
The demanding Kim promised that his team will get even better from here on in.
“We’re now being more creative on the pitch and creating more clear-cut chances, but looking at the number of chances we had today, we should have scored more,” said the South Korean.
“The boys need to be more confident with the strength and technique they have – and this can only get better with training.”
With spectator limit now removed at SPL matches, it was a boisterous Hougang Stadium that greeted the teams, and the Sailors rose to the occasion – scoring after just 16 minutes.
In a rapid move that started from Amirul Adli’s throw-in in a defensive area, the Sailors worked their way forward with Maxime striding onto Anaqi Ismit’s inch-perfect crossfield pass and producing a clever first-time finish past an onrushing Mukundan Maran in the Hougang goal.
This was Maxime’s third goal in a Sailors’ shirt.
Eight minutes later, it was two with Maxime again involved. The Belgian created the initial danger down the left flank before Shin-wook reacted the quickest to a deflection, slamming home from close range.
Hougang rallied and pulled one back in the 36th minute, with former Crystal Palace midfielder André Moritz slipping a neat shot beyond Izwan Mahbud from just inside the area.
But the Sailors would restore their two-goal advantage three minutes before half-time, with Shin-wook gleefully nodding into an empty net on the goal line after Maxime’s shot was parried into his path.
Seeing a header come off the post in the 54th minute, Wookie was not to be denied the match ball two minutes later. Once again, it came from a delightful team move with the irrepressible Maxime exchanging passes with Diego Lopes before lifting the ball to the back post for Song. The Singaporean could have shot, but instead squared across goal for Shin-wook to net his ninth league goal in 2022.
The goal means Shin-wook now closes in on the SPL’s current leading goal-scorer, Tampines’ Boris Kopitović, who has 11.
There was no letting off from Kim’s charges even after that fourth goal and they kept piling forward to create chance after chance. However, some good goalkeeping from Mukundan and poor finishing meant that Hougang were still in with a shot.
The Cheetahs would net two late goals, with Pedro Bortoluzo netting from close range while Moritz caught Izwan out with an opportunistic shot from range, but there was no denying the Sailors the three points on the night.
This was the first time that the Sailors conceded more than one goal in a game in 18 domestic outings (including the AIA Community Shield) under Kim. Acutely aware that there is further improvement to be made, the 2020 ACL winner will look to fine-tune things on the training ground ahead of their next task – a home clash against Geylang International next Saturday (14 May).
Geylang handed the Sailors their only loss in the SPL this season, in a gritty display of defensive organisation that the Sailors had no answer to.
“Now the challenge is internal – we must continue to fight against ourselves. It’s about how we can be more cruel to ourselves instead of being comfortable with where we’re at right now. We have to stay grounded and humble to maintain the tempo we showed in the ACL,” said Kim.
“Our next game is against Geylang who gave us the painful memory of our first defeat and we’re not going to repeat that this time.”
After tangling with the continent’s elite at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) group stage campaign in April, the Lion City Sailors return to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Friday (6 May) night, taking on Hougang United at the Hougang Stadium.
The Sailors’ approach is clear: continue to improve on the pitch, and earn the right to compete against Asia’s best once again.
The only way to make it back to the ACL is to retain the SPL crown and it is a fact not lost on Shahdan Sulaiman who started each of the six Sailors’ Group F games in Buriram, Thailand.
“Coach Kim (Do-hoon) told us on the first day back at training that all that is in the past – the ACL is over and we can’t keep looking back. We must look forward and see where we can improve further,” said the experienced midfielder, who turns 34 next Monday (9 May).
“Having tasted the ACL experience as a squad, we want to be there again so it is very clear to us that we need to do the job domestically first. It’s not a given that we will be champions again – we have to go out there in every game to prove ourselves and get the points that we need.”
The Sailors enjoyed a much-needed two-day break upon returning to Singapore from Buriram on Sunday and had the opportunity to catch up with their loved ones over Hari Raya.
After reveling in the festivities and recharging after a hectic April, Kim’s charges are ready to go again in the SPL with three matches to be played in May, and they return to Singapore with more than just the ACL experience under their belts.
“Due to the pandemic, we did not get to travel for pre-season so this is the longest period of time that they’ve spent together as a team,” shared Shahdan. “It was just all of us, every single day, in one hotel, so definitely we grew closer to each other – and the bond between us is definitely stronger now.”
The challenge now is for the Sailors to translate the levels of performance and intensity demonstrated at the ACL into dominant performances on the SPL front. The defending champions admittedly have not been at their most fluent in the first round of SPL matches, but still hold a four-point lead at the top after seven games.
“The ACL has been beneficial for every player to learn and adapt to playing at a higher tempo. Now we have to show whatever we gained in Buriram and produce the same level on the domestic stage,” emphasised Shahdan.
“Coach Kim demands a lot from the team in every game, so I’m sure we’ll maintain our standards against our opponents in Singapore.”
Sixth-placed Hougang are unbeaten at home so far in 2022 with two wins and one draw, and they will pose a serious threat. Their 3-1 loss to the Sailors in the opening week was also only the second occasion that the Cheetahs fell to Kim’s charges by a two-goal margin.
Shahdan acknowledged the tricky nature of the game, but preferred to focus on what he and his Sailors can control.
“Hougang have always been tough opponents, but like what Coach has been instilling in us, even at the ACL, it’s always about us and concentrating on how we can play – that will not change.”
The Lion City Sailors are well-represented in Singapore’s football teams flying the Republic’s flag at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam (12 to 23 May), with a total of 13 players in the men’s and women’s teams. (Main photo courtesy of the Football Association of Singapore)
Nur Adam Abdullah and Saifullah Akbar are part of Nazri Nasir’s 20-man Under-23 squad that travelled to Nam Dinh earlier today (4 May) and begin their Group B campaign against Laos three days later with group matches against Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia coming up in the week that will follow.
Stephen Ng’s 20-strong squad is captained by the Sailors’ own Ernie Sulastri who is joined by 12 other Sailors women: Beatrice Tan, Noor Kusumawati, Fatin Ridzwan, Khairunnisa Anwar, Syazwani Ruzi, Umairah Hamdan, Dorcas Chu, Ho Hui Xin, Izzati Rosni, Danelle Tan, Nicole Lim, and Venetia Lim.
They leave Singapore for Cam Pha on Saturday (7 May), and begin their Group B SEA Games campaign against Thailand three days later. Laos and Myanmar are the other teams in the group, in what will be the Lionesses’ first appearance at the biennial games since 2003.
This is the first SEA Games campaign for every single player in Ng’s squad.
The Singapore men will also be looking to rewrite the Republic’s SEA Games history. Nur Adam and company will be looking to emerge from the group stage for the first time since 2013. The men’s best performances came in 1983, 1985 and 1989 when they finished as silver medalists. More recently, the Republic won bronze medals at three of the four Games between 2007 and 2013.
All Singapore football matches at the Vietnam games will be streamed live on Mediacorp’s meWATCH platform.
An angry rain pelted Buriram’s Thunder Castle on Saturday (30 April) night, virtually flooding the field of play and forcing an hour-long suspension of proceedings in the Group F Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) fixture between the Lion City Sailors and Daegu FC.
Under the stormy barrage of raindrops, the Sailors’ hopes of becoming the first Singapore club to qualify for the ACL’s last 16 were extinguished – Kim Do-hoon’s men fell 2-1 to the K League 1 side to finish third in Group F.
A sensational Song Ui-young strike had given the Sailors the advantage at half time, but Lee Keun-ho’s header and a Zeca penalty that came either side of the hour-long stoppage due to a waterlogged pitch smothered the Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions’ aspirations to make history.
Despite the loss and a group-stage exit, there has been plenty for the Sailors to savour on their maiden voyage into Asia’s top club competition. The Sailors acquitted themselves well with some assured performances and achieved the best-ever points tally – seven – by a Singapore club in the ACL group stages.
“We exceeded our own as well as people’s expectations. There were several doubts coming into this campaign on whether we can compete at this level. Our target was to show that we can be competitive against these higher-ranked teams from top Asian leagues and we showed that,” reflected captain Hariss Harun.
Hariss and company set a few other records in Buriram: the most wins (two), most clean sheets (two) and most goals scored (eight) by a Singapore club in a single campaign – a solid platform to build on as the club targets a return to the ACL and a further reduction of the gap between them and the cream of the continent.
“From the way some teams set up against us, it shows that they respect us. Of course we didn’t start too well in our first game against Urawa (Red Diamonds), but the team showed a lot of growth throughout the campaign and the fact that we’re in with a chance (to qualify) till our last game says a lot about the team,” added the 31-year-old.
The Sailors fell 4-1 and 6-0 to Urawa, but came away with a 3-0 win over Daegu and a 3-2 victory over Chinese side Shandong Taishan.
“Of course there were some down moments, and we have to acknowledge there’s still a gap in quality and class in some games – that’s something we have to continue to work on and improve on if we qualify for future campaigns.”
Kim paid tribute to his team’s performance in what was a challenging campaign that saw the Sailors play six games in a space of 16 days even as the majority of the team was fasting during the month of Ramadan.
He said: “Seeing the amount of effort the players put in during the last three weeks under difficult circumstances – I have more than respect for them.
“To be honest, there’s still a big gap in terms of the personality, performance, and tempo of our game that we need to show on the pitch, but over the six matches we’ve definitely reduced the gap.
“Instead of hiding or shying away, the attitude and mentality of the players have become better and they began to show their personality on the pitch. We need to continue to develop ourselves in this manner and not drop our standards when we return to domestic football,” said the man who masterminded Ulsan Hyundai’s 2020 ACL triumph.
Kim’s charges had a decent start to the game, but Daegu settled in and proved their aerial threat, going close with a couple of headers in the first 15 minutes.
The Sailors wrested control of proceedings and remarkably broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. As the ball fell to him some 30 yards from goal, Song smelled blood and let fly with a missile that sliced through the Buriram air before nestling into the bottom left corner of Oh Seung-hoon’s goal.
That peach of a strike saw wild celebrations erupt among the pocket of travelling Sailors fans who were acutely aware they could be witnessing history in the making. With that goal, the third in his maiden campaign, Song did indeed write himself into the country’s sporting history books as the Singaporean with the most ACL goals.
The Sailors brought the one-goal advantage into the break, but Daegu upped the ante in the second half and restored parity on 54 minutes. Former South Korean international Lee Keun-ho – a half-time substitute – popped up at the back post to knock in Hong Chul’s teasing left-wing cross.
Kim Shin-wook and Hafiz Nor were then thrown into the fray for the Sailors as the rain came pouring down at the Thunder Castle, resulting in an increasingly unplayable waterlogged pitch.
The referee eventually stopped play in the 76th minute with the Thunder Castle groundsmen quickly coming on, working tirelessly to get the pitch in order. The game eventually resumed an hour later.
Four minutes after the restart, Daegu netted the match-deciding goal with Brazilian forward Zeca converting from the spot after Amirul Adli was adjudged to have hauled down Kim Jin-hyuk in the penalty area.
The Koreans held on to qualify for the ACL’s last 16 for a second straight season.
The Sailors will now turn their attention to defending their domestic crown, but their first taste of ACL action has made them hungry for a return to the continent’s top table.
“We know the road that we have to take and what we need to do. We’re going to continue to develop in our domestic league and play even better football. Hopefully the Sailors’ name can be back at this top-tier competition very soon,” said Kim.
Skipper Hariss was in complete agreement, and he looked to the road ahead with optimism.
“The boys have seen for themselves the level that is required to compete at this level. Now we have to focus on defending the league title so that we can get to play in the ACL again and produce bigger performances here,” said Hariss.
“For us, the only way is forward.”
Hello Sailors.
So this is it – the final group game, in our first-ever Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) campaign.
Five emotionally charged matches played over the span of just over two weeks has been gruelling for all of us. Yes, we’ve enjoyed the highs – in particular, our historic victory over Daegu FC, as well as the win over Shandong Taishan. But we’ve also been humbled, and have learnt several painful, but valuable lessons across these five games.
Tiring though it may have been, none of us are ready to bid goodbye to the ACL just yet. We’ve come too far now to say that we’re satisfied with what we’ve achieved.
We want more.
There is no reason we should think that we don’t deserve a place in the next round of the ACL. Just take a look at how we beat Daegu in what was only our second-ever game in the competition. We didn’t just sit back. We took the game to them, played some really good football, and were able to show the undoubted quality that we have in this team.
We won – convincingly.
But at this level, it’s all about consistency. Each and every player is crucial to a team’s success, and we need everyone to pull together in the same direction to be successful. That was a bitter lesson that we had to learn in our heavy 6-0 defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds. We have to acknowledge that there is a gulf in quality between the Japanese teams and us, but that’s the level we should aspire to reach.
So, here we are now, three points behind both Daegu and Urawa in the table.
To be honest, we didn’t expect to be in this position in our maiden ACL campaign, and I think we’ve done well so far. But we all know what we have to do now, if we are to stand a chance of becoming the first Singapore club to reach the next round of the ACL.
We HAVE to win our final group game against Daegu.
It won’t be easy, of course. There are tired legs and tired minds in the team. But it’s an issue that every team in the competition is facing, given the number of games that we’ve had to play in such a short period of time.
However, I promise you – we will throw everything we have at Daegu. We will not give up without a fight.
After all, we are all aware of how significant a victory – and hopefully progress to the next round of the ACL – would be. Not just for the club or the players, but for Singapore as a whole.
We might not be the favourites to win, but you never know what will happen. We’ve seen so many games where the underdogs secure an unlikely victory through sheer hard work, grit, and an unwavering belief in themselves.
That is exactly what we have to emulate. Let’s give this our best shot, and make sure that we do not return to Singapore with any regrets.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to our fans who have supported us throughout the highs and lows of our ACL campaign. In particular, thank you to those who travelled to Thailand to cheer us on in person – we really appreciate your time and effort, and we hope that we were able to bring you joy through our performances in the competition.
For those of you at home, we’re grateful for your support and kind words of encouragement on social media. We hope you’ll continue to cheer us on, not only for this game against Daegu, but for the rest of the season.
Together, I firmly believe that we can achieve great things.
Let’s get all hands on deck.
It was just last week that the Lion City Sailors wrote their name into Singapore football history.
Kim Do-hoon’s men became the first Singapore side to beat a K League team, overcoming Daegu FC 3-0 in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) at Thailand’s Buriram City Stadium.
On 18 April, the Sailors put on a brave, committed and disciplined performance to stun the South Korean outfit into submission. It was a sensational upset that nobody, not even the most optimistic of Sailors fans, could have predicted.
The Sailors will now have to do it once again.
The two teams will meet in their final Group F game on Saturday evening, and only victory will give the reigning Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions a chance of progressing to the next round of the competition.
Can lightning strike twice?
Sailors striker Kim Shin-wook certainly believes it – and the Sailors – can.
“The previous time we played them, our tactics worked perfectly, as we kept things tight at the back, and hit them on the counter. There’s no reason why we can’t repeat the feat again,” said the 34-year-old.
“They might be stronger, but we can be their bogey team. We have to capitalise on their mistakes, and importantly, finish our chances. With hard work, and a bit of luck, I’m confident we can get the three points again.”
As things stand, Daegu and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds are currently joint-top of Group F on 10 points. The Sailors are three points behind in third, while China’s Shandong Taishan prop up the table.
Both Daegu and the Sailors need to win to have any hope of getting through to the next round of the ACL in what is a unique situation. This is because only the best three second-placed teams from the five groups go through to the Round of 16, a rule further convoluted with the pre-campaign withdrawal of Shanghai SIPG that now means all results against the bottom-placed teams in each group will not count towards determining the best second-placed teams.
Shin-wook emphasised the importance of scoring the first goal of the game. He explained: “Scoring first is going to be very important, as it will set the tone for how the game will play out.
“In our last match (against Urawa), we conceded first, and that made it very difficult for us. But if we manage to open the scoring against Daegu, they will have to come out and attack us, and this could suit our counter-attacking play,” he said.
Hailing this match as the “most important” of the Sailors’ entire 2022 season, Shin-wook urged his teammates to give their all on the pitch, and make Singapore football proud.
“We have a strong mentality in the team, but we have to remain focused and motivated throughout the 90 minutes – and I believe we can,” said the two-time ACL winner. “As a team, we have to realise that we are not just representing the club – this is us showcasing what Singapore football is about to a regional audience. That is a huge responsibility on our shoulders.
“The fans, young and old, will be watching us, so this is our opportunity to inspire them. Let’s go out there and put in the best performance we can, and make history once again,” he added.
“I believe we can.”
Daegu FC will step out onto the pitch at Buriram’s Thunder Castle on Saturday (30 April) looking for more than just the three points that will ensure they top Group F and qualify for the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Round of 16.
The K League 1 side wants revenge.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday (29 April), Lee Yong-rae was hell-bent on proving that the 3-0 defeat his team suffered to the Lion City Sailors on 18 April was an anomaly.
“We need to forget about the game that has already passed. We need to show Lion City Sailors that we are Daegu FC,” said the midfielder who celebrated his 36th birthday just a day prior to the loss that marks the first time a K League 1 side were defeated by a Singapore team.
“We need to show them,” repeated Lee.
The win over Daegu was a major highlight of the Sailors’ maiden ACL campaign, with those three points keeping Kim Do-hoon’s men in with a chance of qualifying for the Round of 16.
It is a point not lost on Daegu Head Coach, Alexandre Gama.
“This is a very special match for us, and we can only qualify if we get three points. I expect a good game with both teams fighting for a win,” said the Brazilian.
“We respect (the Sailors). We know they can win, they showed us that. We improved a lot after we lost to them and I hope we continue this way. They won the first game, and I hope we can now change that result.”
After a gruelling schedule that has already seen teams play five games in a space of 15 days in the hot and humid Buriram weather, fatigue will be a factor for both sides. But Gama called for his charges to soldier on and keep their heads in the game.
“We can’t complain about being tired or not feeling good. We came here to qualify and now we have a chance, so even if we’re tired, we must give more than 100 percent,” he said.
“All teams are tired, physically and mentally, but we must be ready for this game – whatever the situation – if it’s raining, if it’s hot, if we’re tired or not tired.
“This is our chance and we cannot lose this opportunity.”
Despite the must-win approach that Daegu has taken for this fixture, Gama will not throw caution to the wind.
“The Sailors, in their last game against the Japanese, they saved many players, and maybe they’ll be more rested. But for us, we have two or three ideas on how to play this game, and we won’t change too much for this decisive match,” said Gama of the Sailors’ 6-0 defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds on 27 April.
“For us, only the victory is important. We cannot go crazy to try and win because if we get disorganised, we’ll have big problems. We must play smart, play well.”
Lee sang from the same song book as his head coach, asserting that his team are poised to take all three points, and perhaps exorcise the ghosts of the 3-0 loss.
“We all know how important this match is. We lost the last match against them, and only winning (this reverse fixture) can guarantee our spot in the last 16,” said Lee, who wears jersey number 74 for Daegu.
“We are ready.”
When the final whistle went at the Buriram City Stadium on Thursday (27 April) night, the Lion City Sailors dropped their heads and dragged their tired bodies off the pitch.
They fell 6-0 to Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds in the penultimate Group F match of their maiden Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) campaign and disappointment was clearly etched on their faces.
This was the Sailors’ heaviest-ever defeat since the club’s 2020 inception, but the equation remains largely unchanged in their quest to become the first Singapore club side to reach the ACL’s last 16 – beat Daegu FC on Saturday (30 April) and the Sailors will finish second, giving them a shot to qualify as one of the best three runners-up from the five groups.
This was their fifth game in 13 days and with one eye on that crucial Daegu clash, Kim Do-hoon put out a much-changed side against Urawa – with Adam Swandi and Amiruldin Asraf handed their first starts in the competition, while key attackers Song Ui-young, Diego Lopes and Kim Shin-wook were all named on the bench along with Maxime Lestienne.
It was a move that did not pay off, but the Sailors Head Coach had few regrets.
“Calculations were done on how to manage our last two matches. It was tough to see my players being worn out by the tight schedule and more so that they’re playing during the Ramadan period. I had to try to see what I could do with the team and come up with the best solution,” said the 2020 ACL winner.
“I have to emphasise, we did not give away tonight’s match.
“We’re short in terms of defenders (and couldn’t rotate), so I was trying to put fresh legs upfront to do some pressing and be more aggressive in the attacking third. If they could do their part and hold the game (in the first half), we could try and see how the game goes in the second half but it did not go to plan for us.”
Urawa were determined to bounce back from disappointing results against Daegu (a 1-0 loss and 0-0 draw). Only once did they go three ACL games without a win since last winning the competition in 2017 and they were clearly driven to prevent that happening a second time.
Despite a decent start by the Sailors, it was the Emperor’s Cup champions who drew first blood on 14 minutes with Kazuaki Mawatari’s speculative shot drawing an uncharacteristic error from Hassan Sunny who palmed the ball into goal.
Hassan redeemed himself with crucial saves to deny Takahiro Sekine and David Moberg Karlsson, but there was nothing he could do to stop Urawa’s second in the 39th minute with former Dutch Under-21 forward Alex Schalk rifling home from the edge of the area.
The result was put beyond doubt early into the second half, courtesy of two quick-fire Urawa strikes. Yoshio Koizumi floated a superb cross to the back post for Karlsson to nod in on 48 minutes, before the provider turned goalscorer four minutes later with a near post shot that hit the back of the net.
Ricardo Rodriguez’s side added a fifth in the 62nd minute with substitute Yusuke Matsuo breaking through the lines to convert in a one-on-one situation against Hassan. But the Sailors began to play some crisp football once Shin-wook, Diego, Song and Maxime came onto the pitch.
Song saw his 63rd minute shot deflected wide, before Wookie was denied his first ACL goal in Sailors colours seven minutes later when his powerful header off Maxime’s cross was denied at point-blank range by Urawa’s veteran shot-stopper Shusaku Nishikawa.
Urawa would round off a resounding win on the stroke of full-time through another Matsuo strike to reward their boisterous supporters and go top of Group F. The Sailors will now turn their focus to learning from their mistakes, as they prepare for the all-important Daegu clash this weekend.
“The first line of our pressing was a little below from what I wanted. We gave Urawa a lot of space to play and dominate the game. There’s definitely a gap (between both teams) in terms of the technique on the ball, decision making and game management,” acknowledged Kim.
“But the gap is getting closer now that we’ve played more games at this level. Our players are playing with a quicker tempo and showing personality in the games regardless of the result – and that is what we have to continue to do, play our football and go all out against Daegu.”
Captain Hariss Harun wants his side to stand up strong and try to replicate that stunning 3-0 upset over the K League giants on Matchday Two.
“We need to get this loss out of our system as quickly as possible. Many of us are tired but we’ll work around it and there can be no excuses,” he said.
“Daegu’s a team that we’ve beaten before, but we cannot take it for granted and we’ll need to go out there with everything to beat them again.”
