The Lion City Sailors have made history as the first Singaporean team to reach the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two quarter-finals, after a commanding 4-0 victory over Muangthong United in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday (20 February) sealed a handsome 7-2 aggregate win.
With this victory, the Sailors now hold the proud distinction of being the only Southeast Asian team left in the competition.
Holding a 3-2 lead from the first leg, the Sailors knew they only needed a draw to advance. However, rather than sitting back to defend their slender advantage, the hosts took the initiative — and it paid off handsomely.
All three scorers from the first leg — Maxime Lestienne, Bart Ramselaar, and Shawal Anuar — were on target again, with the latter netting a brace, as the Sailors delivered a scintillating performance that blew the Thai side out of the water.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković hailed his side as worthy winners of the tie.
“Looking at both matches we played against them, I think it was obvious that we deserved to go through,” a jubilant Ranko said. “In the first match, we played very well aside from the red card, and today, there was no doubt about who should advance.”
Despite the absence of Song Uiyoung due to suspension, the Sailors asserted their dominance from the first whistle, and needed just 15 seconds to earn a penalty. Shawal broke past the Muangthong defence before being clumsily brought down in the box by goalkeeper Kittipong Phuthawchueak, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
Maxime stepped up and coolly sent the keeper the wrong way to give the Sailors a 1-0 lead in the third minute.
From there, the Sailors took control of the match, limiting the visitors to few clear-cut chances. And just as they had started the half with a bang, they ended it in similar fashion.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Maxime once again proved why he is such a key asset to the club, as he delivered a perfectly weighted ball over the top for Shawal. The Singapore international accelerated past his marker, before unselfishly squaring it to Bart, who applied the finishing touch at the back post.
With the tie seemingly out of reach after the first 45 minutes, Muangthong responded by introducing Poramet Arjvirai — who has four goals in the ACL Two this season — as a half-time substitute.
Meanwhile, Shawal’s off-the-ball movement continued to trouble the Muangthong backline in the second half, and in the 63rd minute, they were punished once again, as the in-form 33-year-old produced a stunning lob to make it 3-0 on the night.
Lennart Thy, Akram Azman, and Anumanthan Kumar were introduced in the final quarter of the match as Ranko reshuffled his side, who were on the verge of making history.
Muangthong substitute Teeraphol Yoryoei had his team’s best chance of the half in the 83rd minute, but his effort from a tight angle was comfortably gathered by a grateful Izwan Mahbud.
Just five minutes later, the Sailors emphatically sealed the win. Lennart’s shot was parried into the path of Shawal, who pounced to score his seventh ACL Two goal of the season — moving just one behind Iranian duo Sardar Azmoun and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh at the top of the scoring charts.
Highlighting the Sailors’ attacking prowess in the competition, Ranko said, “When you see us score seven goals across two games, along with the way we played and finished today, it’s pretty amazing. I think only one team has scored more than our 22 goals in this campaign (UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli Club with 23), so a lot of credit goes to the players.”
The fourth goal capped off a joyous night for the majority of the 2,749 fans in attendance, as the emphatic victory underscored the Sailors’ continental ambitions this season.
Ranko was quick to credit the wider team after yet another milestone that will go down in the club’s history.
“I’m the head coach, but don’t forget I have a lot of support staff behind me. I have people who support us, like Badri (Ghent), Bruce (Liang), and Luka (Lalić), as well as our chairman, Forrest Li. Even our media officer, Ken (Kenneth Tan), has played a role. There are so many people involved in this achievement, which makes me even prouder to be a part of it.”
Next up for the Sailors in the ACL Two is a stern test against three-time J1 League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the quarter-finals, which will be played over two legs on March 5 and 12. The Japanese side also made a statement in the round of 16, as they put seven goals past Vietnam’s Nam Định FC.
Sanfrecce have also started their domestic season in good form, as they beat AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 qualifiers Vissel Kobe 2-0 in the Japanese Super Cup, before kicking off their 2025 J1 League campaign with a victory over Machida Zelvia on Sunday.
“We’ve already shown that we can compete with anyone, so we’ll go there with our heads held high, give our best performance, and see what happens,” Ranko concluded.
For now, though, the Sailors will shift their focus back to Singapore Premier League (SPL) action, with a clash against Balestier Khalsa at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (23 February).
