The Lion City Sailors concluded their ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat to PKR Svay Rieng at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (5 February).
In a contest where fine margins proved decisive, the Sailors created a number of promising openings, but were ultimately undone by a second-half brace from Patrick Robson, as the Cambodian champions secured a memorable win in Singapore.
Speaking after the match, Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković felt his side were unfortunate not to take at least a point from the game, while praising the effort shown by his players throughout.
“It was a game that could have gone either way,” said Ranko. “We didn’t convert our chances, and they scored from their opportunities. We knew from the start that this tournament would be a tough challenge, but the players gave everything against a good side.”
Svay Rieng made a bright start, with Ivan Sušak called into action early to keep out Kwame Poku’s header in the sixth minute. The Sailors responded swiftly, as Shawal Anuar forced a sharp save from Dara Vireak with a powerful close-range effort four minutes later.
With the match settling into an even rhythm, Anderson Lopes went closest in the 32nd minute, twisting smartly inside the box before forcing a fine save. The forward remained a constant threat, and just before the interval saw another fierce effort from a tight angle pushed away at the near post by Dara Vireak.
The Sailors carried that positive momentum into the second half, and barely a minute after the restart, Anderson teed up Lennart Thy, who dragged his effort wide, before the Brazilian failed to capitalise on Diogo Costa’s inviting cross moments later.
Those missed chances proved costly for the Sailors, as Svay Rieng broke the deadlock in the 51st minute against the run of play. A cross from the right to the back post found an unmarked Robson, who made no mistake from close range.
Thirteen minutes later, Robson struck again, driving past two defenders down the left before firing a fierce shot that took a deflection on its way into the net.
To the Sailors’ credit, they refused to let their heads drop after the setback and continued to push for a way back into the game.
And that attacking intent produced a couple of promising openings, with Lionel Tan’s header from a corner drifting just over in the 75th minute, before Hami Syahin’s long-range effort four minutes later narrowly cleared the crossbar. Despite the late pressure, however, the hosts were ultimately unable to find a breakthrough.
The result meant the Sailors finished their second Shopee Cup campaign with four points, an identical record to last season’s tally.
Vice-captain Bailey Wright was candid in his assessment of the defeat after the final whistle. “The entire team worked hard against a good side, but we simply weren’t at our best,” he said.
“Conceding two goals was disappointing, and we apologise for the result and performance. The standards we’ve set in previous seasons are high, so now it’s about regrouping and giving our best in the remaining games.”
The Sailors will have little time to dwell on the setback, as they return to Singapore Premier League action on Sunday (8 February) against the Young Lions, before hosting Tanjong Pagar United the following week, with both fixtures set to take place at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
“We still have our league campaign to focus on,” added Bailey. “We’ll pick ourselves back up and channel all our attention into that.”
