The Lion City Sailors Women kept their Women’s Premier League (WPL) title push on track with a commanding 12–0 win over BG Tampines Rovers on Saturday (13 September) night.
New forward Farah Nurzahirah stole the show with an astonishing five-goal haul, while Sarah Zu’risqha bagged a hat-trick to move clear at the top of the club’s scoring charts. There were also maiden Sailors goals for Dhaniyah Qasimah (pictured below) and Wan Nashirah to cap off a night to remember for the defending champions.
The victory kept the Sailors in third place, 11 points behind leaders Albirex Niigata (S), but with three games in hand.
“It’s pleasing to see a variety of scorers tonight. We don’t just rely on one or two players, everyone is contributing, making runs, and creating chances,” said Head Coach Daniel Ong.
“I’m especially happy for Farah. It took her some time to adapt, but her potential is clear for all to see. My job is to push her to grow both on and off the pitch.”
Sarah, who is now on 10 goals for the season, attributed the result to improved chemistry following their successful Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League (AWCL) Preliminary campaign.
“Our teamwork and discipline made the difference. Everyone stuck to the plan and gave everything until the final whistle,” said the 19-year-old.
“Players like Farah and Nashirah have brought great energy and quality. We’re learning more about each other’s strengths every game, and it’s showing on the pitch.”
With Albirex winning 4–0 against Hougang United earlier in the day, the Sailors knew nothing less than victory would do, and they wasted no time asserting themselves on the game.
Just two minutes in, Dorcas Chu (pictured below) converted Farah’s low cross for her first goal of the season. Dhaniyah then doubled the lead in the 10th minute with a composed finish, before Nashirah tapped in Sarah’s cross seven minutes later to become the Sailors’ 17th different scorer this year.
Farah then sprang into action, as she coolly finished Syazwani Ruzi’s through ball on 29 minutes, before turning provider for Sarah to make it 5–0. A goalkeeping lapse allowed Farah to score again in the 36th minute to send the Sailors into the break with a six goal lead.
The tempo dipped slightly after half-time until BG Tampines goalkeeper Maisarah Ramat was sent off on 61 minutes for a foul on Farah outside the area.
The Sailors immediately pressed their numerical advantage, and Sarah soon made it seven from close range after Syazwani’s shot was parried, before Farah completed her hat-trick with a stunning long-range strike in the 73rd minute. Substitute Putri Alyiah Seow also found the back of the net within five minutes of coming on with a composed finish from Sarah’s pass.
Sarah coolly dispatched a penalty a minute later to complete her hat-trick to take the Sailors into double digits, before Farah added two more in stoppage time to round off a five-goal masterclass.
Despite the resounding win, however, Daniel insisted there is still work to do in order for his team to retain their WPL title.
“This wasn’t our best performance…I’ve seen better in training. We need to sharpen our attacking movement and be more clinical; we missed quite a few chances tonight,” he noted.
The Sailors now face a crucial run of six matches to close out the season, starting with a clash against second-placed Still Aerion next Wednesday (17 September).
And Sarah is confident the team has what it takes to finish the job.
She said, “We’re motivated to keep pushing until the end. Every game counts, and we’ll keep working hard for each other to deliver the best results, and hopefully a fourth straight WPL title.”
