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History beckons at Bishan Stadium this Sunday, as the Lion City Sailors are one match away from anchoring a spot in Singapore’s football annals as they take on Emirati giants Sharjah FC in the AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) final.
What began as a dream has become a once-in-a-generation reality, as the Sailors chase continental glory on home turf after an eight-month-long ACL2 journey, culminating in Sunday night’s final.
“It feels amazing, like something we dreamed about. To play here in our home stadium is even more special. The preparation is the same as always… the team is ready and definitely motivated to play tomorrow, I hope we can give our fans a really good match,” Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon (May 17).
The trailblazing Sailors will be backed by a roaring crowd at the retrofitted Bishan Stadium, which has expanded its capacity from 2,800 to 10,000 to meet Asian Football Confederation (AFC) requirements for the showpiece event.
They’ll need to draw every last ounce of energy from the fervent home supporters to deliver a strong performance against one of the UAE’s top teams.
“It’s going to be very different from our normal Singapore Premier League (SPL) matches, because it’s going to be 10,000 people. So, like I said, it’s a 50-50 game. I don’t see us as underdogs, I don’t see them as favourites… It’s one match, it’s a final, and we’ve got to see who wants it more, and I hope it’s going to be us,” Rankovic said.
However, pedigree lies with the seasoned continental campaigners, who featured in the continent’s top-tier tournament—now rebranded as the AFC Champions League Elite—from 2020 to 2023.
Speaking on their opposition, the Serb tactician added: “We know enough (about them). It’s an excellent team. A team that can show not only football quality, but also character. I mean, they went through a couple of games, through penalties and last-minute goals. So that says enough about them. Very experienced coach.”
“And about physicality, I mean, we did play Australians, Japanese and Korean teams. They’re all pretty physical. So that’s not something that I’m concerned about. I think we also have pretty physical players in our squad. But yeah, it’s going to be a tough match, definitely, but for both sides.”
Sailors’ skipper Hariss Harun, who was also the first Singaporean to win the AFC Cup (predecessor of the ACL2) during his tenure at Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim, also shed some light on the mood within the squad.
“The match tomorrow is a long-awaited (one), since our qualification from the semi-final. We have had to wait quite a bit, but in between, we have had many games come thick and fast. We haven’t had much time to think, so it was nice for us to get the league in the past week, and we’re going to focus on the final tomorrow.”
Hariss also noted that motivation is hardly in short supply within the team, with the squad raring to go at every step of their continental journey.
“(Getting) to this stage, we’re going to do all we can, within our control, to try to get our hands on the trophy… During one of our meetings when we faced (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, (coach Rankovic) told us, ‘Guys, we’ve got to go all the way.’ But that wasn’t the finals (yet). So I think that’s psyched us up a little bit mentally.
“So, here we are right now. We got here, you can say (it is) destiny and luck, and all these things. But also with a lot of mental fortitude, a lot of strength within the team. We are at the last stage, and we hope that we can have a good ending.”
The Sailors will also hope to ride a wave of positive momentum after they secured domestic honours just days ago, lifting the Singapore Premier League title in front of home fans on Wednesday.
“Lifting the (SPL) trophy a few days ago gave us a lot of confidence. Playing in the semifinals of the domestic cup also makes us hungry,” Rankovic said.
With a monumental effort from the club, national sports agency Sport Singapore, the Football Association of Singapore, and sport industry partners working together to set the stage for a landmark final, the Sailors are poised to deliver a night to remember for the local football fraternity.
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