Lion City Sailors’ head coach Aleksandar Rankovic has made it clear they will not adopt a defensive strategy for the second leg of their Asian Champions League 2 (ACL2) match.
Will this strategy win them a spot in the ACL Two quarter-finals?
The Sailors will take on Thailand’s Muangthong United in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie at Jalan Besar Stadium on 20 February, holding a narrow 3-2 lead from the first leg.
Rankovic emphasized the importance of an attacking mindset, despite the challenges posed by their opponents.
“It’ll be difficult to keep a clean sheet at this stage against quality opponents,” he said to The Straits Times.
“Of course, we want to defend well, but we also have to respect the fact that the opposition has its strengths. In the last game, I felt we were very close to doing so before the red card.”
Rankovic underlined that the team must remain composed and unified as they seek to make history.
One of the Sailors’ key players is young Portuguese full-back Diogo Costa, whose stellar performance in the first leg helped the team establish a commanding early 3-0 lead.
Costa highlighted the team’s resilience, particularly after Sailors’ midfielder Song Ui-young was sent off.
“In moments like these, it’s crucial that we stay together as a team. It was tough, but we kept encouraging and motivating each other after every tackle and block.”
“That spirit and togetherness were what got us over the line,” said Costa.
On the other side of the pitch, Muangthong United’s coach Gino Lettieri didn’t come to Singapore for a holiday – they are here to win.
He went on to criticize what he perceived as gamesmanship from the Singapore Premier League side.
“I was a bit surprised by the style from (Sailors) that with every contact, they go on the ground, stay (down) for one to two minutes,” he said.
“I think they don’t need to do this. This is a good team, they (should) play football, play honest and enjoy the game. I was a little bit angry about this,” he added.
PHOTOS: LION CITY SAILORS
