There was a sense of déjà vu as the Lion City Sailors beat Tanjong Pagar United 4-1 for the second time in a week, to begin their 2025 Singapore Cup campaign on a winning note at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (16 February) evening.

Despite fielding a much-changed team from the one that defeated Muangthong United 3-2 on Thursday (13 Feb) – with the likes of Toni Datković, Diogo Costa, and Rui Pires all rested – the Sailors were able to maintain their intensity and quality, as they delivered a dominant performance to secure the three points in their Group B opener.

New signings Akram Azman and Ali Alrina were handed their first starts for the Sailors, while Anumanthan Kumar took charge of the midfield alongside Hami Syahin, with forward Lennart Thy leading the line for the defending champions.

Unfortunately for Ali, his game lasted just a couple of minutes as he was forced off with a head injury after a collision with Faizal Roslan in an aerial challenge.

The stoppage due to the Syrian’s injury seemed to take the sting out of the contest in the early stages of the game, with both teams struggling to create any meaningful chances.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 26th minute by Bart Ramselaar, who capped off a flowing counter-attacking move with a fierce shot that took a wicked deflection before finding the net — his 10th goal of the season in all competitions.

Song Uiyoung nearly doubled the Sailors’ lead in the 40th minute when he received a pass from Lionel Tan, beat his marker, and fired just over the bar with a rasping shot that had Tanjong Pagar goalkeeper Matt Silva scrambling.

Five minutes later, Lennart came even closer to adding to the Sailors’ advantage. A superb through ball from Anu found an overlapping Akram, who whipped in a cross for an unmarked Lennart, but the German forward failed to hit the target with his header.

It did not take long, however, for the Sailors to finally get their deserved second goal, which came in the second minute of first-half added time — a long throw from Akram was flicked on by Bailey Wright to an onrushing Bart, who volleyed home first-time from close range.

The Sailors continued to put pressure on the Tanjong Pagar backline in the second half as they took just four minutes to create another goalscoring opportunity, with Sergio Carmona Pérez delivering a brilliant cross which Lennart nodded just wide.

Lennart then teed up Song for a shot in the box in the 56th minute, but the Incheon native’s attempt was deflected over the bar by a covering defender.

While the Sailors’ backline had been largely untroubled for much of the game, Tanjong Pagar were handed a lifeline in the 68th minute under fortuitous circumstances. Akram misjudged an awkward bounce in the box, causing the ball to hit his arm, which led to the referee to award a penalty to the visitors.

Up stepped former Sailor Faizal, who made no mistake from the spot to halve the deficit for his side.

Akram nearly made amends almost immediately when he was presented with a golden opportunity to score from a rebound just a few yards out, but the 24-year-old somehow blasted the ball over the bar.

But there was no denying Akram in the 78th minute as he latched onto a superb lofted pass from Anu, before bundling the ball past Silva and into an empty net for his first-ever goal for the Sailors.

After the game, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković praised full-back Akram for an impressive full debut with the club.

“I think Akram played a very good match,” Ranko said. “He could have been a bit nervous, given that he was facing his former club and making his first start, but he handled it well. I’m very happy with his performance.”

Two minutes later, Song played Lennart through on goal, but the 32-year-old’s shot was cleared off the line by a recovering Timur Talipov.

The Sailors did finally get their fourth goal in the 89th minute, as substitutes Nathan Mao and Abdul Rasaq Akeem combined brilliantly, with the former delivering an inch-perfect through pass to the latter, who calmly side-footed the ball past Silva to seal the victory for Ranko’s charges.

With this win, the Sailors move to second in Group B of the Singapore Cup, just one point behind BG Pathum United, who have played a game more.

Song, who was named Man of the Match, credited the Sailors’ winning mentality for overcoming what could have been a tricky fixture.

He said, “I’m very happy with the win. It was a tough game, especially with our packed schedule, but the fans were behind us, and our coaches and teammates stuck together. We always believe we can score and win, and having that winning mentality is crucial.”

Ranko also praised his side for disrupting Tanjong Pagar’s game, saying, “We pressed them throughout the match and didn’t give them a chance to build up. I think we controlled the game well. We conceded an unlucky penalty, but overall, we played well. Even after that, we continued to dominate. It’s a good win — we got the three points, and now our focus shifts to Thursday against Muangthong.”

The Sailors will next host Muangthong in the second leg of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Round of 16 at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (20 February) night.