Anderson Lopes was in unstoppable form at the Bishan Stadium on Wednesday (1 October), as he scored all four goals to fire the Lion City Sailors to a 4-2 win over Malaysia’s Selangor FC in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two.

The Brazilian forward completed his hat-trick before half-time and added a fourth after the break to seal the Sailors’ first win of their 2025/26 ACL Two campaign. The result lifted them to the top of Group G, after Persib Bandung’s 2-0 victory over Bangkok United in the group’s other fixture.

Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković made just one change from the opening-day draw against Persib two weeks ago, bringing in Christopher van Huizen for Safuwan Baharudin.

With the home fans in full voice, the Sailors flew out of the blocks and opened the scoring inside seven minutes, when Bart Ramselaar’s cross was flicked on by Maxime Lestienne for Anderson to nod home.

Just five minutes later, the Brazilian struck again, reacting quickest to a deflected effort from Bart before rounding Selangor goalkeeper Kalamullah Al Hafiz and finishing into an empty net with his favoured left foot.

“I think we started the match very well. Two early goals are exactly what you want for a great start,” said Ranko. “After that we went a little bit into a defensive mode, which was not necessary, but it’s something natural.”

The game was then halted just past the half-hour mark when the Lightning Warning System (LWS) forced the players off for 95 minutes.

On the restart, Selangor immediately pulled one back through Chrigor Moraes, who converted from the spot after being adjudged to have been brought down by Ivan Sušak.

But the Sailors soon restored their two-goal cushion in first-half stoppage time. Ivan launched the move from the back, Maxime picked out Tsiy Ndenge, and the midfielder’s deflected pass fell kindly for Anderson to tap home with his right peg and complete a perfect hat-trick.

“I don’t believe sitting back is a good thing unless you’re protecting a lead. With our strength, we can keep pushing, and luckily we got the third goal,” Ranko reflected.

Selangor threatened early in the second half when Faisal Halim stung Ivan’s palms with a rasping drive, but the Sailors responded instantly as Bart spearheaded a swift counter-attack and released Anderson, who coolly lifted the ball over Kalamullah Al Hafiz to make it 4-1.

It was Anderson’s second career four-goal haul, with his first coming for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo against Shimizu S-Pulse in the J1 League back in 2019.

“I’m ready to score more goals for the Sailors,” said Anderson, who was named Player of the Match. “In every new league there’s an adaptation period, but I feel I’ve settled now and I want to keep improving.”

Despite trailing by three goals, Selangor refused to give in and nearly pulled one back when Al Rawabdeh’s effort beat Ivan but crashed off the crossbar. The Red Giants did reduce the deficit in the 72nd minute, as Faisal Halim unleashed a fierce strike that went in off the underside of the bar.

He came close again with a curling free-kick 10 minutes later, but Ivan’s fingertip save ensured the Sailors closed out the victory with ease.

Despite the 4-2 win, Ranko stressed that his side could have been far more clinical as the Sailors marked their return to Bishan Stadium for continental action since last season’s ACL Two final.

“The only thing I would say is we could have scored more,” said Ranko. “We also conceded a very unnecessary second goal, which made it a little more exciting for the fans. But it’s good that I have two or three good strikers because they push each other and that brings the best out of them.”

The night, however, belonged to Anderson, who once again showcased his pedigree on the continental stage in front of 1,745 fans. The 28-year-old is now up to 22 goals in AFC competitions, having also shone in his previous stint with Japanese giants Yokohama F. Marinos.

“We know he’s a top player,” Ranko added. “Every foreign signing needs time to adapt, but there’s absolutely no doubt about Anderson’s quality.”

The Sailors will return to action on October 18 as they host Young Lions in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the same venue, before travelling to Thailand to face Bangkok United in their third ACL Two Group G match five days later (23 October).