The Lion City Sailors were made to work for all three points on Monday (20 April) night, as they eventually saw off a resilient Young Lions side 2-0 in their Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Goals from Lennart Thy and Anderson Lopes ensured the Sailors extended an impressive unbeaten run that has now yielded 15 wins from 17 league matches. The result also keeps them eight points clear at the summit, albeit having played a game more than second-placed BG Tampines Rovers.

Played in torrential rain, the contest was disrupted early on when the Lightning Warning System (LWS) forced a stoppage after just eight minutes. Action only resumed following a 50-minute delay, with Sailors Head Coach Jesús Casas admitting the unusual circumstances posed an added challenge for his team.

“The match was a bit strange with the heavy rain and interruption at the beginning,” he said.

“The Young Lions also surprised us. Usually, they play short passes, but under these conditions they relied on long balls, and that caused us problems.”

Jesús rang the changes from last weekend’s win over Hougang United, handing starts to Rui Pires, Hami Syahin, Christopher van Huizen and Nur Adam Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Young Lions Head Coach Firdaus Kassim made two changes from his side’s previous outing, with captain Amir Syafiz leading the line and Andrew Aw Yong returning from suspension.

And it was the Young Lions who threatened first, as Henry Spence tested Ivan Sušak in the 17th minute, before the Sailors goalkeeper was called into action again soon after from a well-worked set-piece.

Chris, making his 99th appearance for the club, responded with an effort that drifted off target, before Hami’s incisive pass released Kyoga Nakamura, who was denied by Izwan Mahbud.

At the other end, Bailey Wright produced a crucial sliding challenge in the six-yard box to keep the score level on the half-hour mark. Former Sailor Abdil Qaiyyim then denied Bart Ramselaar’s header on the goalline to ensure both sides went into the break level.

However, the Sailors stepped up the pressure after the restart, with Bailey and Lennart both going close, while the latter clipped the crossbar with a header in the 56th minute.

And the turning point of the game arrived just after the hour mark, when Ajay Robson was sent off for a second bookable offence for bringing down Bart just outside the area.

Reduced to 10 men, the Young Lions reshuffled, while Jesús introduced Anderson, Shawal Anuar, Song Uiyoung and Diogo Costa as the Sailors pushed for the breakthrough.

It finally came in the 73rd minute. Kyoga was at the heart of it, producing a moment of quality before teeing up Lennart, whose effort took a deflection on its way in for his 13th league goal of the campaign.

“I knew we would get more chances from that point on,” said Lennart. “Of course, it helped to have the numerical advantage because it gave us more space.”

Lucas Agueiro then thought he had doubled the lead on 88 minutes, only for his effort to be ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up.

There was no denying the Sailors a second goal in stoppage time, however. Kyoga was again involved, as his deflected shot fell kindly to Anderson, who showed superb control before producing a delicate lob over Izwan from close range to seal the three points.

That was the Brazilian’s 10th SPL goal of the season, while the Sailors kept a 10th clean sheet in 17 games — underlining the team’s solidity at the back throughout this campaign.

“I think we dominated the match and took our chances at a key time,” added Lennart, who was named Player of the Match. “We didn’t score earlier, so we had to be patient, but the win is what matters most.”

The game proved a sterner test than expected in difficult conditions, with the Young Lions, including on-loan Sailors duo Nathan Mao and Henry Spence, producing a spirited display.

“The Young Lions defended very well with many players in the box, so it was not easy to score,” said Jesús. “But this win takes us one step closer to the SPL title.”

The Sailors will now look ahead to back-to-back outings at Our Tampines Hub against Geylang International and BG Tampines Rovers on 26 April and 3 May respectively, as they edge ever closer to the title.

Wins in both games will see them seal a second straight SPL triumph.