Lion City Sailors held to dramatic 3-3 draw by Albirex Niigata

SINGAPORE – Newly appointed Lion City Sailors head coach Jesus Casas was given a dramatic introduction to Singapore football on Feb 28, when he endured a roller-coaster first match as his side were held to a 3-3 draw by Albirex Niigata at the Jurong East Stadium.

The six-goal thriller had everything – heart-stopping moments, a late twist and an unlikely hero in Sailors goalkeeper Ivan Susak, whose 98th-minute equaliser salvaged a draw and preserved his team’s unbeaten run in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) .

While the Sailors remain undefeated, the match showed that there is still work to be done as Casas looks to stamp his authority on the team.

“We have to improve in some aspects. We were together only for three days but we need to fix mistakes for the future,” said the Spaniard, who assumed his new role on Feb 23.

Their previous encounter in October 2025, which the Sailors won 3-0, had been a one-sided affair, but this meeting delivered a vastly different contest.

It was the White Swans who struck first, needing just 39 seconds to get on the scoreboard when Korean forward Yang Hyeon-ju picked up the ball on the left flank and weaved past Akram Azman and Kyoga Nakamura, before firing into the back of the net.

Albirex quickly doubled their advantage in the 13th minute. Susak initially did well to block an effort by Albirex defender Nozomi Ozawa, but forward Abdul Rasaq Akeem reacted quickest to the rebound, getting a touch that deflected off the visitors’ skipper Hariss Harun and into his own net.

The Sailors pulled one back in the 39th minute, after being awarded a penalty when Zulqarnaen Suzliman brought down Tsiy-William Ndenge in the box. Anderson Lopes then stepped up and coolly tucked his effort into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1.

After the break, the Sailors found their equaliser in the 54th minute through Ndenge who fired home from close range.

But the drama continued to unfold on the pitch as just 12 minutes later, Albirex reclaimed the lead as centre back Komei Iida rose to head home from a corner.

With the home side seemingly on course to hand the Sailors their first defeat in the league this season, the match took another turn in stoppage time.

Albirex custodian Hassan Sunny produced a flying save five minutes into added time to deny the Sailors an equaliser. But his Sailors counterpart Susak was the hero for his side, as the goalkeeper ventured forward for a late corner to execute a perfectly timed left-footed volley eight minutes into added time to rescue a dramatic draw for the Sailors.

Casas said: “Starting off the match 1-0 down, it’s not easy... At half-time we talked to the players and said that this is an important match, that we need to challenge teams more than we did today.”

While the Sailors have 10 wins and two draws from 12 league matches and remain top of the table on 32 points, this is the first time this season that they have conceded more than a goal in a single match.

Acknowledging that there are expectations on the team to win every game, Susak admitted that there are areas to improve.

Speaking to supporters’ website SailorFanTalk, the Croat said: “It was not our best game but in the end I’m happy with the goal to help the team but we have to be better. 

“The situation feels new, there’s new energy (with the new coach). We need some time to work with him and understand what he wants from us.”

Albirex head coach Keiji Shigetomi admitted that it was frustrating not to get the result after a strong performance against the Sailors, noting that his charges showed “real courage and discipline” throughout the match.

He said: “To compete at this level and perform like this proves our growth, but at the same time, we know we must be more clinical and manage key moments better.

“We will learn from this and come back stronger.”

Analysis

While the Sailors would have hoped to mark the start of the Casas era with a win, the draw shows that work remains to be done under the new coach. Albirex Niigata were impressive, putting the Sailors under constant pressure and their spirited display will offer encouragement to the rest of the league that the SPL champions are not invincible.