The Lion City Sailors maintained their perfect start to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) season with a commanding 5-0 victory over Balestier Khalsa at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (14 September) night.
Bart Ramselaar starred for the reigning league champions with a goal and two assists, while Bailey Wright, Lennart Thy, Abdul Rasaq Akeem, and Maxime Lestienne also got on the scoresheet to help the Sailors secure their second win in as many SPL games this season.
Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković was pleased with how his charges got the job done on the night, but stressed the importance of remaining consistent for the rest of the season.
“It was a very good performance tonight and it’s great that we kept our first clean sheet of the season,” said Ranko. “We created many chances and could have scored more, but credit must go to Balestier despite the scoreline.
“I’m excited for what’s ahead. Every game and point matters, so it’s important to keep this momentum going.”
The Tigers thought they had struck first after eight minutes when Tin Matić bundled the ball home, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Matić then went close again in the 17th minute with a fierce strike that Izwan Mahbud had to beat away.
However, the Sailors came to life in the 27th minute when vice-captain Bailey, making his first start of the season, ghosted in at the far post to turn home Maxime’s cross.
Bart nearly doubled the lead five minutes later, only to see his shot come back off the upright after being teed up by Shawal Anuar.
The next clear-cut opportunity would come in the 68th minute, when Balestier’s Bogdan Mandić forced a near-post save from Izwan with a well-struck free-kick.
That was as good as it got for the Tigers, as the floodgates opened for the Sailors soon after. In the 72nd minute, Bart made it 2-0 after linking up well with left-back Diogo Costa before cutting inside his marker and expertly firing past Balestier’s Croatian keeper Mario Mustapić from inside the area.
Bart then turned provider for the Sailors’ next two goals – first crossing for Lennart to net at the far post on his 50th club appearance in the 82nd minute, before slipping in Rasaq to score in the 90th.
Maxime added gloss to the scoreline deep into stoppage time, calmly tucking the ball into the far corner after Lennart’s effort had been parried.
Named Man of the Match, Bart said, “We showed what we’re capable of today and I’m happy with the goal and two assists. We did very well, but in the end the most important thing is the three points.”
With the win, the Sailors have moved two points clear at the top of the SPL table albeit at an early stage.
Their focus now shifts to continental duty, with a 2025/26 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Group G opener against Indonesian champions Persib Bandung on Thursday (18 September).
And Ranko acknowledged the challenge ahead of them in Indonesia.
“We’ve played in the ACL Two before, so we know what to expect. Persib are a very good team with quality foreigners, so it’s going to be a tough game for us,” the Serb said.
Bart added, “We are looking forward to playing in the competition. We have been drawn in a group with three tough opponents, but our main target is to first qualify for the next round.”
