Coach Ranko named a surprisingly strong lineup, considering the midweek exertions against Sanfrecce Hiroshima a few days prior to our matchup against Balestier Khalsa. Even Akram Azman, who has impressed recently, couldn’t get into the starting lineup. In the end, it was a 4-1 win without Maxime Lestienne on the pitch — a result that has virtually sealed our passage into the semi-finals. Maybe that was the plan all along: win this game, so we can afford to rotate against Geylang and BG Pathum after the international break? Let’s dive right into this, and some other post-match thoughts.
Virtually Through to the Next Stage
We have not played Geylang International, and also BG Pathum United. Now here’s the thing, Geylang is already out of contention, and may not want to field a full-strength team against us, while BG Pathum has already qualified for the next stage, and more crucially, let’s take a look at their fixture list.
Yup, they play us 1 day after a domestic league match against Uthai Thani, and three days before a huge Shopee Cup match against Buriram United. They’re gonna be sending their fringe and youth players for this one I’m sure. I also have it on good authority that the stadium caretaker and janitor are gonna be given some significant minutes as well to avoid any sort of injuries or fatigue for their key players.
Then you take into account that the differentiator should teams finish level on points is goal difference, and that makes it even more unlikely for Balestier or Tanjong Pagar to catch us. We would have to lose both against BG Pathum and Geylang, and then when it comes to the TPUFC v Balestier game, there has to be a winner, and the winner of that game has to thrash the other team.
So, to cut a long story short, we’re in a fantastic position. One point from our next two games will seal progress to the next round. Maybe this is why Coach Ranko decided to put out such a strong lineup.
Was chatting with some fans in the stands though, and there was some talk about how they would like to see our fringe players get more opportunities. On one hand, some fans see it as preparing for matches where certain players get injured – something that may be of relevance considering Maxime’s injury. On the other hand, I think they also have the future of the national team at the back of their minds. They want to see our local boys like Rasaq and Nathan get gametime, especially in a game where they feel is of less importance or difficulty.
Perhaps we will see them in the next couple of games?
Profligacy in Front of Goal
It seems strange to talk about profligacy when we won the game 4-1, but it could really have been a different story.
Hafiz Ahmad did well in goal, but if you watched the full game, you’d feel the same nerves that the Sailors supporters did in the stands. Time after time, we made hard work of finishing the game off, with some bad decisions in front of goal, along with some inexplicably bad finishing. Nathan Mao and Abdul Rasaq were the fresh legs, but even they couldn’t put away the chances.
And it almost cost us. Bart said so himself when we spoke to him post-match.
With the score at 2-1, the game hung in the balance, and having already scored once, Kodai found himself on the end of two more good chances. Fortunately for us, he was unable to make the most of them, and we stayed in the lead long enough for Bart to score his 2nd goal in the 88th minute.
That goal came from Bart surging through a vacant midfield to score from range. The nature of the goal was very alike to how we scored our first through Song Ui-Young. Balestier attack with a series of patient passes, but then loses the ball in our final third. We then break ruthlessly with pace, and score. In that sense, it brought back traumatic flashbacks of late-stage Wenger’s Arsenal, in how Arsenal would dominate possession, but then all that good work would be undone by a direct counter-attack from Man Utd/Chelsea/Man City.
Good thing that we’re not the Arsenal in this case!
And then of course, how ironic is it that having struggled to put the ball in from close range inside the box from far easier chances, that our 4th goal would come from long distance. Bart Ramselaar made all our previous misses look a little ridiculous by scoring with ease.
Bart Ramselaar Hat-Trick
Where else to end this, but on a very positive note.
Bart Ramselaar has gone through this season being compared with Diego Lopes, and that’s natural, if not entirely fair. He is a direct replacement for Diego’s foreign slot in attacking midfield, even though stylistically he is very different. In the opening half of the season, my opinion is that he struggled to live up to expectation.
However, now that he has adapted to local football, he seems to be really flourishing. He has 5 goals in the Singapore Cup alone, while in the league he has 8 goals. He also has 2 in the ACL2, taking his total to 15 goals. Double digits in goals in his first season? We’ll take that. It seems he’s living up to his nickname while he was at FC Utrecht – Boem-Boem Bartje.
Each of his goals showcased a different part of his skillset. His first was a solo goal, where he basically weaved his way into the box and then curled the ball into the far corner beyond the keeper’s reach. His second showcased his pace while gliding through midfield, before unleashing a rocket of a shot. His third goal saw his set piece prowess on display.
Especially in Maxime’s absence, it was important that Bart produced such a performance, and if we are to achieve continental glory this season, we may need Bart to be at his brilliant best.
Conclusion
An important win for us, before our attention turns to the international break. Balestier Khalsa were no slouches, and they very nearly made us drop points. Credit has to go to Peter de Roo and his charges for taking the fight to us despite a depleted squad.
It has been such a long season – we started in May 2024 and yet now we are still in three competitions. Sometimes, having to churn out article after article, interview after interview, I do get a little tired, especially when my full-time job gets a bit hectic, like it did this week.
And it shows in the stands as well. Our fans are increasingly fatigued from having to chant and sing and drum twice a week for months on end.
However, I think it is important for me, and also all the fans to realise that this is absolutely a privilege. The frequent matches have taken a toll on our energy and our wallets, but this is a historic run that our club is on. Of course, the club will hope that such runs happen every season, but there are no guarantees in football.
Let’s savour this incredible journey our club has taken us on — and hopefully cap it off with multiple pieces of silverware.
COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE!
Written by Eddy Hirono
Picture credit – Lion City Sailors
If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!
