No over-exuberant celebrations as Lion City Sailors secure Singapore Premier League title

SINGAPORE – Boisterous cheers filled the air at the Jurong East Stadium on May 10, as the Lion City Sailors celebrated their capture of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title with two games to spare, after a 1-0 win over Tanjong Pagar United.

Victory, which came courtesy of Maxime Lestienne’s 21st-minute penalty, helped them attain an unassailable tally of 71 points – eight more than second-placed BG Tampines Rovers.

With arms wrapped around one another, the Sailors doused themselves in water and joined their fans in belting out “Campeones, campeones”. Yet, with a treble in sight, they made sure the celebrations did not get over-exuberant.

A historic Asian Champions League Two final against Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates awaits them at Bishan Stadium on May 18, followed by a two-legged Singapore Cup semi-final against Brunei DPMM.

Defensive stalwart Toni Datkovic, a colossal figure in the SPL’s best defence, said: “We didn’t lose ourselves (during the celebrations) because we know we cannot lose an inch of our concentration now… We need to fight for two more trophies and make history because we can get all of it.”

Victory had seemed like a foregone conclusion against the SPL’s bottom club. However, they were made to work hard for the win.

When the final whistle blew, Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic described it as a “big, big weight off all of our shoulders”.

“It was a tough game, especially when you are playing for the title, you can get nervous… But we have such a strong squad in terms of characters that we can bounce back and seal the win,” said the 46-year-old Serb.

Looking back on the 2024-25 season one year to the day of their SPL opener against Hougang United, Rankovic said it was the “hardest season of my life”, likening the campaign to the arduous seafaring journeys by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. He credited the hunger of his players for seeing them across the line.

Croatian defender Datkovic, 31, added: “We are always together. We die for each other on the pitch and you can see it. So I think that we deserve (to be called) the best defence in the championship.”

Despite the gulf in quality between both sides, the Jaguars refused to roll over, soaking up early pressure from the visitors. 

But the Sailors’ breakthrough came in the 17th minute when a clumsy challenge by on-loan defender Marcus Mosses on winger Lestienne gifted his parent club a penalty, awarded only after a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) check and on-field review.

The Belgian made no mistake from the spot, calmly stroking the ball down the middle past Canadian shot-stopper Matthew Silva for his 14th SPL goal of the season.

The Jaguars started the second half brightly, with midfielder Fathullah Rahmat lobbing the ball to an unmarked Syahadat Masnawi but the forward could not direct his header on target. They followed up with an effort from midfielder Tomoki Wada, whose effort whistled just over the crossbar.

At the other end, the Sailors continued their search of a second goal, but were wasteful in the final third. With 10 minutes remaining, Silva pulled off a double save, denying back-to-back efforts from Lestienne and defender Diogo Costa.

Tanjong Pagar substitute Zenivio Morientes Mota kept the visitors on edge late into the game when he drove a dangerous ball across the face of the goal.

Roared on by their vociferous fans, the Sailors held on during seven minutes of stoppage time to claim their second SPL crown following their maiden triumph in 2021. They are expected to be presented with the SPL trophy at their next home game against Balestier Khalsa at the Jalan Besar Stadium on May 14.

Despite the loss, Tanjong Pagar coach Noh Alam Shah was heartened by his team’s spirited resistance.

“For the league to improve, the top team and the bottom team must show this closeness in every match. With this competitiveness, then Singapore football and the league will be elevated,” he said.

The former national striker reserved praise for Silva, their marquee mid-season signing, who played on despite dislocating a finger in the first half.

Over at the Jalan Besar Stadium, goals from Itsuki Enomoto and Kyoga Nakamura gave Tampines a 2-0 victory over the Young Lions.

Analysis

Despite having the lion’s share of possession, the Sailors struggled to make it count, as Tanjong Pagar were content to sit deep and soak up the pressure. The Jaguars, who had shipped 13 goals in their previous three league meetings with the Sailors, put up a much tougher resistance, but it has come too late as the result also confirmed that they will finish bottom of the nine-team table.