The Lion City Sailors made history in Down Under as they secured a superb 2-0 victory over Adelaide United at the Coopers Stadium on Thursday (29 October) to climb to the top of Group F in the 2026/27 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two after three matchdays.

Late goals from Hugo Gomes and Lennart Thy sealed a memorable night for the Sailors, who became the first Singaporean club to win a competitive match on Australian soil, while leapfrogging Adelaide in the group standings.

The result also marked a second successive away victory in the competition for Mark Jackson’s men, following their hard-fought triumph over Tai Po FC in Hong Kong earlier this month.

“To win in this competition away from home is a big achievement. I’m delighted to get the win and am proud of my players for what they did on the pitch throughout the match. They showed courage, attacked a lot and executed our game plan to perfection,” said the Sailors Head Coach, who was only appointed in September.

Jackson made three changes from Sunday’s emphatic 6-0 Singapore Premier League (SPL) victory over Tanjong Pagar United, with Toni Datković, Giovanni Haag and Antonio Mance drafted into the starting line-up.

For the hosts, the big news was the inclusion of 18-year-old Amlani Tatu, who was handed his first start as proceedings got underway in pleasant conditions in Hindmarsh.

The Sailors seized the initiative right from the outset, with Kyoga Nakamura testing Adelaide goalkeeper Joshua Smits from outside the box in the seventh minute.

Matthias Phaëton then had three attempts in the space of five minutes as the visitors continued to pile on the pressure, although they suffered an early setback when Antonio was forced off and replaced by Ilhan Fandi.

The Sailors came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute when Giovanni’s inviting cross was met by Hugo, whose header cannoned off the woodwork.

Matthias and Kyoga continued to torment the Adelaide defence, testing Smits on separate occasions, before Ilhan became the second Sailors player to be denied by the woodwork when he headed Giovanni’s corner against the frame of the goal from a difficult angle in the 33rd minute.

Despite being firmly on the back foot, Adelaide weathered the storm and carved out two gilt-edged opportunities of their own towards the end of the half.

In the 42nd minute, captain Craig Goodwin released Brody Burkitt, whose effort was kept out by Victor Aznar, before Tatu blazed the rebound over the bar.

Three minutes later, Victor produced a vital touch to a low ball played across the face of goal, with Tatu subsequently failing to convert into an open net, much to the dismay of former Adelaide forward and current Norwich City player Mo Toure, who was watching from the stands.

The Sailors had registered a remarkable 16 shots to Adelaide’s four by the interval, but had nothing to show for their dominance as the sides headed into the break on level terms.

Jackson, who was no stranger to the Coopers Stadium from his time in charge of Central Coast Mariners, nevertheless remained confident that his side’s patience would eventually pay off.

“We’ve got a lot of experienced players on the pitch, particularly in defensive positions. We knew that if we stayed solid at the back, the chances would keep coming and the ball would eventually go in. Not many teams come here and dominate as we did in the first half,” said the Englishman.

The Sailors picked up where they left off after the restart, with Ilhan having a cheeky effort ruled out for offside before failing to steer Diogo Costa’s low cross on target.

Diogo then fired over the bar, while Matthias saw a powerful attempt sail over in the 65th minute as the Sailors continued their search for the elusive breakthrough.

With the match entering its final quarter, Adelaide substitute Joey Garuccio threatened to turn the tide with a deflected effort that Victor did well to gather just beneath the crossbar.

At the other end, Jackson introduced Lennart for his first appearance of the season following his recovery from injury, adding fresh impetus to the Sailors’ attack.

The visitors’ relentless pressure finally told in the 80th minute, albeit in somewhat fortuitous circumstances.

Giovanni whipped in another dangerous corner that caused confusion in the Adelaide penalty area, with Smits misjudging the flight of the ball and allowing Hugo to calmly stroke home into an empty net.

The breakthrough sparked jubilant scenes in the Vidmar Stand, where around 60 away fans – including a close-knit group of Singaporean students studying in South Australia – celebrated wildly as the Sailors edged closer to a famous victory.

“We had many chances to score in the first half, but it was important to keep the clean sheet at the other end. We knew the opportunities would come, and I’m happy to get the goal for us,” said Hugo, who opened his ACL Two account with the crucial strike and has now scored 3 goals in just six appearances for the Sailors.

Adelaide, however, were not about to surrender without a fight.

Airton Andrioli’s side came close to restoring parity in the 89th minute when substitute Ajak Riak unleashed an effort that was brilliantly kept out by Victor.

There was more late drama to come in stoppage time, as Victor produced another important save following an Adelaide corner before Bailey Wright made a heroic goalline clearance seconds later to preserve the Sailors’ slender advantage.

It was a moment of immense significance as the Sailors held firm to secure a fourth successive clean sheet and a fifth straight win in all competitions.

“As a defender, I prefer clearing the ball off the line to scoring a goal. Bailey’s moment was just as important as my goal,” said Hugo, who was full of praise for the former Socceroo’s defensive heroics on his return to Australian soil.

“We had set ourselves the target of getting three points before arriving in Australia, so it’s a big result for us.”

Having survived that late scare, the Sailors immediately launched a counter-attack that culminated in Matthias picking out Lennart, who delivered the knockout blow three minutes into stoppage time.

It was a fitting way for the German striker to mark his return to competitive action, as he celebrated once again in front of the away end named after former Adelaide and Sailors Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar.

Lennart had previously found the net against Australian opposition in the Sailors’ memorable 2024/25 ACL Two semi-final triumph over Sydney FC, and his latest strike added another chapter to the club’s growing collection of continental milestones.

The final whistle confirmed a historic achievement for the Sailors, who became the first Singaporean club to record a competitive victory in Australia, in front of 3,762 spectators at Coopers Stadium.

While Hugo and Lennart grabbed the headlines with their goals, it was an accomplished collective display from Jackson’s charges.

Toni, Bailey and Jorge Karseladze were resolute at the back, while Bart Ramselaar grew increasingly influential in midfield as the contest wore on, helping the Sailors maintain their attacking rhythm and composure.

With the Sailors now sitting atop Group F, attention will quickly turn to the reverse fixture against Adelaide at the Jalan Besar Stadium next Thursday (5 November).

Before that, Jackson’s men must first navigate a domestic assignment against Balestier Khalsa this weekend as they look to sustain their winning run on both fronts.

And despite the significance of Thursday’s triumph, Jackson was quick to stress that his side could ill afford to rest on their laurels, with Adelaide certain to arrive in Singapore determined to exact revenge.

“The team is growing every day, and we will continue with the same process. We will analyse this match because we know Adelaide will be really determined when they come to Singapore next week for the return leg,” he said.

“It won’t be easy, and we will look at a second plan for how we want to play in that match. We also have an SPL match in between, so the players need to rest and then get ready for the next match.”