Lion City Sailors retain Singapore Cup to cement domestic dominance

New Paper

6 days ago

Lion City Sailors completed a clean sweep of domestic titles with a fiercely contested 1-0 victory over BG Tampines Rovers in the Singapore Cup final at Jalan Besar Stadium on May 31.
Adding the cup to their Community Shield and Singapore Premier League (SPL) triumphs, Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic described the club's first domestic treble as an "unbelievable achievement".
"To win everything domestically and to play in the Asian Champions League Two final - winning it would have been a dream. But even without that, I think it's one of the best seasons in Singapore football," the Football Association of Singapore Coach of the Year nominee said.
Fielding an unchanged side from their semi-final, second leg against Brunei DPMM, Rankovic opted for stability in what was his side's 58th match, including the 2-0 Community Shield win over Albirex Niigata last May.
"I wanted stability in our play, and not to change a lot. We were much better in the first half and, if there was somebody who would score then, it would have been us... But credit to Tampines, they are a very good team, and they had a great season," the Serb said.
Tampines coach Gavin Lee, also nominated for the SPL Coach of the Year gong, which will be presented at the SPL Awards Night at Orchard Hotel on June 1, conceded that his side were slow to settle in the game as they struggled to create chances early on.
"In the first half, both sides were more cautious. It's something you see a lot in finals. We were overly protective in the first half. And in the second half, it was just reminding everybody that we're a very good team, we have good players. We trusted ourselves a little bit more," Lee said.
With some Tampines players left in tears after the final whistle, he added that "we cannot allow one game to define our whole season".
"Nights like this will hurt us, it stings us very badly. But the moment we have caught our breath, we get a few nights' sleep and get calmer, we will probably realise that this season we've done a lot of good stuff," Lee said, after leading his side to a runners-up finish in the SPL.
Despite kick-off being delayed by 15 minutes due to the activation of the lightning warning system, the 2,766 fans were raring to go, drumming up a din.
On the pitch, it was a more cagey affair, with neither side producing any clear-cut chances. The Sailors spent much of the first period camped in the opposition's half as Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne found joy on the right flank, linking up well with wingback Hami Syahin to craft a handful of left-footed efforts.
However, those were easy pickings for the Stags' goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari, who was rarely troubled. At the other end, the Stags failed to create any openings, finishing the first half without a single attempt on goal as the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
The Sailors drew first blood in the 49th minute when midfielder Song Ui-young pounced on a defensive error by fullback Milos Zlatkovic and played the ball out wide to Lestienne, who drove a low cross to the feet of attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar.
With his back to goal, the 28-year-old Dutchman swivelled and drilled his shot into the roof of the net for his sixth goal of the tournament, making him the joint-top scorer in the competition with Geylang International striker Tomoyuki Doi and Balestier Khalsa forward Kodai Tanaka.
Toasting the goal, Ramselaar said: "It's quite special because I'm not a real striker, and to be in this list with a striker like Doi, it's really nice. But, in the end, it's about winning the trophy, and that was our goal. We made it happen, so we're happy with it."
Tampines thought they had equalised in the 57th minute when forward Itsuki Enomoto tapped in a cross from playmaker Seia Kunori, but his effort was struck off for offside.
A long ball in the 81st minute sent Ramselaar through on goal, but a heavy touch allowed Syazwan to rush out and smother the danger.
With two minutes remaining, Tampines had another chance when a loose ball fell to Kunori, but his effort cannoned off the crossbar, leaving the Japanese to pound the ground in exasperation.
"Really unlucky. I should have applied less power. Overall, it was a really tough game. A very short break since the semi-finals, but all of us gave our best," said the 24-year-old, who is in the running for the Young Player of the Year award on June 1.
Tempers flared in stoppage time as a foul on Shah Shahiran by Ramselaar resulted in the Tampines midfielder headbutting the Dutchman in a fit of anger.
The pair received warnings for their troubles but, after a video assistant referee check, Shah was given his marching orders, to end any hopes of a Stags comeback.