A massive 90 minutes awaits the Lion City Sailors on Thursday (20 February) night as they host Thai League 1 side Muangthong United in the second leg of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Round of 16 at Jalan Besar Stadium.
Muangthong’s bullish of a comeback
Muangthong will take confidence from the way they salvaged the tie after a disastrous opening 30 minutes in the first leg at Thunder Dome Stadium on 13 February, where they found themselves three goals down.
A second-half header from Melvyn Lorenzen and a dramatic last-gasp strike from vice-captain Tristan Do — 10 minutes into injury time — gave them a lifeline, and cut the deficit to just one goal. Now, they head into the second leg bullish about their chances of completing a comeback.
“We didn’t come here for a holiday or to visit Singapore. We’re here to win and reach the next round,” said Muangthong head coach Gino Lettieri at the pre-match press conference. “Yes, they have quality in their team, but on the field, it’s 11 against 11. Then we’ll see after the game which team moves on.”
“I don’t think the issue in the first leg was stopping them. If you watch the game again, you’ll see that all three goals came from our own mistakes. What matters most tomorrow is that we need to score goals to win this game, and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
This will be Muangthong’s third time facing a Singaporean side in AFC competitions at Jalan Besar, and they will be hoping that the third time’s the charm.
In 2010, they fell 4-3 on penalties to the now-defunct Warriors FC after a goalless 120 minutes in a second-round ACL qualifier. The following year, they played out a 1-1 draw with Tampines Rovers in an AFC Cup group-stage match — the former second-tier club competition in Asia — which featured current Muangthong assistant coach Dagno Siaka.
The Twin Qilins have spent the past week training on astro pitches in Nonthaburi to acclimatise to Jalan Besar’s synthetic surface, in a bid to ensure they are well-prepared to take on the challenge.
However, winger Kasidech Wattayawong insists that the pitch will not be the deciding factor in their quest for victory.
“Yes, playing on an artificial pitch is challenging, but this is football — we’ve played on this type of surface before, so we know what to expect,” said the 31-year-old, who came on as a late substitute in the first leg. “What matters most is staying focused from the first minute to the last. That will make the difference, not the pitch.”
Muangthong’s key threats
Lorenzen remains Muangthong’s main attacking threat, and he is expected to be supported by former AC Milan forward Emil Roback — who should have recovered from the minor injury that kept him on the bench in the first leg — as well as Thai attacker Korawich Tasa, who came close on multiple occasions at the Thunder Dome.
Korawich also has fond memories of Jalan Besar Stadium – the venue where he netted a memorable hat-trick a decade ago to lead Thailand to a commanding 5-0 win over Singapore in the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers.
Muangthong also had the advantage of a weekend off to prepare for this clash, while the Sailors were in Singapore Cup action against Tanjong Pagar United.
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Lettieri’s side do have a massive Thai League 1 showdown against reigning champions and current league leaders Buriram United in just three days (23 February), but their focus remains firmly on this match.
“I don’t think we’re under much pressure — we want to enjoy this game,” said Lettieri. “We’re happy to be competing in ACL Two, and we’re not afraid of playing the Sailors or any team. We’ll stick to our style, play our football, and showcase our quality on the pitch.
“I know we need to be at our absolute best to win, because 90% won’t be enough. But if we give everything, we have a great chance. We have a strong team. Individually, we may not match the Sailors in certain areas, but collectively, we are tough to play against. This season, we’ve faced difficult opponents like Jeonbuk (Hyundai Motors), and the team has performed well. I hope we can do the same again.”
Sailors ready to put on a show
As for the Sailors, they are brimming with confidence and ready to put on another strong display in front of their home fans.
They have been impressive in continental matches at Jalan Besar this season, recording three wins, one draw, and just one loss across their ACL Two and ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup campaigns. Notably, they have kept three clean sheets in those five matches.
Despite their strong defensive record, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković insists his team will take an attacking approach against Muangthong.
“We’re approaching this game like any other in this campaign — playing on the front foot,” said Ranko. “Statistically, we’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the ACL Two this season, and we’re going for the win. Sitting back and protecting a 1-0 lead is not our style.
“It’ll be difficult to keep a clean sheet at this stage against quality opponents. Of course, we want to defend well, but we also have to respect the fact that the opposition has its strengths. In the last game, I felt we were very close to doing so before the red card.
“But we’re not just going to sit back and wait for the defense to do their job — we have to play football. We have to attack, and we have to score.”
While Song Uiyoung misses out due to last week’s red card, the Sailors will be boosted by the return of the versatile Hami Syahin, who sat out the first leg due to suspension.
With their sights set on a historic ACL Two quarter-final berth, the Sailors are determined to keep their remarkable campaign alive.
Should they progress, they will face Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima — who defeated Vietnam’s Nam Định 7-0 over two legs — in the next stage.
“We’ve already built a habit of making history at the Sailors, and we don’t want that to stop,” said vice-captain Bailey Wright, who has netted six goals in all competitions this season.
“What lies ahead is another opportunity to do just that. We’re all hungry to succeed, and like the coach said, there’s no specific target — it’s about going where no one else has gone before and seeing where it takes us.
“We’ve enjoyed the journey so far, and we want to keep enjoying it. Tomorrow is another great opportunity for us.”
