The Lion City Sailors have destiny in their hands as they host J1 League powerhouse Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the second leg of their Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Quarter-Final tie at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday (12 March) night.
An unexpected turn of events
Despite suffering a 6-1 defeat at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima a week ago, a ruling by the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee deemed that Sanfrecce had fielded an ineligible player, and so awarded the Sailors a 3-0 victory.
The verdict has turned the tie on its head, putting the pre-tournament favourites in danger of an unexpected early exit. However, the mood in the Sanfrecce camp remains defiant as they arrive in Singapore determined to overturn the deficit and keep their continental campaign alive.
“It will be a very interesting match tomorrow evening. We are here to play football, we are ready, and we are confident in our chances of going through,” said Sanfrecce head coach Michael Skibbe at the pre-match press conference.
“The conditions are not ideal because it is an artificial pitch, but on the other hand, it is a nice, compact space, and we have to stay focused on the match. We are aware of the result from the first leg, so we must produce the best football we are capable of.
“We are always motivated. Our focus is entirely on tomorrow evening, and we want to give our best on the pitch.”
With no league matches scheduled between the two legs, Sanfrecce travelled to Singapore as early as the weekend to acclimatise to the humid tropical conditions of the Lion City. Determined to stage a fightback, they remain focused on keeping their hopes alive of lifting the inaugural ACL Two trophy.
“We know what we have to do…it’s a finely-balanced game. We will play offensively — that’s our usual style — and we need to score tomorrow, so that will be our focus,” said Sanfrecce captain Sho Sasaki, who has been with the club since 2015.
An opportunity for the Sailors
While the Sailors will head into the game with an unexpected three-goal lead, Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković was quick to emphasise that this was not how he would have preferred to gain the advantage.
“We found out about the AFC decision two days after the first leg, and honestly, we were surprised,” Ranko revealed. “I’ve never encountered such a situation before. If we’re talking purely from a sporting perspective — is it fair? No. Let me be clear, I wouldn’t be happy about it.
“That said, I also want to make it clear that, as a club, we did nothing wrong. But these are the rules, and I feel sorry about the situation, because we don’t want to win like this.”
When asked if the Sailors would adopt a defensive approach, Ranko insisted that his side will stick to their usual game plan as they remain fully aware of the threat Sanfrecce pose and will not be taking anything for granted on Wednesday.
“We have an advantage that we didn’t expect to have, so that has slightly changed the way we’ll approach this game,” Ranko explained. “Yes, defence is going to be very important tomorrow — we’re playing one of the best teams in Asia and definitely the strongest opponent we’ve faced since I joined the club. In the first game, we conceded some goals too easily, and they could have been prevented.
“But we’re not going to sit back and defend for 90 minutes. We need to offer something against a team of this calibre. We have a plan, and I hope it works. We’re going to give our all to reach the semi-finals.”
Sailors captain Hariss Harun added, “It’s important that we maintain the same mentality and mindset in all our ACL Two games. We have a three-goal advantage, but we must acknowledge the quality of our opponents. The situation is in our favour now, but we’re not reading too much into that — there’s still a game to play, and our focus is on ourselves and how we can get the job done tomorrow.”
The Sailors fought valiantly in Hiroshima, with Shawal Anuar grabbing a crucial goal before the floodgates opened. While it proved to be merely a consolation on the night, it has given the team a confidence boost heading into the second leg.
A raucous home crowd expected
Tickets for the game have been flying off the shelves since going on sale a week ago, with nearly 70 percent sold at the time of writing – a strong indication that Singapore’s football fraternity is rallying behind the Sailors as they chase a historic semi-final spot in a major Asian club competition.
The Sailors have delivered several commendable performances on the continental stage at Jalan Besar this season, securing victories over China’s Zhejiang Professional, as well as Thai sides Port FC and Muangthong United.
And Hariss is confident that the team can create another special night at the venue for the fans to remember.
“We hope the fans can continue showing the same incredible support they have in our previous ACL Two games because they’ve really pushed us through,” said Hariss. “Especially at Jalan Besar Stadium, where they are closer to the pitch, the atmosphere plays a huge role. If we get more of the same, it’ll be a big boost for the team — then it’s up to us to get the job done on the pitch.”
Should the Sailors progress, they will face a two-legged semi-final tie in April against either Australia’s Sydney FC or South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
