The Lion City Sailors got off to a winning start in their first home match under new Head Coach Jesús Casas with a comfortable 4-0 win over Geylang International at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (7 March).
After being held to back-to-back draws in their previous outings, the Sailors responded in emphatic fashion as goals from Shawal Anuar and Anderson Lopes, along with a brace from Toni Datković, saw them become the first team in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) to cross the 50-goal mark this season.
Speaking to fan media outlet SailorFanTalk after the match, Coach Jesús expressed satisfaction with the progress his team has made in a short time, while stressing that there is still more to come.
“It’s not easy to implement our model and ideas within just two weeks, but I’m very happy that we’ve been able to showcase some aspects of our philosophy,” the 52-year-old shared.
“You can see it not just in attack, but also in defence. We are pressing high and aggressively, and we always strive to recover the ball as quickly as possible. Step by step, we are improving.”
That progress was evident early on, as the Spaniard’s charges fashioned the first chance of the evening in the third minute. Akram Azman delivered a teasing ball into the box that found the head of Lennart Thy, but the German forward’s effort drifted narrowly over the crossbar.
Faced with a deep Geylang backline, the home side continued to probe and nearly broke through in the 23rd minute when Tsiy Ndenge unleashed a powerful effort from distance that forced a save from former Sailor Rudy Khairullah.
That near miss seemed to spark the Sailors into life. Just five minutes later, Kyoga Nakamura’s corner found Toni in the box, and the Croatian centre-back expertly diverted the ball past Rudy to open the scoring.
The visitors barely had time to regroup before the Sailors struck again straight from the restart, as Anderson pounced on a loose touch from Joshua Pereira before delicately chipping the onrushing goalkeeper to notch his seventh goal of the season.
Bart Ramselaar then came close to adding a third just before half-time, but his curled shot from outside the box flew narrowly past the post.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on Sunday, three players from the Lion City Sailors Women’s Team — Putri Alyiah Seow and sisters Tia and Tyan Foong — were invited onto the pitch at half-time and presented with flower bouquets in recognition of the important role women play at the Sailors.
The second half began with the Sailors on the front foot once again, as Anderson fired a powerful volley straight at Rudy in the 48th minute.
Eight minutes later, Lennart thought he had added his name to the scoresheet when he beat Rudy with a nonchalant chip from long range, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
But the Sailors’ relentless pressure saw them eventually add a third in the 71st minute. Diogo Costa’s driven cross was met by fellow substitute Shawal, who nodded home decisively from close range with his first touch of the game.
“I was delighted that the plan to bring both of them on worked out, but I have confidence that any player from the bench can make a difference,” said Coach Jesús. “We were lucky with this combination, and I’m sure the rest can do the same as well.”
Diogo was involved again in the fourth goal, as his 79th-minute corner caused a scramble in the box, allowing Toni to lash home the loose ball and claim his first brace for the club.
While the Croatian defender’s goals grabbed the headlines, the Sailors’ defensive discipline also stood out. The Eagles were restricted to no shots in the second half as the reigning champions secured their seventh clean sheet of the season.
Despite picking up the first three points of his tenure, Coach Jesús remained focused on the bigger picture.
“We did well in following the plan today, and I am very happy for the team, the win, and the supporters who came out,” he said. “But this is still not enough. We must constantly demand more from ourselves because there are still many areas where we can improve.”
The Sailors will look to maintain their advantage at the top when they take on Balestier Khalsa at the Bishan Stadium next Sunday (15 March), before facing Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium on 6 April.
“We have a demanding stretch of games at the end of the season against BG Tampines Rovers and Albirex Niigata (S), so we must keep working to build as much momentum as possible.”
