The Lion City Sailors Women began their Women’s Premier League (WPL) title defence on Saturday (8 March) with a victory, but it was far from straightforward as they had to come from behind to overcome a dogged Albirex Niigata (S) side for all three points.

Once again, a newly promoted Sailors Girls Academy player took centre stage, as Nor Adriana Lim — the 17th graduate to the senior side — marked her debut in style with a late winner at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

“I didn’t expect to score at all, but I’m over the moon to have helped the team. Nothing makes me happier than seeing us win,” gushed the 17-year-old, who struck with seven minutes left on the clock.

While the Sailors secured a 2-1 victory by the final whistle, it was Albirex — runners-up in the past two seasons — who dictated the tempo for much of the first half. Sailors goalkeeper Beatrice Tan was called into action as early as the sixth minute, saving a one-on-one with Kana Kitahara, before showing her composure again in the 23rd minute as she dived bravely to collect a loose ball in a crowded box.

Meanwhile, the Sailors’ latest recruit, Dhaniyah Qasimah, showed exactly why she was signed, bravely throwing herself into tackles across the pitch on her debut. Facing her former team, she knew better than anyone the relentless intensity with which Albirex suffocated their opponents.

“Albirex, especially their Japanese players, are really fast. The way they closed us down made it tough for us to find each other,” explained the central midfielder.

“I think we need to improve our transitions. We got caught up defending, so whenever I won the ball back in midfield, it was difficult to launch an attack because we were often outnumbered up front.”

The White Swans’ strong start paid off in the 29th minute, with new signing Ruriko Takashima finally breaking the deadlock. She burst past the defence, skillfully rounded Beatrice, and slotted home with a simple tap-in to put Albirex ahead.

Their advantage, however, lasted just ten minutes.

Failing to deal with Sarah Zu’risqha’s dangerous cross, Albirex could only watch in frustration as Raeka Ee rose highest to head the ball home and pull the Sailors level.

The clash between the two sides turned into a more evenly contested affair as the Sailors returned for the second half re-energised following the equaliser by their top scorer from last season’s campaign.

With Seri Nurinsyirah already introduced at half-time, Head Coach Daniel Ong made a series of substitutions throughout the half to shift the momentum. Among them was a double change — bringing on Anaya Sehgal, formerly of BG Tampines Rovers, and Adriana.

And it was the latter who would ultimately reap the rewards of Daniel’s tactical adjustments — doing so in style.

With the match still deadlocked in the 83rd minute, fellow Academy graduate Yuvika Suresh — who had come on in the 69th minute — fired a shot that took a deflection, sending the ball looping into the air as players scrambled to react. With her back to goal, Adriana instinctively flicked it into the net with the outside of her boot on the first touch.

“I don’t even know how I scored that,” Adriana admitted with a laugh. “At that moment, I just knew I wanted to win this first match — and I wanted to score. Hopefully, there’s more to come.”

Her teammate Dhaniyah, who watched the moment unfold, was just as surprised by how the winning goal went in.

“I was shocked when she scored because it all happened so fast. I saw the goalkeeper coming out and expected someone to send the ball into the box, but somehow, Adriana’s shot found its way in instead,” she recounted.

As the final whistle blew, smiles were shared all around, but the Sailors were well aware of the key areas they needed to improve before their next fixture against Balestier Khalsa on Sunday (16 March) at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

“I think we need to manage our nerves better, but against Albirex, the jitters are inevitable,” Dhaniyah admitted.

“The first 10 to 15 minutes are crucial for us in any game. Moving forward, we have to focus on keeping things tight at the back and not conceding early. I understand that some of us were fasting, and transitioning straight into a match can be tough. Hopefully, we can build on this and do even better.”