Lion City Sailors win third Singapore Cup in final marred by BG Tampines Rovers gaffe

SINGAPORE – What was initially a thrilling Singapore Cup final between the Lions City Sailors and BG Tampines Rovers will now be remembered for what went wrong, after an administrative error turned the contest into a moot one.

On Jan 10, the Sailors made it a hat-trick of Singapore Cup titles when they beat Tampines 2-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, thanks to two extra-time goals from substitutes Hami Syahin and Anderson Lopes.

And perhaps unfairly to the players who fought tooth and nail in the entertaining affair, the final was overshadowed by Tampines’ gaffe, which is expected to see them eventually forfeit the match with a 3-0 scoreline.

According to the Singapore Cup regulations, “all clubs shall ensure that a minimum of four Singaporean players are on the pitch at all times, except in the case of a Singapore player who is sent off by the referee for either an indirect or direct red card”.

While the Stags had started with five locals in the match, they fell foul of the rule in the second half.

They still met the minimum quota after they replaced Raoul Suhaimi with Australian Dylan Fox in the 61st minute, but got into trouble 20 minutes later when they yanked Glenn Kweh and Joel Chew for Faris Ramli and former Japan midfielder Yuki Kobayashi respectively.

This left them with just three local players: Goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari, defender Irfan Najeeb and Faris.

Two minutes later, Tampines took off Japanese midfielder Koya Kazama for Singaporean Ong Yu En, but the damage was done. The Cup rules state that the penalty for fielding an ineligible player is for the match to be “awarded to the opposing non-infringing team”.

Post-match, Tampines coach Noh Rahman said: “The original plan was to sub out Koya, but at the last minute, Joel was saying he had a problem, so in the split second, we didn’t really think about it and it was an honest mistake. I take responsibility for that.

“(After 90 minutes), you could see the (mental) state of the players, they were a little bit not sure and it changed the momentum of the game.

“We have got a lot of football to be played in the AFC Champions League Two, the Shopee Cup and the league, so we should stay as a team and fight together.”

The day had kicked off promisingly, as the 3,767 fans were treated not just to the pre-match carnival but also an outstanding first 45 minutes of football befitting of the top two club sides here, as the action flowed freely from end-to-end at a high tempo and intensity.

Australia’s A-League referees Adam Kersey, Owen Goldrick, and Arvin Shanmuganathan were engaged to officiate the match, which the trio did largely with distinction and without controversy.

Although the loss of mercurial winger Maxime Lestienne – whose 70 goals and 97 assists in 131 games helped the Sailors win one Singapore Premier League and two Singapore Cup titles – cannot be underestimated, the two-time defending champions took less than two minutes to fashion their first shot on goal.

Playing on the left, Bart Ramselaar curled in a right-footed cross for Shawal Anuar to head straight at Tampines skipper and goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari.

Three minutes later, they went even closer when Song Ui-young latched on to a loose ball from a corner and crashed a left footer onto the bar.

After weathering the early storm, the Stags almost took the lead in the 17th minute through Takeshi Yoshimoto’s audacious attempt from inside his own half, only to see his curler come off the outside of the post with Ivan Susak all at sea.

Former Tampines playmaker Kyoga Nakamura, who spent five seasons at the eastern club before defecting to the Sailors following half a season at Bangkok United, was jeered by Stags supporters club The Yellow Knights.

The 29-year-old Japanese-born Singapore international showed his technical ability from the right flank with a left-footed cross for Shawal to head back for Lennart Thy, but Syazwan was quick off his line to thwart the 25th-minute attack.

The second half was a more tepid affair, though both teams defended resolutely and Tampines threatened through set pieces and crosses.

Despite the Stags’ administrative error, play continued and Hami swept home Diogo Costa’s cut back in the 115th minute, before Lopes added the icing on the cake when he converted Susak’s long punt with the last kick of the game.

Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic said: “When I heard that the game could be stopped, I told Noh Rahman I didn’t want to win like that. So, I’m happy we won fair and square.

“I’m really emotionally attached to this trophy. This is the first one I won in my career, and it brought some sparkle and momentum for the club in the last 2½ years. To win it three times in a row, not in my wildest dreams.”

Sailors defender and Man of the Match Bailey Wright added: “We remember they beat us (4-1) in the Community Shield, and we proved that was a one-off and proved the team that we are by getting our hands on this trophy again.

“For many reasons, this is important for us as a team to grow belief, confidence, togetherness and everything that comes with winning a trophy. It just sparks a hunger for even more.”