Lion City Sailors eliminate Sanfrecce Hiroshima to seal Asian Champions League Two semi-final berth

The Lion City Sailors players celebrating the opening goal by Lennart Thy (far left) in the second-leg quarter-final of the Asian Champions League 2 on March 12. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

SINGAPORE – As the Lion City Sailors’ trailblazing run in the Asian Champions League (ACL) Two continues into the semi-finals, their coach Aleksandar Rankovic hopes that their voyage through unchartered waters can inspire fellow Singapore sides.

On March 12, the Sailors held 10-man Sanfrecce Hiroshima to a 1-1 draw in their quarter-final, second leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium and progressed to the last four with a 4-1 aggregate victory.

This is only the third time a team from Singapore have reached the semi-finals of a continental competition. Home United, the previous iteration of the Sailors, were also semi-finalists of the inaugural AFC Cup in 2004, along with Geylang United (now Geylang International).

Rankovic said at the post-match conference: “We don’t just represent the club, we represent the country. I don’t want to be arrogant, but I think with this (result) we put Singapore football on the (map).”

The Serb added: “People back home, where I come from, watch these games, and they know about us and ask about us. So it’s very important to have this kind of stage to show yourself.

“I really hope in the future, not only us, but a lot of other teams will also be able to compete on this level and make Singapore proud. I am truly honoured and happy to be part of this team.”

Rankovic also admitted that he had “mixed feelings” due to their unexpected 3-0 advantage going into the second leg.

The Sailors, the only South-east Asian outfit left in Asia’s second-tier club competition, had been thrashed 6-1 by their Japanese opponents in the first leg in Hiroshima on March 5.

But the result was annulled after Sanfrecce were punished by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) disciplinary and ethics committee for fielding an ineligible player in that match.

French forward Valere Germain, who was supposed to be serving a three-match ban, scored Sanfrecce’s fifth goal five minutes after coming on as a 69th-minute substitute in the first leg. The 6-1 result was then overturned, with the AFC awarding the Sailors a 3-0 victory instead.

Hence, a crowd of 4,193 at Jalan Besar – which included the Sailors’ fervent supporters and a notable contingent of purple-clad visiting fans – had expected to see a defensive display from the home side in the second leg.

Coming into the tie knowing that they would be under the cosh, the Sailors suffered a major blow in the 15th minute when their talisman Maxime Lestienne was stretchered off and replaced by Shawal Anuar due to an elbow injury.

But the hosts refused to let the setback dampen their spirits. In the 20th minute, Lennart Thy nearly brought the house down as he scored a stunning opener for the Sailors to make it 1-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.

The German forward nodded the ball down to Shawal, who sent the ball back into Thy’s path with a sepak takraw flick. Matching the deftness of the pass with a sublime first touch, Thy scored with a calm finish.

With a mountain to climb, Sanfrecce upped the ante and in the 35th minute, they got their first goal through a Yotaro Nakajima free kick.

But any hopes of a comeback dwindled in the 51st minute when Ryo Germain was red-carded for lashing out at Sailors defender Bailey Wright.

Sanfrecce coach Michael Skibbe, who guided his team to the second spot in the 2024 J1 League, was gracious in defeat as he congratulated the Sailors for reaching the semi-finals.

The German also expressed his frustrations at the situation, saying: “Because of the management fault of our club, the team (Sailors) is going into the next match.”

The Sailors, who will receive US$240,000 (S$320,000) for reaching the last four, will next face Australia’s Sydney FC or South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Sydney, who lead 2-0 after the first leg, host the second leg on March 13.

The Sailors will play the two-legged semi-finals on April 9 (home) and 16 (away).

Al-Taawoun of Saudi Arabia have booked a spot in the other semi-final after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Iran’s Tractor SC after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate. Emirati clubs Shabab Al-Ahli and Sharjah FC will battle it out for a place in the last four on March 13 (Singapore time) after the first leg ended 1-1.

The final takes place on May 17.

Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news.

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