SINGAPORE - The Lion City Sailors, formed in 2020, are playing in only their second Asian Champions League (ACL) campaign. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are Asian giants with a record nine K League 1 titles, two ACL trophies and a semi-final appearance at the last edition of the continental competition.
But on Wednesday (Nov 8), the Sailors put paid to form and history with a giant-killing act as they claimed a shock 2-0 victory over Jeonbuk in their Group F clash, with Richairo Zivkovic scoring both goals.
The Sailors, backed by a fervent crowd of 3,562 - a record for an ACL fixture played in Singapore - combined grit, tactical nous, defensive discipline and efficiency to cap a memorable night.
At the final whistle, the noise that reverberated around the Jalan Besar Stadium showed the significance of the win, which also revived the Sailors' hopes of advancing to the knockout round of the competition for the first time in their history.
The winners of each group and three best runners-up from each region advance to the round of 16.
The Sailors are now third in the table, with six points from four matches and behind second-placed Jeonbuk only on goal difference. Bangkok United are top with 10 points, after they drew 1-1 with last-placed Kitchee of Hong Kong on Wednesday.
Ahead of the clash, Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic had spelt out his game plan for revenge: Do not concede early.
The Singapore Premier League side were mindful that they conceded in the fifth minute and slumped to a 3-0 loss to Jeonbuk at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Oct 25. And his charges executed his instructions and more on Wednesday. They stayed disciplined in defence and made the most of their chances.
Rankovic credited his players for a "perfect response" and talked up the significance of the win.
In the 55th minute, Shawal and Zivkovic combined again, as they exchanged passes before the Curacaoan rifled in his third goal of the campaign from inside the box.
Jeonbuk had an opportunity to get on the scoresheet in the 90th minute, when a penalty was awarded after a video assistant referee review on a foul by Sailors defender Manuel Herrera Lopez.
But Brazilian forward Gustavo Henrique Sousa fired his spot kick high and wide.
Granted, Jeonbuk made five changes to the side who started in the 3-0 win and were playing on an artificial field at Jalan Besar, a terrain that is foreign to them.
But their squad still featured five players who were part of the gold-winning South Korean team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, besides South Korean international Moon Seon-min in attack.
This is the second time that the Sailors have pulled off a shock win against a South Korean side. In April 2022, the Sailors clinched a 3-0 win over Daegu FC in an ACL group-stage encounter.
But the latest victory will be seen as a bigger shock, given the stature of Jeonbuk in Asian football.
It would also have made South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who was among the crowd at Jalan Besar, sit up and take notice of the gritty show by the six Singapore internationals who were in the Sailors' starting line-up.
South Korea host Singapore in the first match of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers next Thursday.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
