Lion City Sailors lift Singapore league trophy under billionaire owner Forrest Li ahead of AFC Champions League Two final clash next weekend
SINGAPORE, May 11 – The Lion City Sailors clinched the 2024-25 Singapore Premier League (SPL) title last night with a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Tanjong Pagar, securing the trophy with two matches to spare.
Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the first half, sealing the Sailors' second league title under billionaire owner Forrest Li, also the new president of the Football Association of Singapore.
'We're champions again! Campeones, ole, ole ole,' CNA reported fans chanting in celebration at Jurong East Stadium, as shown in a video shared on the club's Facebook page.
The win brought the Sailors' points tally to 71, placing them beyond reach of second-placed Tampines Rovers, who trail by eight points with only two games remaining.
Having finished second to Albirex Niigata in the past two seasons, the Sailors finally reclaimed the top spot in domestic football.
With the league title secured, the Sailors now shift focus to the AFC Champions League Two final on May 18 against Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates.
The match is set to be held at Bishan Stadium, with the Asian Football Confederation granting provisional approval, while efforts are underway to expand the venue's capacity to 10,000.
Tickets to the final sold out within a day of going on sale, according to the club's Facebook announcement last Wednesday.
The Sailors made history on April 16 by defeating Sydney FC 2-1 on aggregate, becoming the first Singaporean team to reach a continental final.
With their SPL triumph, the Sailors have also secured a spot in next season's AFC Champions League Two tournament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Manager Chivu leaves Parma, poised to join Inter Milan
Cristian Chivu kept Parma in the Italian top flight this season. (EPA Images pic) EMILIA-ROMAGNA: Parma have parted ways with manager Cristian Chivu by mutual consent after less than four months in charge, the Serie A club said today. The 44-year-old Romanian, who kept his team in the top flight, is set to be appointed coach of Inter Milan where he spent seven years as a player, Italian media reported. 'The club thanks Cristian for his work and for achieving the sporting objective, and wishes him the best of luck in his future professional endeavours,' Parma said in a statement. Inter are seeking a replacement for Simone Inzaghi who left by mutual consent last week following their 5-0 Champions League final loss to Paris St-Germain. ADVERTISEMENT VIDCRUNCH Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Quality Auto Back 360p 240p 144p Auto Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x / Skip Ads by Inter begin their Club World Cup campaign on June 17 against Mexico's Monterrey.
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Neymar tests positive for Covid-19, ruled out of Santos' clash with Fortaleza
SíO PAULO, June 9 — Brazil forward Neymar has been sidelined after testing positive for Covid-19, his club Santos said in a statement as quoted by Brazilian media. The 33-year-old began showing symptoms on Thursday and was immediately removed from team activities. Medical tests later confirmed the viral infection, the Brazil Serie A side said on Saturday. The club did not disclose how long Neymar will be out of action and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Neymar is already ruled out of tomorrow's league match at Fortaleza through suspension. The Fortaleza match will be Santos' last outing before the Brazilian league pauses for the June 14–July 13 Club World Cup in the US. The former Barcelona forward's future at Santos remains undecided, with his contract set to expire on June 30. Limited by injury, he has made 12 appearances for Santos across all competitions this season, contributing three goals and three assists.
Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Mbappe fires France past Germany for Nations League bronze
STUTTGART (Germany), June 9 — Kylian Mbappe bagged a goal and an assist as France beat Germany 2-0 in the Nations League bronze-medal match in Stuttgart yesterday. Mbappe wove his magic in a heavily changed France squad. Germany dominated the opening half but Mbappe provided the breakthrough just before half-time, carving a shot through a crowded penalty box to bring up his 50th goal in France colours. Late in the second, with the hosts desperately looking for an equaliser, Mbappe snatched a poor Germany pass on the halfway line and rampaged forward, before setting up Michael Olise. Mbappe had not scored in open play for France for more than a year. After the match, the France captain hit back at criticism levelled against him, telling DAZN 'since I arrived in the international team, everyone always talks about me... when they have an opportunity to talk bad, they talk bad. 'They did it with all the great players in history in France and I'm the next. But I'm OK with that. I just try and do my job.' France and Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni praised his club and international teammate Mbappe, saying 'everyone in the team loves him. 'He's a very important player for us and when he plays like he did today, it's just amazing.' 'Germany's wastefulness costs them' For Germany, who lost two straight matches for the first time since 2023, questions remain over how much they have truly improved under Julian Nagelsmann. Striker Niclas Fuellkrug lamented his side's wastefulness, telling DAZN: 'if we had taken our first chance and scored, it could have been three or four nil for us.' In the lead-up to yesterday's encounter, France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the Nations League clash with old rivals Germany 'isn't the most important game for us,' with a clear focus on next year's World Cup. Deschamps made eight changes from the semi-final loss to Spain, with only captain Mbappe, goalie Mike Maignan and midfield veteran Adrien Rabiot keeping their starting spots. Nagelsmann also rotated heavily, making four changes including bringing Fuellkrug back into the starting XI. The Germans had a wealth of chances in the opening half. Karim Adeyemi won a penalty but it was overturned by VAR for diving. Florian Wirtz hit the post. Mbappe struck just before half-time. The Real Madrid man collected a pass which floated over Joshua Kimmich's head, took a touch and hammered a shot home with his preferred right foot. Nagelsmann replaced rookie striker Nick Woltemade with Deniz Undav at half-time. The move seemed to have paid immediate dividends — Undav had the ball in the net, but his effort was chalked off for a foul in the build-up. Germany dominated possession and field position, but that left them vulnerable on the break to France's lightning-fast forwards, led by Mbappe. Marcus Thuram hit the post on 58 minutes. Then Mbappe and substitute Olise, who plays in Germany for Bayern Munich, combined to seal the match for France. The French captain pounced on a poor Robin Koch clearance on the halfway line and ran goalwards, squaring for the onrushing Olise to tap home with six minutes remaining. Later on yesterday, reigning Nations League and Euros champions Spain faced Portugal in Munich to decide this year's crown. — AFP
