Right after the fixtures for the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup Group Stage were announced, Song Uiyoung’s phone started buzzing non-stop – and understandably so.
After all, the Lion City Sailors will kick off their Group B campaign with a trip to Balikpapan, Indonesia, where they’ll face the 2023/24 Liga 1 Regular Series champions, Borneo FC Samarinda, on 22 August. This match marks Song’s first return to Indonesia since leaving Persebaya Surabaya in mid-March to rejoin the Sailors.
“My Indonesian friends, ex-Persebaya teammates, and even reporters have all been messaging me about this match because they know I’m returning to Indonesia,” said the 30-year-old, who made 17 Liga 1 appearances between July and December 2023, including a start in Persebaya’s 2-1 win over Borneo on 3 September.
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“I have many good memories of playing in this country, and I’m really looking forward to Thursday night. I remember that match — Borneo were top of the table, and it was a tough game against one of the biggest teams in Indonesia, but we fought really hard to win.”
Known as a big-game player, Song has a history of scoring against Indonesian opposition. In December 2021, he netted for the Singapore national team against Borneo’s regular starting goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata in a 4-2 loss to Indonesia at the National Stadium.
Back in May 2018, he scored in front of a packed Gelora Bung Karno Stadium to help Home United to a famous 3-1 victory over Persija Jakarta in the previous version of the AFC Cup.
And Song is looking forward to yet another epic showdown – this time at the 40,000-seater Batakan Stadium, against a Borneo side that has started their 2024/25 Liga 1 season with two wins out of two.
“The fan culture in Indonesia is massive, with each team boasting a large number of supporters, especially a big team like Borneo. I’m anticipating a great atmosphere and a very competitive game; everyone in our team is highly motivated for this challenge,” said the Singapore international.
“Borneo have made some changes since I last played against them, but there’s no doubt they remain a very strong team. Their midfielder, Stefano Lilipaly, is a top player we need to watch closely. Indonesian football is known for its physicality and direct style of play, so I’m expecting a game like that.”
Heading into this game after a series of strong individual performances in the Sailors’ recent Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches, Song seems to be rediscovering his best form, and credits his teammates for his resurgence.
He said, “It wasn’t easy (at the start) as I had to adapt to a new team and was dealing with some injuries. But now, I’m feeling really good, and I believe I can push even harder to help the team. You can see on the pitch that we’re all working together and helping each other to score – our team spirit is really high and that will help us in this tough game.”
While it will be a stern test for the Sailors, Song has backed his teammates to rise to the occasion.
“For sure, the intensity and the physicality of the game will be different from the SPL,” Song mused. “But first and foremost, we have to believe in ourselves. We’ve got good quality in this team and we want to show that we’re capable of playing at this level.
“It’s important that we enjoy the 90 minutes as a team, as well as the experience of playing in front of a huge away crowd. We just need to focus on what we’ve been working on during training, support each other throughout the match, and I think we can go home with the three points.”
