The Lion City Sailors opened their 2026/27 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Group F campaign with a 1-1 draw against BG Pathum United at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (17 September) evening.

In a closely contested encounter, the Sailors took a first-half lead through a Marko Nikolić own goal, before Patrik Gustavsson drew the visitors level shortly after the break. Both sides had opportunities to find a winner thereafter, but neither could make the decisive breakthrough as the points were shared.

The match also marked new Sailors Head Coach Mark Jackson and Assistant Coach Cameron Toshack’s first game in the dugout. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Coach Jackson praised his players for adapting quickly despite having had limited time to work together, while stressing that there is plenty more to come from his side. 

“Our intention will always be to win every home game. There were certain elements today which I was really pleased with, and other areas where we need to be more consistent. We want to be a side that plays on the front foot and creates lots of chances, while remaining strong in defence,” said Coach Jackson.

“That will take a bit of time, as I have been with the team for only two days and we’ve already tried to implement lots of things. However, I’m proud of what the boys have done and how they’ve taken the information on board. Today, they showed in parts of the game that they wanted to do the right things.

“It might not have always come off, but the big thing is that the boys showed fight, togetherness and a willingness to learn as well, and that’s very important to me.” 

The Englishman’s charges started brightly, dictating the early proceedings and enjoying the majority of possession. And aside from a Fabio Kaufmann effort from outside the box that was comfortably saved by Sailors goalkeeper Victor Aznar in the seventh minute, the visitors were largely kept at bay.

In the 21st minute, Farhan Zulkifli showed great persistence to chase down the ball and win a corner, from which Matthias Phaëton headed into the arms of opposing goalkeeper Saranon Anuin.

The Singaporean winger caused more problems just three minutes later when he won a free-kick down the right. Having already threatened with his deliveries earlier, midfielder Giovanni Haag whipped another dangerous ball into the box that forced Nikolić to turn it into his own net and hand the Sailors the lead.

BG Pathum then responded five minutes into the second half. Anthony Belmonte intercepted a loose ball on the right and found Chanathip Songkrasin, who slipped Gustavsson through to score the equaliser.

Chanathip nearly turned the game on its head just six minutes later when his curling effort rattled the crossbar.

That warning sparked a response from the Sailors, who began moving the ball with greater urgency in search of a second goal. Giovanni came close in the 75th minute, curling a free-kick inches wide of the top corner.

Five minutes later, BG substitute Raniel Santana was presented with a golden opportunity when the ball fell kindly to him in front of goal, but Victor produced a superb full-stretch fingertip save to keep the scores level.

The Sailors pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages but were unable to find the breakthrough. Substitute Shawal Anuar was unable to connect with Diogo Costa’s shot in the 86th minute, before Ilhan Fandi’s stoppage-time header lacked the power to trouble Anuin.

“The intensity has gone up a lot over the last few days with the new coach, but today we were just missing something in the final third, so we will build on that,” said Man of the Match Bart Ramselaar.

“It always takes time for a coach to get his players to play the way he wants, and it starts with putting in the work on the training pitch. I’m confident that we will improve over the coming weeks and have a great season together.”

With another long season ahead featuring a packed schedule of domestic and continental football, Coach Jackson is determined to make full use of the squad at his disposal.

“It’s clear we’ve got some of the top local and foreign players in the team, and it’s my responsibility to utilise the squad. Every player has been fantastic so far,” he said.

“Although I’ll miss the national team players over the next few weeks, my promise to them was that when they come back, I’ll spend time teaching them what they’ve missed, so they can fit straight back into what we want to do as a team, as all of them are very important.”

In the other Group F fixture, Adelaide United cruised to a 3-0 win over Tai Po, with goals from Ethan Alagich, Juan Muñiz and Craig Goodwin putting the Australian side top of the group.

With club football taking a break for the September international window, a busy October awaits the Sailors upon their return to action.

They will play four games in the space of 10 days, beginning with a home clash against Công An Hà Nội (CAHN) FC in the 2026/27 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup on the 8th.

The Sailors will then face Young Lions in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) on 11 October, before travelling to Hong Kong to take on Tai Po in the ACL Two four days later. A home league clash against Tampines Rovers on 18 October rounds off the hectic stretch.

Coach Jackson is looking to make the most of the upcoming break to further imprint his ideas on the team.

“With the break, we now have time to work with the players on the training pitch. Whenever we train, we work on all aspects of our game, from how we build up and score to how we press, defend the box and handle set pieces. These phases are all part of our methodology,” he explained.

“Obviously, we’re missing a few players, so we’ll probably utilise the Academy team as well to come in and support our training sessions. We have a plan for how we’re going to develop each element over this period, and we will continue to improve in all aspects.”