The Lion City Sailors fell to a 3-2 defeat to closest rivals BG Tampines Rovers on the final day of the season on 17 May, but the result ultimately mattered little as they were officially crowned 2025/26 Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions at the end of the night.
All five goals came in an entertaining second half at Our Tampines Hub, as the match lived up to the billing of a clash between the league’s top two sides.
Song Uiyoung rifled home a piledriver from the edge of the box in the 50th minute to put the Sailors ahead, after excellent work by Bart Ramselaar to wriggle free of a couple of challenges.
BG Tampines drew level in the 57th minute when Jacob Mahler nodded home Koya Kazawa’s corner, but the Sailors restored their lead just two minutes later. Nur Adam Abdullah delivered a teasing cross from the left for Lennart Thy to power home his 15th goal of the season with a firm header.
With qualification for next season’s Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two on the line, the hosts responded strongly and piled on the pressure in the final 20 minutes.
Their persistence paid off in the 75th minute when former Japanese international Yuki Kobayashi lashed home a stunning effort from outside the box, before compatriot Hide Higashigawa pounced at the far post three minutes later after the Sailors failed to clear a corner.
The Sailors threw the proverbial kitchen sink at their opponents late on, but were unable to find an equaliser. Substitute Shawal Anuar went close on two occasions, while Bailey Wright saw a goal-bound header tipped over by BG Tampines goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari.
The defeat brought the curtain down on yet another successful domestic season for the Sailors, who secured back-to-back SPL titles and a third league crown in six seasons since the club’s inception in 2020.
While the Sailors ultimately fell short of their ambition to complete an unbeaten league campaign, they can still take pride in recording the best points-per-game ratio in club history — 2.43 — after collecting 51 points from 21 matches.
Their previous best of 2.29 came during their maiden title-winning campaign in 2021, when they amassed 48 points from the same number of games.
Reflecting on the season, Sailors Director of Football Luka Lalić acknowledged that there were areas that could have gone better, but was pleased to see the club retain its place at the summit of Singapore football while securing another shot at competing against Asia’s best in the ACL Two next season.
“Of course, having a coach who won the most trophies for the club leaving midway was never easy and we’re very grateful for everything Aleks (Aleksandar Ranković) has done for us, but the situation called for a change,” he elaborated.
“The team had to go through a bit of a transition, so the most important thing thereafter was to secure the title, and we did that. I also have to say good things about the other teams in the league — Tampines had a great season and Albirex Niigata (S) also improved a lot. A competitive league can only be good for everyone.”
Jesús Casas took over from Ranko in late February and oversaw the club’s latest success, but the Spaniard was absent from the touchline last night and missed the festivities as he had to fly home for Achilles surgery.
“It was a pity that Jesús couldn’t be here with us, but I know he’s very happy for the whole team, from the players to the staff to the fans,” said Assistant Coach Salva Romero, who led the team alongside fellow assistant Alejandro Varela.
“We changed a few things after we came here a few months ago, and we’re very happy because this team has been very receptive. We have many top-class professionals here, and it says a lot about their mentality that they managed to secure back-to-back championships.
“They started pre-season in July and now we’re in the middle of May. There has been a lot of effort, hard work and difficult moments along the way, so full credit to them. They deserve this title.”
Sailors players and staff then changed into specially designed Champions Tees for the trophy presentation — now a club tradition — before lifting the 15kg, 67.5cm SPL trophy high into the night sky at OTH.
The celebrations extended beyond the squad, with families and friends joining the players and staff on the pitch for photographs to commemorate the occasion.
And even as the floodlights at OTH slowly dimmed at the end of the night, the Sailors’ ambitions continue to burn brightly, with the club already laying the foundations for an even stronger 2026/27 campaign.
“As a club, we know we’re capable of much more and this is football. Not every season is perfect, but it gave us valuable lessons that will help us grow as a club,” said Luka.
“The target for next season is clear: we want to do much better, especially in the international competitions, and we want to represent Singapore with pride on the continental stage.”
