Substitute defender Lionel Tan wins top-of-the-table clash for Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – A calm finish by unlikely hero, Lionel Tan, lit up an otherwise drab encounter as the Lion City Sailors beat title rivals BG Tampines Rovers 1-0 in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the Bishan Stadium on Feb 26.

With both teams not at their best, the substitute defender provided the moment of magic as he controlled the ball in the box with his left foot, before clinically sweeping it past goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari with his right in the 82nd minute to settle the top-of-the-table contest.

The 27-year-old admitted he did not expect to come off the bench in the 41st minute, much less score the goal that would help his team widen their advantage at the top of the standings to nine points.

Tan had previously made the headlines in 2023 when he scored three goals for the national team, but endured a barren 2024. His lack of sharpness showed in first-half added time when he missed an open header from a corner.

He said: “We have top centre-backs, so it’s not easy to break into the team. Toni Datkovic got injured, and all of a sudden, I was told to warm up. There wasn’t much time to get more instructions, except who to mark for the corner when I came on.

“Lately, I haven’t had the confidence in front of goal. I had some chances and I haven’t been clinical enough. My priority is defending and I’m really happy we got a clean sheet as a team today, but I hope I can also contribute more at the other end.”

After the final whistle, teammate Christopher van Huizen jumped on Tan, while the other Sailors quickly mobbed the centre-back to congratulate him. But it was not so long ago that he had to endure online criticism for what his detractors deemed to be subpar performances.

Admitting the comments affected his family and friends more, he said: “This is football and maybe players in other countries get it a lot worse. I don’t look at them any more and I told my friends to stop sending them to me.

“Maybe a couple of years ago, it would bother me as I was immature then, but maybe I got to thank my critics for making me more mature and mentally stronger. Now, I just listen to my family, coaches and teammates, people who know and see the hard work I put in at home, in the gym and on the pitch.”

Tan also wants a similar focus from his team as they march towards their second SPL title since winning their first in 2021. Extending their unbeaten league run to 11 games, the Sailors now have 57 points from 23 games, while Tampines have 48 points from one more match.

They are also in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Two and are favourites in the Singapore Cup.

He said: “Complacency is one thing that we must be very cautious about, especially when people feel we have already won the title. These are just noises from outside. We know we have a job to do and we cannot stop until we get our hands on the trophy.”

Meanwhile, Tampines were left to rue their inability to put away the chances that came their way.

After a slow start, the match burst into life towards the end of the first half, with both teams requiring goal-line clearances to keep the score goal-less at half-time.

Tampines winger Glenn Kweh got the better of Hami Syahin on the left in the 36th minute, and his cut-back found Joel Chew, whose effort was blocked by Datkovic.

A minute later, Stags playmaker Kyoga Nakamura’s curling cross was met by Itsuki Enomoto, whose header was well-stopped by Izwan Mahbud, who also denied Arya Igami an equaliser in the second half.

Said Tampines coach Gavin Lee: “We knew their Champions League quality, so we knew we had to defend a bit more. In attack, we could have stayed on the ball more, but in the second half, we gave the ball back to them quite unnecessarily and we had to defend a bit more, which is quite unlike how Tampines play.

“Stranger things have happened in title races. Our job is to keep going because nothing is over until it is actually over, and knowing our boys, they will keep going.”

In the other SPL match, Brunei DPMM ended their five-match losing run by beating Hougang United 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, thanks to a Davis Ikaunieks brace, before Farhan Zulkifli scored a late consolation from the spot.

The seventh-placed Bruneian side have 24 points from 24 games and narrowed the gap on the sixth-placed Cheetahs, who have two points more.

Analysis

This was a match Tampines needed to win to realistically keep the title race alive, so it was odd to see both teams rely on counter-attacks in a cagey affair.

The strategy could have paid off had the visitors put away one of at least three clear chances, but they seem to be missing striker Boris Kopitovic, who left for Bali United in January, as they failed to score in the league for the first time this season.

Instead of the championship, they now have to be wary of their second spot, as Geylang International could close the gap to four points with a win over Tanjong Pagar United on Feb 27.