The Lion City Sailors delivered the perfect response to a midweek setback in the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup with a dominant 5-1 victory over Balestier Khalsa in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (1 February) night.
A blistering first-half display saw the Sailors race into a commanding position, with goals from Anderson Lopes (two), Diogo Costa and Shawal Anuar overwhelming the Tigers, before Bailey Wright’s second-half header capped a thoroughly comfortable evening.
The result saw the reigning champions equal a club record of eight consecutive league victories, which was last achieved between July 2023 and June 2024, as they restored their seven-point cushion at the summit of the table.
Coming just days after a bruising 3-0 defeat away to Nam Định FC in the Shopee Cup, Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković was pleased with the manner in which his side responded.
“The match was fairly straightforward and the result reflected that,” said Ranko. “It’s not easy coming back from a difficult away trip, but we played a good match and didn’t give up many chances besides the goal we conceded.”
Determined to make amends from midweek’s loss, the Sailors set the tempo from the opening whistle, as Lennart Thy tested Balestier goalkeeper Mario Mustapić with a fierce volley inside two minutes, before threatening again in the 13th minute with two headers in quick succession.
The Sailors’ pressure finally told in the 21st minute when Elijah Lim’s attempted backpass fell short, allowing Anderson to pounce and open the scoring.
Balestier briefly found a lifeline three minutes later when Lionel Tan inadvertently diverted a dangerous cross into his own net, but the Sailors’ response was swift and clinical.
Diogo surged into the box after a neat exchange with Tsiy Ndenge and rifled home his second goal of the season to restore the lead in the 26th minute.
The floodgates soon opened. Kyoga Nakamura threaded a defence-splitting pass to Akram Azman in the 31st minute, and the full-back’s pinpoint delivery was met by Anderson, who nodded home to complete his brace and make it 3-1.
Five minutes later, Kyoga was at it again, floating an inch-perfect cross for Shawal to head in his third league goal in as many matches.
With the outcome all but settled, mid-season arrival Lucas Agueiro was introduced after the break for his Sailors debut. The 21-year-old went close with his first involvement before making an impact in the 65th minute, as he whipped in a teasing free kick that Bailey powered home with a trademark header.
“I was very happy to be able to play in this game,” said Lucas, who represented Young Lions in the earlier part of the season. “I’m going to put in the work and do my best for the club. This is only the beginning.”
Ranko rang the changes late on, introducing Hafiz Nor, Hariss Harun and Nur Adam Abdullah, as the Sailors comfortably saw out the match to maintain their perfect domestic record.
With his brace, Anderson moved to 12 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions, and the Brazilian made no secret of his hunger to deliver more.
“We were very frustrated by our exit from the Shopee Cup, so it was important to get the win today,” said the Man of the Match. “I’m feeling good with the support from the club, and I’ll continue to give my best every time I’m on the pitch.”
The Sailors will look to further strengthen their grip on top spot when they host Young Lions this coming Sunday (8 February), before welcoming Tanjong Pagar United a week later, with both fixtures set to be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
“It’s important we keep everyone fit and healthy,” added Ranko. “Every player is like gold to us. We want to secure the title as soon as possible, and we’ll need everyone ready.”
