Category: News
They walked into Buriram’s Thunder Castle earlier today, carrying the dreams of the Lion City Sailors on their shoulders as the club stands on the cusp of marking a major milestone. But Head Coach Kim Do-hoon and skipper Hariss Harun hardly drew any attention from onlookers.
While there was little fanfare as the duo attended the pre-tournament press conference for the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), it was clear that the Sailors – underdogs in a Group F that features Urawa Red Diamonds, Daegu FC and Shandong Taishan – are not being taken lightly.
“Their attacking style is very interesting for me,” said Urawa Head Coach, Ricardo Rodriguez, speaking at Buriram United’s Buriram Stadium home ground that is perhaps better known as Thunder Castle.
Urawa are the Sailors’ first ACL opponents, with the teams facing off in the opening Group F fixture on Friday (15 April) at 10pm (Singapore time).
“They have a good target player in the team, and in their local league, they are very superior in comparison to the other teams. I think the Sailors have a very clear style, playing in 4-3-3,” added the 48-year-old Spaniard who is into his second year leading the defending Emperor’s Cup champions.
Rodriguez was acutely aware of the importance of this opening game – especially in an ACL group stage that is played in a campaign format with the teams playing a match every three days – and his captain, veteran goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa, made the Japanese side’s intentions very clear.
“We are a good team; we came to Buriram with confidence, and we are playing to win this game (against the Sailors),” he said.
The Sailors have their work cut out for them, facing Daegu FC just three days after Urawa, on 18 April.
Head Coach of the Korean side, Alexandre Gama, was wary of the threat posed by the Sailors’ Korean connection – Kim Do-hoon, and forward Kim Shin-wook.
“They are a very strong team, have invested so much (in the team), and have a good coach who knows Korean teams very well – that is one big advantage (for the Sailors),” said the 54-year-old who is familiar with the Sailors Brazilian pair, Diego Lopes and Pedro Henrique.
But it was perhaps the attacking threat of Shin-wook that Gama understands most deeply, having worked with the 1.98m front man during his time as assistant coach of the South Korea national team in 2011.
“(The Sailors) have a good Korean striker – he was my striker before in the national team – and he’s a very good striker,” he said.
Gama’s approach to Group F matches perhaps sums up the challenge that lies ahead of Kim Do-hoon, Hariss and company, as the Sailors take their first steps into the ACL, Asian football’s biggest stage.
“This is not an easy group to play in,” said Gama.
“Every match is a cup final for us – this is the mentality I want in my team.”
It was a dangerous test for the Lion City Sailors, coming up against the only unbeaten side in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), less than 48 hours before leaving for their maiden Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) campaign.
But the defending champions showed up in scintillating fashion, convincingly beating Tanjong Pagar United 6-1 on Saturday night (9 April) at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Brazilian playmaker Diego Lopes at his mesmerising best as he set the Sailors on their way with a brace in the opening half-hour, before Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne came on at half time to chalk up two assists and his first-ever goal for the club. Shahdan Sulaiman, Kim Shin-wook and Hafiz Nor were the other scorers on a night to remember for the Sailors fans.
Fans were treated to a captivating display by Diego who was a constant thorn in the Jaguars backline with his trickery and close control, and at times seemed unplayable. The 27-year-old has never felt more physically fit since he arrived in January 2021 and he believes he will get even better, in what appears perfect timing for the Sailors who depart for Buriram, Thailand, to face Asia’s best on Monday.
“I’ve been working hard on my physical condition, putting in sprints after training and doing gym with (Sailors’ Head of Performance) Mario (Jovanovic) for upper body strengthening. I also started changing my diet last season with the help of a nutritionist arranged for by the club,” said the former Rio Ave man, who has now started the last five games after initial difficulties in holding down a first eleven spot under Kim Do-hoon.
“Now I’m beginning to see the results – I’m stronger and fitter this season. The help from our medical department and trust by Coach also gives me a lot of confidence, so you can see I’m enjoying myself a lot more on the pitch.”
Just eight minutes in, Diego made his mark in the top-of-the-table clash by ghosting in to meet Iqram Rifqi’s deep cross and arch a brilliant header beyond Zharfan Rohaizad.
“This was one of my best matches, but the whole team played well, and I think it comes down to the hard work that we all have been putting in training sessions,” added Diego.
“This positive result will only encourage us as we go on to play in the ACL.”
This was the final game before embarking on their ACL adventure, but the Sailors showed that there is no letting up in terms of desire and intensity, with M. Anumanthan shutting down the threat of Jaguars’ influential playmaker Mirko Šugić, and the Sailors winning the majority of second balls.
Kim’s men would double their advantage in the 28th minute through a brilliant team move from back to front, with Diego striding onto Gabriel Quak’s slide-rule pass before firing in between Daniel Bennett’s legs into the bottom left corner.
The Brazilian continued to pull the strings from the middle of the park and it was his visionary ball over the top that led to Shahdan slotting home the Sailors’ third five minutes later.
The Sailors were relentless and could have gotten more goals before half time, but Diego was agonisingly denied a hat-trick when his attempt to hook the ball over Zharfan was hacked off the line before Anaqi Ismit struck the bar.
Maxime then came on for Anaqi at the break and he would make an instant impact 40 seconds after coming on. The Belgian got onto the end of Tajeli Salamat’s low cross before squaring across goal for Shin-wook to make it four from close range.
The Sailors’ defence was finally breached in the 71st minute – conceding their first goal after 296 minutes of football – when Pedro Henrique inadvertently diverted Rusyadi Salime’s free-kick past Izwan Mahbud.
However, the four-goal advantage was restored almost immediately with Hafiz applying the finishing touch on another excellent Maxime cross – this just nine minutes after the Singapore international came on for Gabriel.
Maxime put the icing on the Sailors’ cake in the final minute of regulation time, feinting past two Jaguars defenders before producing a fanciful finish into an empty net for his maiden goal for the club.
It was a result and display to savour, with Head Coach Kim expressing utmost satisfaction as the Sailors now lead the table by four points.
“We did concede a goal and that was a bit disappointing, but we were close to perfect in this match. We displayed our football and were on top. We’re just very happy that we put on a good show for the fans before we fly off to Buriram,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai man.
“We have to continue this good momentum in the ACL and we want to represent Singapore well in this competition. The key is to recover and adapt well once we’re over there.”
One last push before embarking on ACL quest
Their maiden Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) campaign in Buriram, Thailand, is on the horizon, but there is still one last domestic hurdle – a significant one – to overcome. The Lion City Sailors take on high-flying Tanjong Pagar United in a top-of-the-table Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash on Saturday night (9 April).
One point behind the Sailors, the Jaguars are second in the eight-team SPL standings. They are the only remaining unbeaten side this season with three wins and three draws, and their 16 goals is the most of any team in the league.
Sailors’ goalkeeper Hassan Sunny knows that his side needs to bring their A-game to dish out a first league defeat for the visitors in 2022.
“Tanjong Pagar is the most in-form team right now and they will take the fight to us – just like the other sides that we’ve faced. We’ve to match their desire and aggression to get the three points that we need,” said the Singapore national custodian.
Coming off the back of an unconvincing but important 1-0 victory over Young Lions on Wednesday (6 April), Hassan knows there is a need for the Sailors to improve and put in a more cohesive display in this coming match.
“We knew this – that every team will go out there to try and beat us this season – and that clearly showed against the Young Lions. We were second-best for 60 minutes and struggled towards the end of the game. The onus is on us to adjust what went wrong; we need to make fewer mistakes and work on improving certain aspects of our game against Tanjong Pagar,” said the 38-year-old.
But there has been some improvement in key areas. Hassan and the team are on a good streak – they have kept three clean sheets in their last four outings and achieved back-to-back shutouts for the first time since November 2020. Coupled with his appearance for the Lions in a 2-0 win over Philippines in the recent FAS Tri-Nations Series, Hassan has personally gone three straight games without conceding a goal.
The veteran, who made his professional debut in 2003, understands the value of a clean sheet and is keen to attribute the positive run to the improving Sailors’ defensive unit.
“I can’t do everything by myself. I count myself fortunate to have a good pair of centre-backs with Hariss (Harun) and Pedro (Henrique) in front of me, they give us a lot of confidence at the back,” said Hassan. “It’s satisfying of course because sometimes we can play well for 90 minutes, but if we lose that bit of concentration in injury time, then the clean sheet is gone.
“For myself, it is really important to keep clean sheets and maintain my level of performance. I’ve said before: at my age if I don’t perform, people are going to say it’s time for me to retire. So I have to go out there and prove myself consistently.”
The Tanjong Pagar game sets up an interesting reunion with a familiar face in Aqhari Abdullah – who left for the Jaguars after being part of the Sailors’ title-winning squad in 2021 – and Hassan is pleased to see the 30-year-old enjoying a new lease of life with his new employers.
“We all know Apek’s professionalism as a player – he doesn’t complain much even during hard training sessions. To be honest, I’m disappointed not to have him around this season, but at the same time it’s just really nice to see him happy and enjoying his football again,” he said.
This is the final game before the Sailors fly off for the ACL, and Hassan is hopeful of seeing a healthy crowd turn up at Jalan Besar to be the Sailors’ 12th man.
“I know some fans will be flying to Thailand, but some of them will be staying home and probably catching us on TV. Hopefully every one of them will come down to pack the stadium and give us the chance for us to give the fans something to cheer about before we travel.”
It was not the most fluent of displays by the defending Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions, but the Lion City Sailors did enough to grind out a crucial 1-0 win over Young Lions on Wednesday night (6 April) at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The result sees Kim Do-hoon’s men finish Matchweek 7 top of the eight-team SPL standings for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, following Tanjong Pagar United’s 3-3 draw with Tampines Rovers in a concurrent match at Our Tampines Hub.
Gabriel Quak’s 15th minute goal proved to be the decider, but Shahdan Sulaiman acknowledged the need to produce a more cohesive display in the upcoming matches.
“Credit goes to the Young Lions – they stuck to their game plan and they knew how they wanted to play to stop us,” said the 33-year-old midfield lynchpin.
“We didn’t play as well as we wanted to – our game management could have been better and leading by that solitary goal for so long created pressure for ourselves. We have to look at ourselves and ensure that we’re not in this position again.”
Even though the Sailors did not hit top gear, there were positives to be drawn. This was the Sailors’ third clean sheet in their last four outings – back-to-back shutouts for the first time since November 2020 – showcasing the improved defensive solidarity and overall compactness.
Three-time SPL winner Shahdan knows better than most the importance of grinding out victories in a long league season.
“But we came away with the three points and we’re top of the table now, and that’s a good place to be. For us, the focus is on getting as many points as we can before we fly off for the ACL (Asian Football Confederation Champions League),” he noted.
Head Coach Kim made just one change to the lineup that started the 4-0 thrashing of Balestier Khalsa five days ago, with Hafiz Nor coming in for Maxime Lestienne on the left flank.
The Sailors settled into their rhythm early and almost scored after just four minutes, with Shahdan playing a quick one-two with Kim Shin-wook after winning the ball in the attacking third, but saw his resulting shot tipped onto the post by Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri.
After Hassan Sunny tipped over a Khairin Nadim shot over at the other end, the Sailors went ahead in the 15th minute. Gabriel unleashed a 20-yard daisy-cutter that sneaked into the bottom corner after Song Ui-young’s initial shot was blocked by Jacob Mahler.
That was 31-year-old Gabriel’s second goal of the season and he proved to be the Young Lions’ slayer again – this was his sixth strike in as many games against them since the Sailors’ inception in 2020.
The Young Lions did not let their heads go down after conceding, and instead made life difficult for the Sailors with their back five turning in sturdy defensive performances. Nazri Nasir’s boys went close on a few occasions, with Hassan having to get his hands to at least four shots.
The Sailors were then forced to rejig towards the end of the first half, with Song replaced by Adam Swandi after picking up what appears to be a hamstring injury. That meant Diego Lopes was pushed further up into the no. 10 role, while Hafiz and Gabriel also switched flanks to give some variation in the final third.
The move brought a bit of an impact with smoother football played after the restart, as Gabriel and Tajeli Salamat going close to doubling the lead.
Young Lions kept on trying and upped the ante in the final 20 minutes, prompting the Sailors to bring on M. Anumanthan and Amirul Adli to steady the ship. Both men were then involved in a great team move in the 89th minute that should have sealed the three points.
After Adli had won the ball high up, Anu exchanged passes with Shin-wook before squaring across goal for Diego – who fired against the post from six yards out.
The Sailors had to keep their heads late on and have Hassan to thank for as he tipped Jacob’s half-volley around the post a minute into injury time to preserve the points for the champions.
Coach Kim’s immediate attention turned to the top-of-the-table clash against Tanjong Pagar United this coming Saturday (April 9) and is hopeful that his players recover well for another game in quick succession.
“All teams are facing this issue so this is not an excuse, but it wasn’t easy as this was the first game in the Ramadan period, and we have a tight schedule,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai man.
“The key now is for the boys to get some good rest because the next game will be very challenging. We’ve to take the confidence from this win and go into the game being very well-prepared.”
I’m loving it: Adam Swandi
He is smiling more these days, and there is little wonder why.
After dragging himself out from under low hanging dark clouds of injury setbacks in the last couple of years, Adam Swandi has fought his way back into firm contention for a first-team spot at the Lion City Sailors.
And he is loving it.
It may still be early days in the 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, but as the Sailors line up against Adam’s former employers, Young Lions on Wednesday (6 April) at the Jalan Besar Stadium, it seems that the 26-year-old is finally stepping into the light.
He has already made more starts this campaign than in 2020 and 2021 combined – three, to be exact, including the AIA Community Shield, and has also come off the bench on two other occasions.
Adam was a starter for the Singapore national team in the Lions’ memorable 2-1 Causeway Derby win over Malaysia in the Football Association of Singapore Tri-Nations Series in March, and things are looking up, with his fiery renaissance sparked by a positional change.
Mainly deployed as a winger since his professional debut in 2015, Adam has been reinvented as a central midfielder and is enjoying life in the Sailors’ engine room.
“It’s not easy, it’s really different from what I’ve been doing before, so I’m fortunate that I have Shahdan (Sulaiman) alongside me. He continues to give me wonderful guidance from his years of experience,” said Adam.
“It also helps that we have Hariss (Harun) providing stability from the back. I’m really grateful to be getting quite a number of minutes this season, but of course there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
It has been a long and arduous road back for Adam, whose horrific anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in July 2019 saw him out of action for 15 months. He had to be content with 12 substitute appearances on his comeback in 2020 and found it hard to break into the first team under Sailors’ former Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar last season.
Adam would get his first start in over two years in July 2021 during Kim Do-hoon’s first match in charge of the Sailors, but lasted just 14 minutes – he tore his hamstring and missed the next four matches as a result. These multiple setbacks only served to make Adam dig deeper, and looking internally, he found steel, a firm resolve reinforced by the trust given by a renowned tactician – Head Coach Kim.
“As soon as he came, he made it clear that he saw me as a player who can grow into this central midfield position, in terms of controlling the game and its technical aspects. All I need to do is to learn and do as much as I can in this new role for the team,” said Adam.
“I’ve been working my socks off in training in order so I can more regularly and I’m happy that he recognises the efforts that I’ve put in. I just have to keep doing my best and play well to repay his faith in me.”
The Sailors have had a mixed start to 2022, but the two-week international break looked to have served the team a world of good. Kim’s charges delivered their most convincing display of the year thus far in a 4-0 thrashing of Balestier Khalsa last Friday (1 April).
Now second in the eight-team standings, a solitary point behind league leaders Tanjong Pagar United with 10 points from five matches, the Sailors are looking to keep up the pressure when they take on bottom-placed Young Lions at Jalan Besar.
This is the Sailors’ penultimate SPL fixture – they will face Tanjong Pagar United on 9 April – before flying off to Buriram, Thailand, for their maiden Asian Football Confederation (ACL) Champions League (ACL) campaign, Adam wants his teammates to grab the remaining opportunities to impress and give Kim some food for thought ahead of the matches against Asia’s big boys.
“Coach Kim has made it clear that we’ll need every single player to play our part in what will be a long season. Everyone’s been working really hard to show that they deserve the chance to play, and I’m sure whoever is chosen will do a good job for the team,” he said.
“Young Lions are not a team to be taken lightly, they’ve got quality players like Joel Chew and Shah Shahiran. They may lack that experience, but have drive and boundless energy that makes them competitive in matches. This is a game where our experience will be vital for us.”
The Sailors’ busy April schedule coincides with the annual Ramadan period during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, a time that will test the team’s resolve, but Adam believes the Sailors have what it takes to come through.
“It’s not easy to play in the Ramadan period, but we’ve long learnt how to cope,” said Adam.
“We will manage things and go out there and play our best for the team. We’ve a big enough squad fighting for places, and that will definitely come in handy for us.”
A first-ever Singapore Premier League (SPL) hat-trick for Kim Shin-wook, an assist each for Maxime Lestienne and Gabriel Quak on their first starts of the season, and a second clean sheet in three outings.
There were several plus points as the Lion City Sailors romped to a convincing 4-0 victory over Balestier Khalsa at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night (1 April), kick-starting what is lined up to be an important month for the defending SPL champions. The Sailors will play nine matches across two competitions over just 28 days.
Friday’s win was undoubtedly the Sailors’ most complete display of 2022 so far. And while Head Coach Kim Do-hoon derived much satisfaction from the performance, he immediately spotted a key issue to address.
“It was good to see how the players connected with each other and played as a team, but it’s still disappointing that the number of goals didn’t tally with the chances created. A lot of hard work went into creating those chances, so we have to be more clinical – we have to learn to kill off games to make life a lot easier for us,” said the former Ulsan Hyundai man, of the 21 shots that his charges took in the match.
“The most pleasing thing was to see how we were able to keep the ball and move it around – we could break their organisation by making their players go out of positions to press us and create space for us to exploit. That’s something we worked on a lot during training, so it’s good to see it coming off in the game.”
With the loosening of pandemic restrictions and local rapper Akeem Jahat in the house to provide half-time entertainment, the atmosphere was buzzing amongst the Sailors faithful, especially when the team’s lineup was announced before the game.
Nur Adam Abdullah, Gabriel and Maxime were handed their first starts of 2022, while Shin-wook and Pedro Henrique were restored to the starting eleven – with the Brazilian returning from a two-match suspension – as all four Sailors foreign players started a match for the first time this season.
Four players who starred in Singapore’s successful FAS Tri-Nations Series campaign also made the lineup, including Song Ui-young who was deployed in the no. 10 role that saw him shine for the Lions.
The Sailors imposed themselves from the get-go and drew first blood after just seven minutes, with Shin-wook shrewdly freeing himself from Balestier’s Serbian defender Ensar Brunčević before nodding home Shahdan Sulaiman’s outswinging corner.
The early goal gave the champions added impetus as they began to dictate the tempo and become more fluid in possession.
After Hassan Sunny thwarted a couple of Balestier attempts, the Sailors went on to double their advantage on 27 minutes. Maxime’s exquisite left-wing cross took out the entire Tigers defence, with Song proceeding to slot underneath Hairul Syirhan for his first goal of the season.
Kim’s men were relentless and duly made it three on the half-hour mark. Gabriel – who switched flanks with Maxime just moments earlier – strode onto an excellent Hariss Harun ball over the top, before squaring across for Shin-wook to convert from six yards out.
Victory was then wrapped up 10 minutes into the second half, with the 1.98m “Wookie” steering in another header off Diego Lopes’ pinpoint cross – after some great interchange of passes between Maxime and Gabriel – to complete his first Sailors hat-trick.
The Sailors continued to carve out openings, but were unable to add further goals with Maxime going agonisingly close on a few occasions.
The tempo was then disrupted by a flurry of substitutions, but the rejigged Sailors kept their heads in the game as Hariss foiled Kuraba Kondo from going clean through in the dying stages to preserve another valuable clean sheet for the home side.
An accomplished display was a firm indication that things are coming together for the Sailors. The defending champions go top of the table with 10 points from five matches – although Tanjong Pagar United could reclaim the summit if they beat Young Lions on Saturday (2 Apr). But Kim wants his charges to keep their feet on the ground as they play another two SPL games before embarking on their maiden AFC Champions League campaign in mid-April.
“I’ve said a few times before that I was only expecting us to have a full team ready around April, and this performance shows we’re on track. But there is still a lot of room for improvement and I know we can do even better than this,” said the 51-year-old.
“I just want to say a big thank you to all the fans that came down – we’re happy to be able to put up a good show for them – and I hope they continue to give us that extra motivation for our challenges ahead.”
Pedro ready to make amends and raring to go
As he trudged off the Our Tampines Hub pitch after a 34th-minute sending off, Pedro Henrique gave an apologetic wave to the visiting Lion City Sailors fans as he dragged his feet into the dressing room.
Handed a straight red for tugging down Geylang International Croatian forward Šime Žužul, the towering Brazilian centre-back’s absence on the pitch proved crucial as the 10-man Sailors eventually went down 1-0 to the Eagles in the 4 March Singapore Premier League (SPL) fixture.
It was their first loss in 21 competitive outings.
Having to watch from the sidelines as Kim Do-hoon’s men ground out a 1-0 win over Tampines Rovers and a 1-1 draw against Albirex Niigata (S) while he served out his two-match suspension, Pedro is chomping at the bit to get back to action for the Sailors, acutely aware that he now has a fight on his hands to secure a return to the first eleven.
“After reviewing the video I feel that I should not be sent off, but I have to admit I made a mistake,” reflected the 29-year-old. “No player likes to be sent off and miss games – I’ve played professional football for 11 years and that was my third red card – but that’s now over and I have to focus on the present and future.
“Being on the sidelines has made me more motivated to come back stronger and help the team. I know the team has done well without me, so I know it’s not easy for the coach to put me straight back in.
“The key for myself is just to get ready and do my best possible, to regain my spot. I just need to prepare myself properly and make sure I’m in the best condition to perform when Coach makes the call.”
Pedro has impressed in his first couple of outings for the Sailors in a 2-1 Community Shield win over Albirex and a 3-1 defeat of Hougang in their opening SPL game of 2022. But the dismissal and two-match ban disrupted what has been a promising start to his career in Singapore.
Now settling in well and acclimatising to life in the Lion City with the help of compatriot Diego Lopes and interpreter Nelson, the former Vitoria Guimaraes captain is looking forward to get back into gear as the Sailors host a tricky Balestier Khalsa side at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night (1 April).
While the Sailors are unbeaten against Balestier in the five encounters since their 2020 inception, the Tigers class of 2022 could prove to be tough opponents with their Japanese attacking trio of Ryoya Taniguchi, Kuraba Kondo and Shuhei Hoshino.
“We did play a friendly against them in pre-season, so we know the quality of their players and how dangerous they can be,” said Pedro, who previously plied his trade in the Portuguese and Brazilian top tiers. “While we know their threat, we just have to focus on playing the football that Coach Kim wants us to play and I’m sure that’ll bring us good results.
“Our team has shown a strong will to win every game and the desire to play the attacking football that the fans love to see – that will never change for us.”
The Balestier game kick-starts a busy and important April with two more SPL games in quick succession – against Young Lions next Wednesday (6 April) and Tanjong Pagar United three days later (9 April) – before the Sailors head to Buriram, Thailand, where they will have to navigate six games in a period of 15 days against quality opposition like Urawa Red Diamonds, Daegu FC and Shandong Luneng in their maiden Asian Football Confederation (ACL) campaign.
With Singapore national team representatives like Song Ui-young, Shahdan Sulaiman, Hariss Harun and Hassan Sunny coming off the back of strong performances for the Lions in the recently-concluded FAS Tri-Nations Series 2022, Pedro believes the Sailors are primed to excel on both fronts and build on what has been a mixed start to the season as the team lies third in the table with two wins and a draw from their opening four games.
“I’ve been really impressed by how my teammates performed for the country and it’s my honour to be playing alongside these players. The league is very competitive this season for sure, and everyone wants to beat us because we’re the defending champions, but I know our boys have what it takes to rise to this challenge,” he elaborated.
“We’re always trying to improve as a team and we know for sure we can play better football than what we’ve been producing so far this season. But the primary aim is of course to pick up all nine points in the league, so that we can go to the ACL full of confidence.”
Sailors duo withdraw from Lions squad
Lion City Sailors duo Iqram Rifqi and M Anumanthan have withdrawn from Nazri Nasir’s Singapore team, leaving nine Sailors in the squad that will line up in the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Tri-Nations Series that kicks off this evening (23 March).
Iqram, who has enjoyed a good start to the 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, starting all four Sailors’ games at left-back, pulled out of the Lions squad after testing positive for Covid-19.
The 27-year-old Anu withdrew because of a family emergency.
The remaining 24-man Singapore squad will line up against Malaysia on Saturday (26 Mar) and the Philippines three days later, before the Lions return to their clubs.
The Sailors will next line up against Balestier Khalsa at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 1 April.
Trailing 1-0 to Singapore Premier League (SPL) title rivals Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jurong East Stadium on Friday night (18 March), the Lion City Sailors stared defeat in the face – and did not flinch.
Neither did Gabriel Quak.
First, it was his deep cross into the area that led to Kim Shin-wook being tugged down in the area by Albirex defender Tatsuya Sambongi to earn the Sailors a penalty.
Then the 31-year-old took responsibility for the resulting kick, stroking it confidently past Albirex goalkeeper Takahiro Koga with just two minutes left of injury time to rescue a valuable point for the Sailors in a crucial SPL six-pointer.
This was just Gabriel’s second appearance of the season – he came on as a 77th-minute substitute for Iqram Rifqi – as he worked his way back from a shoulder injury sustained in last December’s AFF Suzuki Cup.
“I really like all these high-pressure moments, I had no issues stepping up. I’m just glad the ball hit the back of the net to steal a point for us,” said the Singapore winger, who was last season’s top local scorer with 13 goals.
Sailors toiled hard but found it difficult to break down a resilient Albirex side, with coach Kim Do-hoon glad to see his charges showing the mental fortitude to ensure they at least did not leave Jurong East empty-handed.
“This shows the difference between last year and this. To come back at the end of the match shows the strength and mentality of my boys. I’m not satisfied because we always strive for a victory, but this never-say-die spirit is something that we can definitely build on,” said the 51-year-old.
“As defending champions, we know we need to constantly prove ourselves – it’s not just in matches, but also in training – and I’m grateful that these boys continue to show great attitude in trying to improve.”
With players like Song Ui-young, Saifullah Akbar and Naqiuddin Eunos all unavailable, while main forward Shin-wook was not 100 percent, Kim needed to make a few changes to the lineup that beat Tampines Rovers 1-0 last Sunday.
Amiruldin came in for “Wookie” upfront, while Hafiz Nor and Anaqi Ismit – who was making his senior Sailors debut – were given their first starts of the campaign on the Sailors’ flanks.
As opposed to previous matches, the Sailors had started off the more purposeful of the two sides as they pressed from the front and enjoyed good passages of play. Diego Lopes – starting in successive games for the first time since May 2021 – provided fans a real treat, with his superb close control enabling him to keep the ball under pressure as he dedicated play from the middle of the park.
Hassan Sunny, Hariss Harun, Shahdan Sulaiman and Adam Swandi also turned in performances that drove the Sailors forward even as they trailed Albirex for most of the match.
While the Sailors enjoyed possession and exchanged passes comfortably, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Albirex growing into the game towards the closing stages of the first half and looked more dangerous in attack. The hosts duly broke the deadlock just before the break.
As the ball bobbled outside the area after a corner, Daichi Omori seized the opportunity to lash a swerving drive that took a touch off Amirul Adli before swerving past a full-stretch Hassan in the Sailors goal.
At half time, Kim rang the changes with Nur Adam Abdullah coming on to fill in for Tajeli Salamat in an unfamiliar right-back position for his first appearance of the campaign, while Maxime Lestienne replaced Anaqi Ismit on the left.
Haiqal Pashia and Shin-wook were introduced later, before Gabriel Quak joined the fray with 13 minutes to play.
The rejigged Sailors were more threatening in the attacking third, with Adli and Shin-wook both going close before the equaliser eventually came at the death.
Gabriel, who scored an 88th-minute stunner at the same end in a 3-2 defeat back in October 2020, held his nerve to convert the spot-kick to give the boisterous Sailors fans something to cheer about.
The euphoria continued in the stands and even spilled outside the stadium, long after the final whistle had sounded.
The point meant the Sailors now have seven points from four matches, level with Albirex and Tanjong Pagar atop the eight-team SPL standings, before the latter host Geylang International on Saturday evening.
While it has not been the most ideal of starts to the season, the Sailors are taking several positives going into next week’s international break.
“Football’s a game that can change in a split second. Credit goes to every player that played a part in getting this result in the last minute and we’ll continue to work harder for better results for our fans,” said Kim, who was confident that his charges will build on this performance.
Gabriel sang from the same song book.
“Having lost to us in the Community Shield, they wanted a victory badly so conceding a late equaliser to us must have felt like a defeat to them,” he said.
“There’s nothing much to be worried about right now, I rather we start slow and end the season high, and I’m sure we can build on this draw.”
