The Lion City Sailors brought Balestier Khalsa’s impressive Singapore Premier League (SPL) run to an end with a dominant 3-0 victory at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (15 March) night.
The Tigers had arrived on the back of a four-match winning streak, but goals from Diogo Costa, Lennart Thy and Anderson Lopes ensured the Sailors kept up their unbeaten start to the 2025/26 league campaign with 12 wins and two draws.
“We created a lot of chances today and also kept a clean sheet. We were in control throughout the match, but there is always room for improvement,” said Head Coach Jesús Casas after the win.
Jesús made two changes to his starting line-up, bringing in Shawal Anuar and Diogo for Anderson Lopes and the injured Hami Syahin. Meanwhile, Balestier were without influential midfielder Lazar Vujanić, who missed the match through suspension.
The Sailors began brightly and quickly asserted their dominance, but Balestier goalkeeper Hafiz Ahmad kept his side in the contest with a string of early saves. The custodian denied Lennart’s header, Tsiy Ndenge’s free-kick and Kyoga Nakamura’s stinging effort, all within the opening 18 minutes.
At the other end, Balestier’s in-form Croatian winger Jakov Katusa attempted an ambitious long-range strike, but the effort went straight into the arms of Ivan Sušak on the half-hour mark.
The Sailors’ persistence finally paid off in the 33rd minute when Akram Azman cut the ball back for Diogo inside the box, and the Portuguese rifled home from close range.
It was the 22-year-old’s third SPL goal of the season and his second against Balestier. His goal was made even more notable by the fact that he was deployed as a right winger for the first time in his career.
“I have never played as a right winger, even back in Portugal,” Diogo said after the match. “It’s never easy when it’s your first time playing in a different position, but I’ll always play wherever the club asks me to.”
Seven minutes later, Lennart doubled the Sailors’ advantage with his 10th SPL goal of the season, as he lobbed the ball into an unguarded net from outside the area after Hafiz had ventured off his line for a clearance.
After the break, Akram continued to cause problems down the right flank, and the full-back nearly added a third in the 54th minute when he met Bart Ramselaar’s cross with a header that struck the crossbar.
Akram also impressed defensively, producing a superb piece of 1v1 defending shortly after to deny Katusa.
Jesús then introduced Anderson for Lennart on the hour mark to refresh the attack as the Sailors continued to press forward, and Bart came close to adding a third goal following a rapid counterattack, but Hafiz was again equal to the effort.
On the opposite flank, Nur Adam Abdullah, who was making back-to-back starts for the club for the first time since August 2023, showed great determination as he surged into the box and almost teed up Anderson in the 78th minute.
But the Brazilian forward would not have to wait long for his moment. Harith Kanadi’s dangerous challenge on Diogo inside the box resulted in a Sailors penalty following a VAR check, with the Balestier full-back also shown a red card.
Anderson stepped up and calmly slotted the ball past Hafiz from 12 yards for his eighth SPL goal of the season — his third in as many matches — as the Sailors saw out the rest of the game with minimal fuss to help Ivan secure his sixth league clean sheet.
It capped a complete performance from the Sailors, who finished the match with 27 attempts on goal compared to Balestier’s five. Diogo was duly named Man of the Match after an outstanding display.
“Diogo has the skill set to play in different positions,” said Jesús. “We need balance when attacking on both sides of the pitch. He scored a goal and also won a penalty for us tonight, so it was a very good performance.”
For some in attendance at the Bishan Stadium, Diogo’s display on the right wing evoked memories of former Sailors star Maxime Lestienne. However, the Portuguese midfielder was quick to play down such comparisons.
“Maxime is a legend of the club, and he can never be replaced,” Diogo said. “I faced him many times in training, and I learned a lot from those moments.”
With the international break approaching, the Sailors will now take time to regroup before returning to action.
Their next match sees them face Tanjong Pagar United at Jurong East Stadium on Monday, 6 April.
“Our plan now is to rest for a week, with the national team players going on duty soon,” Jesús revealed. “The rest of us will continue to train thereafter, and we will continue to push to put in more good performances for our fans.”
