BG Tampines lay down title marker after Round 1

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For every football fan, there are certain iconic matches that are seared into our memories. Football matches that unfold as legendary tales and end up as landmarks in the history of the Beautiful Game, each signaling either a shift in the balance of power, the birth of a new era, or the claiming of eternal bragging rights.

For instance, Manchester City’s 6-1 victory at Old Trafford in 2012 was the clearest sign of a shift in power in English football. Since that game, City have dominated the EPL, winning eight titles to United’s one. In Spain, Barcelona’s 5-0 drubbing of Real Madrid established the irrepressible arrival of Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka; while their 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich a decade later marked the death of the once-dominant playstyle.

While still early in the season, BG Tampines Rovers’ latest result has the feel of one such momentous game. Both sets of supporters couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing, as the Stags trotted into Bishan Stadium and smashed five goals past a hapless Lion City Sailors, who have looked unimpressive in recent weeks.

Genuine rivalry

Tampines and LCS is probably the fiercest rivalry within the SPL right now. From stoppage time winners, animosity in the stands and even an infamous headbutt, this fixture has provided some of the most memorable SPL moments in recent history.

But beyond that, these matchups have always been a fascinating tactical duel and this game was no different. Starting with the team selection, Aleksandar Rankovic raised some eyebrows by handing starts to Lionel Tan, Anu and Hafiz Nor, replacing Christopher van Huizen, Hami Syahin and Song Uiyoung. Dutch playmaker Bart Ramselaar missed out through injury.

It appears Rankovic had his mind on shutting down the in-form Tampinese duo of Boris Kopitovic and Seia Kunori. Hafiz Nor also played a hybrid midfield role, tucking in between Lionel at right-back and Hariss in midfield during the defensive phase, but eagerly supporting Lestienne down the wing during attack.

Source: Singapore Premier League stream between Lion City Sailors & BG Tampines Rovers (18 July 2024)

However, Hafiz playing closer to the wing meant that on the left, there were gaps in midfield when Anu jumped forward to press. Kunori cleverly dropped into the space vacated, forcing Toni Datkovic to defend proactively by following Kunori into midfield. Kunori’s clever movement eventually led to the first goal, Kopitovic finishing smartly after running into the space behind Datkovic.

Granted, Lionel should have watched his line better to catch Kopitovic offside, but Lionel is also not a natural full-back. A center-back by trade, Lionel has been used on the right this season after a long-term injury to the first choice right-back Zulqarnaen Suzliman.

Shaky full-backs continued to be a weakness for LCS. Teenage left-back Sergio Perez lost the run of Glenn Kweh deep into first-half stoppage time, allowing Glenn to make it 2-0 after a bizarre mistake by goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad. Perez was then easily beaten again by Glenn soon after the restart; the Tampines winger then laying it on a plate for Kopitovic to make it 3-0.

BG Tampines Rovers thrash Lion City Sailors 5-0 — Seia Kunori, Miloš Zlatković and Faris Ramli celebrates with Glenn Kweh (Photo: @junyiphotography for Grandstand)

Just two minutes later, on the other flank, Hafiz Nor, who replaced Lionel at right-back, was isolated against Faris Ramli and couldn’t stop Faris from curling a shot into the bottom corner for 4-0. Ironically, Tampines right-back Irjan Najeeb then completed the rout after heading home a corner from Faris.

Long road ahead

Where do these two sides go from here?

For LCS, perhaps the only consolation is that there is still a long way to go in the title race. This SPL season will feature four rounds, an extension that will see the season end in May 2025. That is plenty of time for the side’s marquee players to find their groove. Rankovic will also have been pleased to be able to call upon Rui Pires for the first time in the league, and while not the most auspicious of debuts, the Portuguese midfielder looked like a serious upgrade over the other LCS midfielders.

For Tampines, this result is a massive confidence booster, and firmly establishes the Stags as a serious title contender. If Gavin Lee’s men do end up winning the SPL, we could be looking back at this game as the game that defined the season, just like the 6-1 where Manchester City shrugged off the tag of “noisy neighbors”.