The Lion City Sailors are now unbeaten in five Singapore Premier League (SPL) games, following a 3-1 win over Hougang United at the Bishan Stadium on Saturday (19 October) evening.
A goal from Song Uiyoung, along with a brace from Lennart Thy, secured the valuable three points for the Sailors against a resilient Hougang side.
More significantly, the result, combined with BG Tampines’ 2-3 defeat to Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium in the night’s other game, means the Sailors have now extended their lead at the top of the SPL to six points.
The last time these two teams met in the SPL back in July, the Cheetahs took a surprise early lead before the Sailors mounted a comeback to secure a comprehensive 7-1 victory.
Once again, it was Hougang who struck first on Saturday, when Stjepan Plazonja sent a cross in from the left to Shodai Yokoyama, who then squared the ball for Dejan Račić to tap the ball into the net from close range.
“I’m not happy that we conceded a goal again, especially as it was almost the same way that we conceded in our previous game against them,” said Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković. “It wasn’t our best start, but maybe the international break slowed our momentum down.”
However, the Sailors did not take long to respond. In the 17th minute, Sailors captain Hariss Harun released Maxime Lestienne down the right with a chipped pass, and the Belgian delivered a perfectly-weighted cross for Song to score his first goal in eight matches across all competitions.
Just two minutes later, the hosts made it 2-1 through Lennart. Maxime Lestienne threaded a superb pass between two defenders for right-back Hafiz Nor, who delivered a low cross across the Hougang goal that the German forward comfortably slotted home.
With the wind up their sails, Ranko’s men pressed forward in search of a third goal. Hougang, however, proved a threat on the break, with Plazonja, in particular, proving a handful for the Sailors defence.
And Plazonja who came close to equalising in the 22nd minute when he latched onto a through ball and rounded Izwan Mahbud. But just as the Croatian was about to pull the trigger, the Sailors’ goalkeeper made a remarkable recovery and got his fingers to the ball to tip it out for a corner.
The Sailors responded almost immediately with a golden opportunity of their own. Maxime slipped a through ball to Song, who unselfishly tried to set up an onrushing Lennart, but the Hougang defence did just enough to clear the danger before the Sailors’ forward could get his shot away.
After a frenetic first half, the Sailors sought to control the tempo in the second 45 minutes, while also neutralising Hougang’s main threat, Plazonja.
Ranko explained, “Hougang was playing nine balls out of 10 to Plazonja, so knowing that, we had to be prepared to run and give him a bit more space when defending, rather than getting too close, because he’s very strong and fast. I think in the second half, we managed to control him better — he had one or two moments against us — but overall, I think the boys did a good job.”
Indeed, Plazonja was arguably fortunate not to see red after appearing to elbow Hariss in the box during a corner, with VAR ultimately deciding that the action did not warrant a sending-off.
The Sailors then secured a crucial third goal in the 68th minute, with Maxime delivering a precise curled cross that Lennart expertly finished past Hougang goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam. It marked Lennart’s 11th goal in Sailors colours and incredibly, Maxime’s 19th league assist of the campaign.
Maxime nearly completed a hat-trick of assists in the 76th minute when he dribbled past three defenders on the left before laying the ball off for Bart Ramselaar, whose powerful shot sailed over the crossbar.
Aside from a few half-chances, Hougang struggled to truly test the Sailors’ defence in the second half, with their most notable opportunity occurring in the 79th minute when Plazonja forced Izwan to make a save with a low shot to the near post.
Ultimately, the Sailors managed to see out the game with minimal fuss as they now turn their attention to the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two – in which they will play five matches between now and December.
Reflecting on the win, Lennart, who was named Man of the Match, said, “We had a tough start going 1-0 down; it wasn’t our best game, but we showed character to come back and secure the win. We’re happy with the three points — that’s what matters. Overall, our performances could be better, but we’re at the top now, and this is where we want to be.
“We have exciting games coming up in the ACL Two, and we look forward to them. Everyone will need to be at 100%. We need to focus and work hard, as these matches will be more challenging, but hopefully, if we prepare well, we can achieve some positive results.”
The Sailors will next take on Indonesian side Persib Bandung at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in the ACL Two on Thursday (24 October) night.
