Diogo Costa’s move from left is right decision for Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – Since Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne called time on a successful four-year spell with the Lion City Sailors last December, the Singapore Premier League champions have been on the hunt for an able replacement.

The Sailors have struggled to find consistency on the right wing, with Kyoga Nakamura, Shawal Anuar and Anderson Lopes all delivering mixed results.

Meanwhile, January arrival Luka Adzic has seen limited minutes, leaving the team heavily dependent on the left flank where Bart Ramselaar remains a constant menace.

But, judging from the Sailors’ 3-0 victory over fourth-placed Balestier Khalsa at the Bishan Stadium on March 15, the defending champions and league leaders may have found their best solution yet.

The result saw the Sailors go eight points clear at the top, although second-placed BG Tampines Rovers (30 points) have two games in hand.

Diogo Costa, the team’s usual first-choice left-back, made the most of a surprise start at right wing, as he delivered a goal and won a penalty for his team in a Man-of-the-Match performance.

Speaking to The Straits Times after the win, he said this was the first time in his career that he had been fielded as a right-sided attacker.

The 22-year-old Portuguese said: “It’s never easy when you change position for the first time but it was great. I scored a goal and we got the win, which is the most important thing.”

Costa noted that playing as a left-back for the Sailors meant that he had become accustomed to being in advanced positions on the field. He, however, swatted away suggestions that he could be a long-term replacement for Lestienne even though he felt the team had better balance during the 3-0 win.

He said: “I think Maxime is a legend of the club, and you can never replace legends. But as a player that wants to help the club reach another level, I will just play where they want me to play.

“I feel like when I play on the left with Bart, we have a good connection, and sometimes the most offensive part of the team is on the left, but I feel when I play on the right, and because I like to go one versus one (against defenders), we can have this (balance) on both sides.”

Sailors coach Jesus Casas, who now has two wins and a draw from his first three matches in charge, was pleased with the clean sheet and victory.

The Spaniard also hailed Costa’s versatility, adding: “Today we tested him at right wing, and the final result was amazing.

“We try to have a balance (between the left and right attack) and I think we found it (today) but obviously, we need to adjust some aspects to improve.”

Costa scored the opening goal in the 33rd minute when he rifled the ball in from close range after being picked out by Akram Azman.

The Sailors doubled their lead on 40 minutes after Lennart Thy lobbed Balestier goalkeeper Hafiz Ahmad.

Lopes then sealed the result in the 85th minute, converting from the spot after the referee awarded a penalty – following a review at the pitch-side monitor – for a dangerous challenge by Balestier defender Harith Kanadi on Costa.

Harith was also sent off as the Tigers finished the game with 10 men.

Balestier coach Marko Kraljevic said he had no complaints after losing to a quality side.

He added: “When you play against good players, you will be under pressure all the time. They never gave us space and they were aggressive. We have to learn from today.”

Meanwhile at Our Tampines Hub, Geylang International secured a shock 1-0 win over third-placed Albirex Niigata. A 72nd-minute Shodai Yokoyama strike saw the Eagles bag all three points and move into fifth in the eight-team table on 17 points.

Albirex remain third, 12 points behind the Sailors albeit with a game in hand.

Analysis

Post-Lestienne, the Sailors’ main threat has often been Ramselaar cutting in from the left flank. If Costa replicates his performance against the Tigers on the right, the team will be a nightmare to defend against for the rest of the league.