As the clock ticked down at the Bishan Stadium on Saturday (13 July) night, all eyes were on one man as he calmly placed the ball on the penalty spot.

Maxime Lestienne.

The time on the clock read 92 minutes 36 seconds. The scoreboard showed: Balestier Khalsa 2-2 Lion City Sailors.

One kick was all it would take for the Sailors to secure all three points, to keep them at the top of the Singapore Premier League (SPL). Make no mistake, the pressure was on.

Maxime took a step forward. Then another, and another, and another. With his fourth step, he swung his left leg at the ball and placed it into the bottom corner, leaving a diving Hafiz Ahmad in the Balestier goal grasping at thin air.

Pressure? What pressure?

This was a penalty by a confident player in form, one who has so often produced clutch moments for the Sailors, and who has now scored in six consecutive games.

As it turned out, there was even time after the penalty for Maxime to put the icing on the cake with his second of the night, as he capped off a devastating counter-attacking move in the last minute of the game to secure a 4-2 victory for the Sailors.

The win sees the Sailors remain at the summit of the SPL, level on 19 points with fellow title contenders BG Tampines Rovers, who beat Brunei DPMM 3-0 in the other game played last night.

It also means that the Sailors have extended their unbeaten start to the season, setting up the stage for a blockbuster title clash against BG Tampines coming up next on Thursday (18 July).

While pleased with the dramatic win, Maxime – who also notched himself an assist and was named Man-of-the-Match – believes the Sailors can still improve on their overall display.

Reflecting on the game, he said, “We did our best, but we know that we still haven’t reached the level that we know we are capable of. Nonetheless, maybe in past seasons we would not have won such a game, so we’re happy with the win. However, in our next game (against BG Tampines), we will have to play much better than today.”

Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković also acknowledged that his side did not play at their best, but gave credit to Balestier for giving them a tough challenge.

“I’m satisfied with the result, but the performance, not so much,” said Ranko. “Especially in the first-half, we had problems…with moving the ball, and this caused us to play at a low tempo.

“Credit must also go to our opponents today. They made it very difficult for us, and they might feel we stole the winner, because that’s what happened. Such games are expected during the season, and again, we faced a strong opponent equally determined to win. Overall, it was a good and exciting match.”

Indeed, Balestier started the game brightly and very nearly took the lead early on through striker Ismail Sassi, whose shot cannoned off the crossbar.

The Sailors – who made two changes to the starting line-up from their 3-0 win over Tanjong Pagar United last weekend, with Song Uiyoung and Sergio Carmona Pérez coming in for Shawal Anuar and Lionel Tan – fashioned their first real opportunity of the game in the 27th minute, when Maxime curled a left-footed shot just wide off the post.

Right at the stroke of half-time, Balestier forward Kodai Tanaka was almost presented with a golden opportunity to score, but Sailors defender Bailey Wright courageously slid in to intercept the ball – crashing into the post in the process – before it could reach the former Sailor.

Ranko’s charges came out of the half-time break looking sharper and hungrier, as they looked to put the visitors under pressure to try and force turnovers in dangerous positions.

In the 52nd minute, Ranko brought on Bart, Shawal Anuar, and Hafiz Nor in an attempt to reinvigorate his side’s attack.

The tactical decision paid off, as just eight minutes later, Bart opened the scoring for the Sailors by pouncing on Lennart Thy’s lofted cross and half-volleying it into the top right corner.

Unfortunately, Bart’s night was cut short not long after, as he had to be substituted after taking a knock.

“He (Bart) scored a goal in a moment that was very important for us.” Ranko said. “But I’m very disappointed that we might lose him in the next match.”

The Sailors were then pegged back, however, as in the 68th minute, Ismail Sassi cut in from the left flank and placed an accurate finish into the bottom corner to draw his side level.

But the equaliser did not dampen the Sailors’ spirits, and they continued to pepper the Tigers’ goal in search of a winner.

The Sailors’ persistence paid off in the 81st minute, when Toni Datković leapt highest to head home Maxime’s outswinging corner, scoring his first-ever goal for the club.

Once again, Balestier struck back just two minutes later, as Sassi smashed in a loose ball after the Sailors failed to clear their lines from a corner.

With a draw looking likely as the game neared its conclusion, the Sailors were handed a lifeline in the 90th minute when captain Hariss Harun earned his side a penalty after being brought down in the box.

Up stepped Maxime – and the rest, as they say, is history.