Slow start for marquee signing Lennart Thy as Lion City Sailors labour to 2-0 win over Brunei DPMM
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Shawal Anuar scored an acrobatic goal in the 86th minute to break the deadlock.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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SINGAPORE – All eyes at the Jalan Besar Stadium were on Lion City Sailors’ marquee signing, Lennart Thy, who made his Singapore Premier League (SPL) debut against Brunei DPMM on June 18.
However, it was an outing to forget for the German striker, who squandered a string of gilt-edged chances before he was replaced by midfielder M. Anumanthan after 69 minutes.
The forward, signed from Dutch side PEC Zwolle for whom he netted 13 goals during the 2023-24 Eredivisie season, had to watch from the bench as the Sailors claimed a 2-0 win, thanks to late goals by Shawal Anuar and Maxime Lestienne.
Shawal broke the deadlock in the 86th minute with an acrobatic scissor kick from close range, before Belgian Lestienne curled a spectacular strike in the last minute of stoppage time.
Thy, 32, told The Straits Times: “Well we won but we should have scored more, especially in the first half. We got the three points and this is important. I should have scored but, in the end, it’s 90 minutes and it’s a good win.”
Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic added: “I think we played very good, the only thing missing was the goal. They defended really good, the goalkeeper deserves all the credit. Very lucky that we scored towards the end of the game and it was unfortunate for them.”
The Sailors, who were officially the away side after the fixture was shifted from DPMM’s home ground
However, the opening goal proved hard to come by, with Thy among the main culprits.
After missing with a 12th-minute header, Thy wasted a one-on-one opportunity eight minutes later before seeing his left-footed volley smartly saved by goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski in the 25th minute.
DPMM almost grabbed a shock lead in the 68th minute but Mexican forward Julio Cruz rattled the crossbar with his 30-metre attempt, before Sailors broke through late to maintain their 100 per cent record after three matches.
DPMM coach Rui Capela, while visibly disappointed, was proud of his side’s performance. He said: “We came today to play for the three points. My players played a tough game, I think the 0-0 is a fair result for us. But this is football.”
While Thy failed to make the desired impact, Rankovic remains confident in his star signing.
After finishing the season with Zwolle in May, Thy had to forgo a post-season break to prepare for his debut with the Sailors a month later.
Said Rankovic: “The substitution was pre-planned. Lennart just came and he has to settle in. He’s very, very fatigued at this moment, so we have to be very careful with him. We are going to see a different Lennart in a couple of weeks.
“He is somebody who proved he can score goals at the highest level, so I have no doubt he can do it here.”
Lion City Sailors celebrating the first goal as they beat Brunei DPMM 2-0 at Jalan Besar Stadium on June 18.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Thy added that he was relishing the opportunity to play alongside Lestienne and former PSV Eindhoven midfielder Bart Ramselaar.
He said: “We are good on the ball, we try to look for each other. It’s just a question of time.”
Analysis
With Thy, the Sailors have added an all-action centre forward not only capable of dropping deep to connect play, but also adept at making runs in behind. Although Rankovic has a host of star-studded attackers at his disposal, he will still need to fine-tune his system to maximise their individual strengths.
