The Lion City Sailors have officially reclaimed the Singapore Premier League (SPL) crown after edging past Tanjong Pagar United 1-0 at the Jurong East Stadium on Saturday (10 May).

A coolly-taken penalty by Maxime Lestienne in the first half proved enough to seal the victory and secure the club’s second SPL title — their first since 2021.

While BG Tampines Rovers kept their title hopes alive earlier in the evening with a 2-0 win over the Young Lions — thanks to goals from Itsuki Enomoto and Kyoga Nakamura — it ultimately wasn’t enough, as the Sailors’ victory gave them an unassailable eight-point lead with two games to spare.

“It feels like a big weight is off our shoulders now — winning the SPL was our main target this season,” said Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković.

“After playing more than 50 matches across all competitions, this is an unbelievable achievement. I’m extremely proud of every single player and our backroom staff for the tremendous job they’ve done. It’s been a long journey, and everyone has worked so hard to get us here.”

Having suffered a surprise defeat to Geylang International in their previous outing, the Sailors were determined to bounce back — and had the perfect opportunity to seal the SPL title against bottom-placed Tanjong Pagar.

Former Jaguars captain Akram Azman, who joined the Sailors in the January transfer window, lined up against his former club as Ranko fielded a strong XI for this crucial game.

The early exchanges saw the Sailors dominate possession in Tanjong Pagar’s half, though without truly threatening Matt Silva’s goal — until Maxime decided to take matters into his own hands.

A trademark piece of trickery from the Belgian winger drew a foul from Marcus Mosses in the box, and after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot. Maxime made no mistake, coolly firing straight down the middle to give the Sailors a 1-0 lead — and net his 14th SPL goal of the season in the process.

Maxime came close to adding a second in the 40th minute when he pounced on a misplaced pass from Silva, but his first-time lob sailed just over the bar.

The Sailors nearly doubled their advantage just before the break, when Diogo Costa’s pinpoint corner found Toni Datković, only for the Croatian defender to head wide from close range.

Reflecting on the performance, Toni said, “When you’re striving for perfection, you’re never fully satisfied. Today wasn’t as easy as we expected.

“But we fight for each other — always. That’s why they call us the best defence in the league.”

Truth be told, however, the Sailors’ stellar defence — the best in the league this season — was rarely troubled by Noh Alam Shah’s men.

The pattern remained unchanged in the second half, with Maxime continuing to torment the Tanjong Pagar backline down the left flank. The Belgian looked a constant threat the whole, and often left defenders chasing shadows.

In the 53rd minute, substitute Song Uiyoung picked out Maxime in space, but the latter’s curling effort failed to hit the target.

The Sailors pushed hard for a second goal to put the game to bed, with chances falling to Shawal Anuar, Maxime, and Diogo Costa. But Silva stood firm, as the Tanjong Pagar custodian produced a superb double save in the 82nd minute to deny the Sailors a much-needed cushion.

“I know that in matches like these — especially when there’s a title on the line — nerves can play a part. I won’t lie, at one point I was a little scared because anything can happen in a split second,” admitted Ranko.

“I’ve got to give credit to Tanjong Pagar. They defended well and made things really tough for us today.”

In the 84th minute, Maxime came close once more, only to see his goal-bound effort headed off the line by Mosses, who is currently on loan at Tanjong Pagar from the Sailors.

With the clock ticking down, Ranko turned to the experience of Hariss Harun and Christopher van Huizen to help see out the result as the Sailors held firm to clinch a gritty 1-0 win — and with it, their second SPL title.

“It was an Italian-style 1-0 win tonight,” quipped Ranko. “Honestly, this has been the hardest season of my life.

“Let’s not forget, we’ve done this with a relatively small squad — we don’t have 30 players to rotate. But we’re still hungry. There are more trophies to fight for, and we’re not done yet.”

The Sailors return to SPL action in midweek with a clash against Balestier Khalsa — their penultimate league fixture — before attention turns to a historic showdown next weekend: the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two final against UAE side Sharjah FC at the Bishan Stadium.

Anticipation is reaching fever pitch in Singapore, with tickets snapped up well in advance to watch the Sailors — the first-ever Singaporean club to compete in a continental final — take a massive step towards history in their bid to win the ACL Two.

“We’ve still got a league game against Balestier on Wednesday that we want to win — we’re aiming to break as many SPL records as we can, whether it’s goals scored or number of wins,” said Ranko.

“After that, all our focus shifts to the ACL Two final. I don’t need to motivate anyone for that game — everyone in Singapore is waiting for it!”