Fresh off their historic qualification for the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two final, Lion City Sailors captain Hariss Harun is turning his attention back to domestic duties – with a crucial stretch of Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches on the horizon.
The Sailors made headlines across the continent after edging out Sydney FC 2-1 on aggregate to book their spot in the ACL Two final – a landmark achievement for Singapore football. Despite falling 1-0 in the second leg at the Allianz Stadium, a gritty defensive performance ensured Aleksandar Ranković’s side held on to the two-goal lead established in the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Reflecting on the Sailors’ continental journey, Hariss said, “To be able to reach the ACL Two Final is a big morale boost for us for the rest of the campaign. We’ve really fought hard to stay united and push as one throughout this campaign. That gives us a lot of heart moving forward. But now, we have to shift our focus back to the league.”
One player who has been pivotal in the Sailors’ strong campaign is goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, who recently became the latest player to notch 50 appearances for the club.
The veteran custodian has kept 13 clean sheets in all competitions this season, including a crucial one in the first leg of the ACL Two semi-final, and produced a string of key saves in the return leg in Australia to keep Sydney at bay.
“He gives us a lot of confidence from the back with his commanding presence and his comfort on the ball,” said Hariss of his longtime teammate. “He’s done his part really well – just as we’ve come to expect of him.”
“Izwan’s my roommate when we travel, so we often talk about the game and what we can improve. While we’re generally happy with our performances, we’re always trying to see how we can help the team even more. That’s the kind of mindset we want.”
The focus now shifts sharply back to the SPL, with the Sailors set to play five league matches before turning their attention to the ACL Two final. With a five-point lead at the summit of the table, and holding a game in hand over title challengers BG Tampines Rovers, the Sailors could potentially seal the title before the two sides face off on the final matchday.
But even as the SPL season enters its final lap, Hariss is well aware that the Sailors cannot afford any missteps that could jeopardise their chances of reclaiming the league title.
“It’s the final run of games and we know what we need to do,” he stressed. “We need to refocus on the SPL title challenge because that is the priority right now. We’ve not won the league for some time, and in the past few seasons, we were in good positions but didn’t manage to see it through.
“This time, we can take lessons from those experiences and maintain our focus. We’re in a good position with a healthy lead, so we’ve got to do everything we can to keep or even extend that lead – and bring the title back home.”
The Sailors’ pivotal stretch in the SPL begins with a tricky encounter against Albirex Niigata (S) on Friday, April 25. While the defending champions are enduring a turbulent campaign – currently sitting fourth in the table and winless in their last six matches across all competitions – Hariss is not taking anything for granted.
“We have to go out there and give it our all and try to get all three points,” he asserted. “We’re not reading too much into their winless streak because they’ve always given us tough games over the past couple of seasons.
“We’ve already lost to them once this season, so we know what they’re capable of. It’s important that we focus on ourselves, put in a performance, and get the job done.”
In an interesting development, the venue for the upcoming fixture has been shifted to Our Tampines Hub (OTH) due to preparations for the upcoming Singapore General Election.
This marks the Sailors’ first SPL fixture at the 5,000-capacity stadium since August 2023, when they played out a pulsating 5-2 victory over BG Tampines – a game fondly remembered for Maxime Lestienne’s first-half hat-trick.
“We’ve had some good games against BG Tampines at OTH – we’ve scored quite a few goals there,” Hariss recalled. “Those are nice memories. We’ve been told that our next few matches will be played there, so it’s something we’re looking forward to.
“I’ve also heard the pitch has been retouched and it’ll be a new surface. So I’m really looking forward to playing on a good-quality pitch – and hopefully, we can match that by putting in some quality football as well.”
With a packed fixture list across three major competitions, the Sailors remain in contention for a historic treble – a feat that would mark an unprecedented milestone for the club.
In addition to their ongoing SPL title push and the upcoming ACL Two final, the Sailors are also set to face Brunei DPMM in a two-legged Singapore Cup semi-final next month.
But for now, Hariss is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
“Right now, even talking about it – the treble possibilities – it means a lot,” admitted the 34-year-old. “But I don’t want to get too carried away because there are still a lot of games to play.
“I think the most important thing is that as a team, we stay fit and continue our good form. We need to have a razor-sharp focus. We’ve built up good momentum, and now we need to maintain that right through to the end of the season.”
