The Lion City Sailors issued another statement of intent in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title race, as they came back from a goal down to overwhelm Hougang United 5-1 at Bishan Stadium on Saturday (24 January) night.

Despite the early scare, the Sailors proved to be a class apart with Bart Ramselaar scoring twice, while Shawal Anuar and Lennart Thy both also got on the scoresheet to preserve their perfect start to the SPL season.

Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković stuck with the same XI that had dispatched Geylang International 3-0 a week earlier, while Hougang interim boss Pannarai Pansiri handed Settawut Wongsai a start in place of Jaushua Sotirio after the latter got injured in the warmups. 

That change paid immediate dividends for the Cheetahs as in the 11th minute, Settawut rose highest to meet Jordan Vestering’s cross and guide a header past Ivan Sušak, to end the Croatian goalkeeper’s run of three successive clean sheets. It was also only the third goal the Sailors have conceded in the SPL this season.

Rather than unsettling the Sailors, however, the setback sparked the league leaders into life, and it did not take long for them to draw level.

After seeing an earlier effort hacked off the line, Bart found himself at the heart of the equaliser in the 19th minute, delivering a teasing cross that Shawal finished at the second attempt after Zharfan Rohaizad’s initial save.

Eight minutes later, the Sailors were ahead. Diogo Costa’s unselfish work in the box teed up Kyoga Nakamura, whose low effort deflected off Ryaan Sanizal and into the net.

By then, the Sailors were in full flow, and in the 32nd minute, Diogo and Bart exchanged headers before the Dutchman picked out Lennart who steered a brilliant glancing header off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net to make it 3-1. 

The quick turnaround in fortunes firmly underlined why the Sailors remain the benchmark in Singapore football.

“I wasn’t pleased with the first ten minutes, and we gave them too much space,” admitted Ranko. “But the opening goal woke us up. We went up a gear, went in two goals ahead at half-time and were in a much better position.”

However, there was a minor blemish before the interval when Hami Syahin was forced off with an ankle issue, with captain Hariss Harun introduced in his place.

“Hami has a minor ankle injury, it’s the same one from a couple of weeks ago,” said Ranko. “We’re glad no one else picked up anything, because it wasn’t easy to play on this pitch.”

The second half followed a similar pattern, with the Sailors firmly in control. Lennart went close after the restart with a deflected shot following a clever Kyoga pass, while at the other end, Akram Azman was able to confidently deal with the threat of Farhan Zulkifli.

And all hopes of an Hougang comeback was erased with two Sailors goals in seven minutes. The first came in the 66th minute, when a clever Sailors corner routine created confusion in the area before Bart reacted quickest to smash home. 

Moments later, almost from a carbon copy routine, the ball again fell kindly to the Dutchman, whose powerful strike completed his brace.

“I was thinking before the match that I needed to score more goals, so I’m very happy with my performance tonight,” said Bart, who was named Man of the Match. “It’s a very good team result, especially after going a goal down. We kept the tempo high and did a great job.”

With the outcome beyond doubt, Rui Pires and Luka Adžić were introduced late on as the Sailors comfortably closed out a seventh win from seven league matches. The result meant they maintained a seven-point cushion at the summit, with nearest challengers BG Tampines Rovers holding a game in hand.

“It was important to win because BG Tampines won yesterday,” added Bart. “We have to keep the distance at the top and keep performing in every game.”

Attention now swiftly turns to the regional stage, with the Sailors travelling to face Nam Định FC on Thursday (29 January) in a crucial ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup encounter. Ranko’s side are still in the hunt for a historic semi-final berth, and momentum, once again, is firmly on their side.

“In the next couple of weeks, there’s not much time to recover or tweak things,” Ranković noted. “Games will come thick and fast, so it was important to keep this momentum going ahead of Vietnam.”