It was goals galore at the Jalan Besar Stadium as the Sailors notched a 6-0 Singapore Premier League (SPL) win over the Young Lions on Monday (22 July) night.

The comprehensive victory put to bed any doubts about the Sailors that may have arisen following their defeat to BG Tampines Rovers last week.

There were five different scorers for Aleksandar Ranković’s side on the night – Shawal Anuar netted a brace, while reigning SPL Player of the Year Maxime Lestienne, Lennart Thy, Song Uiyoung, and Haiqal Pashia were also on target.

At the other end of the pitch, the Sailors defense held firm to secure their third clean sheet of the season.

With four changes to the starting lineup, including a first SPL start since October 2022 for goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, a rejuvenated Sailors side looked determined to overwhelm the Young Lions from the get-go.

And it took just three minutes for the visitors to take the lead. The ever-reliable Shawal opened the scoring for the Sailors with a clinical finish in the box after being found by Maxime Lestienne’s pinpoint cross.

Ranko’s charges continued their onslaught after the goal and created a flurry of chances, but Young Lions custodian Aizil Yazid made a few good saves to prevent his side from falling further behind.

But it seemed only a matter of time before the Young Lions goal was breached, and it was Shawal again who did the damage in the 32nd minute, as he finished clinically from Maxime’s cross for his sixth league goal of the season.

Reflecting on his goalscoring display, Shawal said, “We tried to forget whatever happened from the previous game and worked extra hard in training. We brought our quality to today’s match, and I’m glad it showed. I’m happy with the two goals, but all credit goes to Max and the boys.”

Shawal and Maxime combined again 10 minutes after the break to give the Sailors a 3-0 lead. This time, it was Shawal who played the role of provider, as he ran onto a superb through ball from Song, before laying it off for Maxime to curl the ball home.

While the Young Lions continued to fight valiantly – with captain Farhan Zulkifli in particular looking dangerous – they never really came close to pulling a goal back.

Instead, it was the Sailors who added a fourth in the 64th minute. Midfielder Rui Pires sent a delightful lofted pass for Maxime, who beat his marker before unselfishly squaring it for Song to tap home from close range.

It was a goal that ended any faint hopes of a Young Lions comeback, as the hosts looked noticeably deflated as the ball hit the back of the net.

But the Sailors were still hungry for more.

In the 69th minute, a mistake by Young Lions defender Kieran Teo saw the ball fall to Lennart, who played it to Maxime inside the box. While the Belgian could have scored his second of the night, he chose to square the ball back to Lennart for a composed finish into the bottom corner.

The was the German’s second goal for the Sailors since arriving in late May.

The Sailors added the icing on the cake in the third minute of injury time, with substitutes Nur Muhammad Asis and Pashia combining well for the latter to apply the finishing touch for the team’s sixth goal.

Ranko praised his side for responding to last week’s disappointment with a display that showcased both their ability, as well as their strength of character.

“It’s a very good response from the team. I was a player once, so I know how hard it feels when you come out from a very difficult defeat,” said Ranko.

“I’m satisfied with the performance. Of course, the 6-0 scoreline is nice, but I’m honestly more satisfied with the way they played.

“I think we were a little bit nervous in the first half, but we gradually started to play our football and you can see that we have the quality to dominate games. As a team, that’s something that we missed in the last game.”

The win moves the Sailors level on 22 points with current leaders BG Tampines Rovers, who have played a game less. Next up for the Sailors is a match against bottom side Hougang United on Sunday (28 July).