The Lion City Sailors hosted Johor Darul Ta'zim in an international friendly at Bishan Stadium which ended in a 2-1 win for the away side
A highly anticipated pre-season friendly, Lion City Sailors and Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) did not disappoint the 2,474 strong crowd. At the end of the 90 minutes, it was the Malaysian Super League champions who dominated Bishan Stadium.
The energy from the seats transcended down to the pitch as the record 10-time Malaysian champions defeated Lion City Sailors 2-1.
It was nine minutes in when Nicolao Dumitru broke ground. Following up on a precise cross by his teammate, the Italian international's header was too strong for a diving Zharfan Rohaizad.
While The Sailors fans were boisterous at the start, they were quickly eclipsed by the The Johor Southern Tigers' ultras who had marched in in the 17th minute. Parking themselves in JDT's half of the pitch, The Sailors' attackers — Maxime Lestienne and Richairo Zivkovic — were caught in the wrath of the fans despite playing on home ground.
JDT doubled their lead in the 23rd minute in fashionable style when Romel Morales' aerobatic bicycle-kick finish stunned the home team.
Despite the boos whenever he took a corner near the travelling fans, Lestienne's unwavering determination paid off. In the 37th minute, the Belgian struck back against the run of play through a left footed strike. With The Crew in the stands now fired back up, the team went into the second half with newfound courage.
Shawal Anuar, who replaced Zivkovic in the 52nd minute, came close to an equaliser just five minutes after his entrance. With the ball slid into the box from the right flank, Johor's custodian Syihan Hazmi had left the net wide open for an onrushing Shawal. The ball however was too quick for the forward, resulting in a mistimed shot that went wide.
All confidence trickled away in the 64th minute, when Hami Syahin was shown a red card for a sliding challenge on Safiq Rahim.
Having to defend an onslauhgt of JDT attacks, Lionel Tan and Bailey Wright were crucial in maintaining the one goal deficit and keeping the team in the game. With Zharfan giving commands and maintaining composure, the goalkeeper denied Malaysian star, Corbin Ong from getting on the scoresheet in the 77th minute.
Having held on with 10 men, The Sailors took the 2-1 loss and now prepare to travel to Johor for a rematch at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium next Monday (8 April).
For more pictures, visit the gallery here.