When BG Tampines Rovers stunned reigning Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors with a 4-1 rout in last August’s season-opening Community Shield, it offered an early indication that a successful title defence might have been far from straightforward.
Yet less than nine months on and 19 matches in, the Sailors marched to their third title since their 2020 inception and second in a row, wrapping it up with two games to spare after a goalless draw with fellow contenders Tampines on Sunday (May 3).
“It’s a first (for us) to go back-to-back… What we did last season was pretty special, but we’re doing something pretty special again this year to go back-to-back. We still have ambitions for this season with two games to go. We want to keep going and win every game and stay undefeated,” Sailors vice-captain Bailey Wright said as they extended their league record to 16 wins and three draws, with Albirex Niigata the last side to win the league unbeaten in 2018.
With a now unassailable eight-point lead, the Sailors entered the contest needing only a draw to seal the title – and delivered a pragmatic but compact performance to stifle the Rovers’ attack en route to the crown.
“The match wasn’t good (for us) because Tampines is a very good team. But I think winning the title is more important,” said Sailors head coach Jesus Casas, who took over the reins from predecessor Aleksandar Rankovic in February.
Picking up his first league title as a head coach, Casas added, “I am very happy, because it’s my first experience in Singapore. The staff were very important in helping the club and the players to obtain the title.”
Facing the unbeaten league leaders, the Stags had their work cut out, compounded by the absence of club top scorer Hide Higashikawa (18 league goals), who sustained a plantar injury in their previous league outing against Albirex and is expected to be sidelined for around two months.
But it was a flat start, with a first-minute offside strike by Zikos Chua, in for the injured Hide, one of the few flashes that brought the crowd to life.
A second-half triple substitution from the visitors signalled a shift towards a more practical approach, as full-back Nur Adam and defensive midfielders Tsiy Ndenge and Hami Syahin came on for the more attack-minded trio of Diogo Costa, Song Ui-young and Shawal Anuar.
Justifying his tactical changes as an attempt to regain control of midfield, Casas said: “I wasn’t happy during the second half because the pitch wasn’t the best and we were probably nervous, though we did have two or three chances in attack. Tampines deserved a better result.”
Still, the two teams who have gone at it for much of the season offered some excitement in the closing stages, with Tampines overloading the opposition box in search of a late winner to keep their title hopes alive.
However, it was the Sailors who prevailed, eking out a crucial point on their rivals’ home soil, also marking their first league match without scoring a goal since their season opener against Geylang, which ended in similar fashion.
“We played it exactly how we needed to. We didn’t have to be too free-flowing, too expansive and too open because ultimately, all we needed was a draw. Of course, we wanted to win the game and so did they… I think we just cancelled each other out for most of the game,” said Wright. “Huge respect for the Tampines and the football they’ve played and the way they’ve pushed us all season.”
Tampines interim coach William Phang, who is the fifth managerial change for the Stags this term, described the omission of Higashikawa as a “big miss” but felt the result was a fair one.
“I feel that we played well and defended well; it was just about the final third.”
With two final league matches against Hougang United (May 10) and the Sailors (May 17) to go, and AFC Champions League Two qualification at stake, Phang said: “We will treat these last two games as finals, go all out, and end the season strong.”
