The Lion City Sailors turned on the style to sweep aside Tanjong Pagar United 6-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (25 October), as they extended their winning run to four matches in all competitions.

Hugo Gomes opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike before the Sailors added five goals after the break through Matthias Phaëton, Giovanni Haag, Hariss Harun and a brace from substitute Antonio Mance.

The emphatic victory, in a match delayed by 30 minutes due to inclement weather, provided another confidence boost ahead of Thursday’s AFC Champions League (ACL) Two encounter away against Adelaide United.

“There are always things that we can do better, but I’m really pleased with the result, the three points with a clean sheet and the performance from the group as well. It’s an important victory for us to keep our momentum going,” said Head Coach Mark Jackson.

Jackson made four changes to the side that beat FC Jurong 2-0 away the previous weekend, with Hugo among those drafted into the starting line-up.

With players from the Lion City Sailors Girls Academy accompanying the teams onto the pitch as player escorts, the hosts wasted little time getting on the front foot.

By the seventh minute, Ilhan Fandi had forced Aitor Mújica to palm away his header from Diogo Costa’s cross, while Song Uiyoung had fired narrowly wide.

Ilhan then saw his 11th-minute goal disallowed for offside, before full-back Jorge Karseladze saw his goal-bound effort denied by the post five minutes later.

The pressure continued as Kyoga Nakamura struck the base of the exact same post from outside the box in the 20th minute, before Mújica denied Diogo’s glancing header a minute later.

Tanjong Pagar offered a reminder of their threat just past the half-hour mark when Boris Kopitović drew a low save from Victor, although the Montenegrin was adjudged to be in an offside position.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 37th minute in spectacular fashion. Stepping forward from defence, Hugo unleashed a long-range strike from 30 yards out that flew into the net for his second Sailors goal, having opened his account against Young Lions earlier this month.

“When you shoot, you always expect to score. Every time I have an opportunity to shoot in training, I go for it. It’s not usual for a centre-back to score like this, but it was my lucky day,” said the Brazilian.

Despite his side’s control, Jackson demanded greater focus at the interval, mindful of the openings that had fallen to Kopitović even if the offside flag had spared the Sailors.

“We controlled most of the first half, but we did have a couple of sloppy moments where we could have been punished. I reminded the team that if we take our foot off the gas, then any team can cause problems.”

The half-time break also saw the club’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Women’s National League (WNL) players recognised for their successful year, while Giovanni and Farhan Zulkifli entered the fray.

The Sailors doubled their advantage on the hour mark, when Kyoga’s clever first-time pass found Matthias, who turned away from Lazar Vujanić and Kieran Teo before applying a clinical finish past Mújica for his fourth goal in Sailors colours.

Jackson then introduced Antonio, Hariss and Shawal Anuar in the 65th minute, and Antonio soon made his presence felt, glancing home Diogo’s cross to put the hosts firmly in command at 3-0.

It marked Diogo’s 26th assist since arriving in Singapore and Antonio’s first goal since the opening-day draw with Hougang United.

After Vujanić sent a low free-kick wide in the 78th minute, Giovanni made no mistake with a set-piece at the other end eight minutes later. The Frenchman cleverly drilled his effort beneath the jumping wall to make it four.

The Sailors remained relentless in stoppage time. Antonio grabbed his second in the 93rd minute when Mújica let his shot from Kyoga’s cutback slip into the net, before Hariss headed home a corner two minutes later to complete the rout.

It was the club captain’s first SPL goal in four years, and capped a dominant display in which the Sailors did not concede a shot on target.

“I think we had a really good game, especially because of the delay at the start. In times like this, you need a strong mentality,” said Hugo, who was named Man of the Match.

“We showed good quality today, scoring many goals as well as keeping a clean sheet. It’s a good step in our journey in the SPL.”

Jackson again deployed the 3-4-3 system that had served his side well against Jurong, as he made full use of the Sailors’ width and attacking depth.

And with four successive victories secured, the Englishman is determined to keep raising standards.

“I’ll always push the team to be better. Whether we play with the conventional back four or other systems, we know we can be dominant in the wide areas. We have got the firepower on the flanks and in the middle to finish off those chances. We want to create as many opportunities as possible so that we can convert those chances as well.”

That combination of attacking quality and defensive discipline will be crucial when the Sailors travel to Australia to face Adelaide in their third ACL Two group-stage fixture this week.

Adelaide began their domestic A-League campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC on Sunday, but Jackson’s focus remains on ensuring his own side carry their confidence and clinical edge into the continental contest.

“Of course, winning football matches breeds confidence and that’s what we’re here to do. We want to win playing our style of football and give our creative players opportunities to shine,” he said.

“We have a ruthlessness about us while also being solid defensively. That factor will be important when we play in big competitions such as the ACL Two.”