Lion City Sailors make history with Asian club final spot
On Wednesday night (16 April), the Lion City Sailors made history by becoming the first and only Singaporean club to reach the final of a major Asian club competition.
Although they were defeated 1-0 by Sydney FC, the Sailors held firm and advanced to the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two final with a 2-1 aggregate win in the semi-finals.
The Sailors travelled to Australia with a two-goal advantage from their 2-0 win at Jalan Besar Stadium the previous week.
Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković made two alterations to the lineup, both on the right side, with Maxime Lestienne and Hami Syahin replacing Shawal Anuar and Christopher van Huizen.
Source: Lion City Sailors
The changes paid off, as Maxime made an immediate impact with a strong start for the Sailors.
In the sixth minute, Maxime was played through by Bart Ramselaar and had a clear shot on goal, but his weak effort was easily gathered by Harrison Devenish-Meares.
Sailors not content to sit on two-goal advantage
The visitors made it clear they weren’t looking to sit back and defend their lead but were eager to exploit counter-attacking chances.
Ranko said: “We knew we were going to be under a lot of pressure. Sydney FC had to throw everything at us.”
“But I think we did a really good job,” he added. “They had their chances, but honestly, we had a few of our own that could’ve killed the tie.”
Source: Lion City Sailors
Sydney’s first real chance came in the 10th minute when Anthony Caceres’ shot from a tight angle forced a sharp save from Izwan Mahbud.
From the resulting corner, Jordan Courtney-Perkins scored, but Sydney’s celebrations were cut short when a video assistant referee (VAR) review disallowed the goal.
Sydney FC’s second goal ruled out
The Sailors had another chance just after the half-hour mark.
Lennart Thy leapt to meet a cross, but his header was easily gathered by the goalkeeper.
In the 39th minute, Alexander Popovic forced a save from Izwan with a header from a corner before Rhyan Grant scored moments later.
However, for the second time in the half, Sydney’s goal was ruled out for offside.
Source: Lion City Sailors
Notably, Sailors’ defensive anchor Bailey Wright made his first competitive club appearance on home soil.
Bailey said: “We’ve had our moments of luck, but I believe you earn that through hard work, commitment, and preparation.”
“As a defender, you relish games like these, where you have to fight for every ball and truly earn the result, no matter how difficult it is.”
Sydney FC keep pushing for the opening goal
The second half began with the Sailors creating several chances early on.
However, Sydney FC kept pressing, and their first real second-half opportunity came in the 61st minute when Segecic’s curling shot forced a sharp save from Izwan.
Their persistence paid off in the 85th minute when Douglas Costa delivered a cross that Grant headed back across goal.
Joe Lolley was there to direct it past Izwan, bringing the aggregate score to 2-1.
Despite this, the Sailors’ backline remained resolute, seeing the game through.
At full-time, players and staff rushed the pitch, celebrating what could be the club’s most iconic moment.
“What we’ve done is an unbelievable achievement for a Singaporean club,” said Ranko. “I’m still waiting for someone to wake me up — but honestly, I don’t want to be awake. I want to keep dreaming… and let’s hope we can go all the way.”
They’ll face UAE’s Sharjah FC in the 18 May final, set to take place in Singapore.
Also read: Lion City Sailors To Take On Tottenham Hotspur In Tiger Cup, Will Replace AS Roma
Lion City Sailors To Take On Tottenham Hotspur In Tiger Cup, Will Replace AS Roma
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Featured image adapted from Lion City Sailors.
