Lennart Thy does his talking on the pitch as Sailors go six points clear at the top
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Lennart Thy is congratulated by Maxime Lestienne after scoring the first of two goals against Hougang United, with Bart Ramselaar also joining in the celebrations.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
SINGAPORE – When Lennart Thy arrived from the Dutch top flight to sign for the Lion City Sailors earlier in 2024, there were high expectations of the German forward and the seasoned campaigner could not quite meet them.
In a challenging start to life in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), the 32-year-old managed to score just once in his first six matches.
Fans expressed frustration with him and unfair comparisons emerged with former Sailors striker Richairo Zivkovic, who scored 15 goals in 19 appearances for the club in 2023.
But Thy has responded to his critics by doing his talking on the pitch.
On Oct 19, the 1.84m hitman scored a brace to help the Sailors secure a 3-1 win over Hougang United at the Bishan Stadium.
Not only did he take his tally to 11 goals in 14 SPL matches, but he also helped the Sailors go six points clear in the title race after closest challengers BG Tampines Rovers lost 3-2 to Albirex Niigata at the Jalan Besar Stadium on the same evening.
Thy, who joined from Dutch Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle in May, said after the match: “I think every league has its own style and this was different for me compared to the Dutch league. I had to adapt. In the Netherlands… it was different.
“But I am enjoying it (now), my family and I have settled and this is the right place we want to be. And there is definitely more to come (from me).”
He now wants to get his name on the scoresheets of regional competitions too. He has yet to score in three matches in both the Asean Club Championship and Asian Champions League 2.
Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic was pleased with his forward’s contributions, pointing out that critics had forgotten that Thy arrived in Singapore with no rest, straight from the conclusion of the European season.
Rankovic added: “The way that he performs now, we are very happy. But I think there are some things that still have to be improved with him, especially holding the ball a little bit longer.”
On the gap that has opened at the top, Rankovic said: “The table can change (any time) but we have this little six-point cushion, and that’s something that we hope to extend.”
Hougang took the lead in the sixth minute when lax defending from the Sailors backline allowed Dejan Racic to score from close range. But the hosts soon wrested back the lead.
In the 17th minute, Maxime Lestienne’s cross was turned in at the far post by Song Ui-young and two minutes later, Thy tapped in a cross from Hafiz Nor before notching his second and the Sailors’ third in the 68th minute by finishing off another Lestienne cross.
This was Hougang’s third defeat by the Sailors in as many matches this term, leaving the Cheetahs second from bottom in the SPL table.
Hougang coach Marko Kraljevic said: “We were up 1-0 and then we gave them too much space. We lost confidence and conceded two quick goals. We need to start picking up points in our next games.”
Analysis
While previous iterations of the Sailors team were able to entertain, the priority for this side under Rankovic is efficiency. Their latest performance was another example that they are not here to thrill but to win games. Who can blame their approach when they are six points clear at the top?
