Football: Confident Tampines out to scalp Thai side Chiangrai in Asian Champions League

SINGAPORE - Buoyed by their ability to go toe to toe with Japanese powerhouses Gamba Osaka in their Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) debut on Friday (June 25), confidence is coursing through Tampines Rovers' veins.

But Gavin Lee, coach of the Singapore Premier League side, is aware that confidence alone does not win matches and he told The Straits Times that there is still room for his men to improve despite their gallant show in going down 2-0 to last year's J-League runners-up.

Lee, whose team claimed 57.9 per cent of possession in that match, said: "There were moments against Osaka that were really pleasing for me as a coach but we need to create more goal-scoring opportunities and be more decisive in the final third."

On Monday, the Stags will be aiming to show that improvement at the Bunyodkor Football Stadium in Tashkent, where they will meet Thai FA Cup winners and fellow ACL debutants Chiangrai United.

Said Stags captain Yasir Hanapi: "The mentality within the squad has changed a bit (since the last game). We have an extra belief that we can achieve something in the matches we have here."

He added that the team were not in Uzbekistan just to make up the numbers and that they want to "show people what a side from Singapore can do, and that we can play quality football".

The Stags will need to be wary of Chiangrai's Brazilian dangermen, winger Felipe Amorim, and forward Bill, the Beetles' chief goal scorer. The 36-year-old has 51 goals in 83 appearances since joining the club in 2018.

Like Tampines, Chiangrai also gave a good account of themselves on their ACL debut in a 2-1 loss to two-time ACL winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Friday.

In a group with Osaka and South Korean champions Jeonbuk, Chiangrai represent the Stags' best opportunity to collect points.

Lee acknowledged that, noting: "In the context of who we have in our group, I do agree that this is the game we should be looking to get points from. But they are probably going to say the same thing about us. For us, we will look to focus on ourselves and improve in each game we play in this competition.

"We know they are a top side but we are really looking forward to it."

While Friday was the first time a Singaporean side was back in Asia's top club competition after more than a decade, the last time a side from the Republic got any points in the ACL was in April 2010. That was when former S-League champions Singapore Armed Forces FC beat China's Henan Jianye 2-1.

Yasir wants his side to take up the challenge.

"This is a good opportunity for us to win a game here," he said. "To win games at this level is not easy. And maybe this is a tougher game than the first one because Chiangrai will be really motivated to beat us because they will see this as their best chance (to notch a win) too. We need to make sure we match that motivation and be hungrier than them."