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

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 uncharted 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 club 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