More than two weeks have passed, but Rui Pires still feels the sting of the Lion City Sailors’ 2-3 defeat to Persib Bandung in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) Two.

After all, by the 90th minute, the Sailors were leading 2-1 — a result that, as it turned out, would have been enough to send them into the next stage of the competition.

Instead, Persib staged a dramatic comeback with two late goals, sealing their victory and handing the Sailors their first defeat in ACL Two.

Rui, who started the game in midfield, admitted that the manner of the defeat was hard to take.

“It was difficult to sleep after that game against Persib… But this is football, and the good thing is that we still have two more games. For now, we’re in second position, and we still have a chance to progress,” said Rui.

“It was a loss that nobody expected, especially after the first half in which we completely controlled the game. Even in the second half, we were still in control and they didn’t create many chances.

“But in just five minutes, everything changed. One key lesson we took from that match is the need to stay focused for the full 95 to 100 minutes. This is an important lesson for us.”

Despite this defeat, the Sailors have enjoyed a successful ACL Two campaign so far, with impressive victories over China’s Zhejiang Professional and Thailand’s Port FC.

But these wins are not the Sailors’ first against highly regarded opponents in international competitions. Last season, they shocked Korean giants Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-0 — a match in which Rui played the full 90 minutes — and also defeated Hong Kong’s Kitchee SC 2-1.

As the Sailors prepare to face Zhejiang and Port once more in their remaining ACL Two group stage fixtures, Rui believes the team can draw confidence from their strong performances on the continental stage to secure the results needed to advance to the knockout rounds.

“This is the Champions League. The level is, of course, higher, but we’ve already proven that we can compete with and beat any team in our group. We’re confident and have been training hard over the past two to three weeks.

“Now, we’re looking forward to the next two games,” said the Portuguese, who was named in the 2017 UEFA European U-19 Championship Team of the Tournament alongside Viktor Gyökeres, Mason Mount, and Diogo Dalot.

“Of course, the next game against Zhejiang is the most important for us, followed by the home match against Port. If we fight as a team, as we have in these two matches, we’ll let the results speak for themselves in the end.”

The Sailors will travel to Hangzhou this week to face a Zhejiang side currently at the bottom of the group with just three points.

The Green Giants recently finished 7th in the 2024 Chinese Super League season — a notable drop after securing third place in the two previous campaigns. Zhejiang are also winless in their last four matches across all competitions.

“Everyone believes in the team now because we’ve shown that we can play well and win. The atmosphere feels completely different — there’s a sense of confidence and expectation. In the past, maybe people thought it was more difficult. That belief is the most important thing for us,” said Rui.

The Sailors last featured in a Singapore Premier League (SPL) match on October 19, with the domestic league entering a break shortly after.

This hiatus has allowed the team to focus entirely on their continental objectives, but it also presents the challenge of maintaining match fitness without the rhythm of regular weekend games.

Rui, who missed the reverse fixture against Zhejiang, has been a key figure in the Sailors’ midfield. And the 26-year-old is eager to help the team bounce back from the heartbreak of their defeat to Persib.

“When you lose, you want to play again as soon as possible — if it were up to me, I’d play the very next day just to move on from the disappointment. But for us, over these three weeks, every night when I went to bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about that match,” shared the midfielder.

“We want to win every game, so losing in that manner was especially hard. We’ve analysed the match thoroughly and taken important lessons from the defeat.”

With no competitive action in recent weeks, the Sailors crossed the Causeway to face Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in their den on 16 November in an international club friendly.

The Sailors delivered a resilient performance despite missing eight players away on international duty, narrowly losing 1-0 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium against a team that regularly competes at the highest level of Asian club football, the ACL Elite.

“JDT are a strong team. They play in the ACL Elite and have many quality foreign players. But once again, we proved that we can compete against any opponent.

“Even the players who don’t get much game time showed that they’re ready whenever the coach needs them. It was a good friendly match for both teams in a fantastic stadium,” remarked Rui.

Now, though, the stage is set for the Sailors’ crucial penultimate fixture in the AFC Champions League Two against Zhejiang at the Yellow Dragon Sports Center — a venue that hosted FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in 2007.

Rui has urged his team to maintain their confidence and composure as they approach the critical stage of the competition.

He said, “We’re still in a good position. We’re second in the group, and the other teams would love to be where we are. We just need to believe in ourselves and replicate what we did in the previous matches.”