Lion City Sailors seek ‘cherry on top’ in Singapore Cup final against resurgent BG Tampines Rovers

Having won the Singapore Premier League, the Lion City Sailors are aiming to retain the Singapore Cup. PHOTO: AFP

Jeremiah Ong

UPDATED May 31, 2025, 12:20 AM

Thanks for sharing!

SINGAPORE – A staggering 392 days after last May’s Community Shield curtain-raiser, two teams who have proven to be the best in this long domestic campaign will get another shot at glory when they meet in the Singapore Cup final at Jalan Besar Stadium on May 31.

Retaining the cup will be a “cherry on top” of a landmark season for Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors, while BG Tampines Rovers will be seeking to lift their first major piece of silverware since they last won the knockout tournament in 2019, during Gavin Lee’s debut season as coach.

Lee will be hoping that his men can reprise their high-octane display from the semi-final, second leg on May 27, when they prevailed 3-2 in extra time over a BG Pathum United side featuring the likes of Thai veteran Chanathip Songkrasin and Singapore internationals Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi, to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory.

Describing that showing – in which they registered 16 goal attempts to the Thai outfit’s eight – as being “close to our best”, Lee believes that ending their silverware drought will come down to “maintaining our principles and finding the best solution”.

“It’s really about us and our ambition,” added the 34-year-old. “The final will be against the most consistent team in the league, so we relish the challenge and are looking forward.”

Japanese playmaker Seia Kunori, who pulled the strings in the Stags’ attack and chipped in with two goals in the second-leg win, said they will not be complacent.

The SPL Young Player of the Year nominee, 24, added: “We’ll just keep playing our football, the way we always do. We’ll enjoy playing football together as a team.”

In their four SPL encounters this season, the Sailors and Tampines drew twice and notched a win apiece.

BG Tampines Rovers’ Seia Kunori says they won't be complacent in the final. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

The Sailors had also booked their spot in the showpiece finale by defeating foreign opposition, having overcome Malaysia Super League-bound Brunei DPMM 3-2 and 2-0 over both legs.

Like his counterpart, Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic also tasted cup success in his debut campaign in 2023 and has described a successful title defence as “a cherry on top”.

“We’ve done amazing things this season,” said the 46-year-old Serb. “We won the league, we won the Community Shield, we played the AFC Champions League Two final, and now if you win the Singapore Cup – (we’ll be) one of the best teams in recent history in Singapore, so that’s what we aim for.”

Sailors goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad, who was named Man of the Match in their 0-0 league draw with the Stags on May 24, has been a constant presence in their cup run, playing every minute of all six matches en route to the final and looks set to keep his place.

More on this Topic

Rankovic said: “He will probably play (on Saturday) because he played all the matches in the Singapore Cup. Similar to Izwan (Mahbud) last season, who came off the bench to play (in the cup run).

“I have two good goalkeepers, and I think Zharfan’s getting a little bit of that confidence in the last couple of games, so I think he will play.”

Going into the final with back-to-back clean sheets will be a vital confidence booster for the substitute goalkeeper, who has made just nine out of 32 possible league starts this season.

“Given the fact that I’ve not had many minutes throughout the season, I told myself that if I’m fielded, I will do my best. And so far it has been a good run-out, and I am looking forward to the final,” said the 28-year-old.

“The previous two games have given me really good momentum... So we are pretty confident since we got a clean sheet again (against DPMM).”

For teammate and attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar, there is an added incentive. The Dutchman, who scored five goals in five cup games, is just one strike behind Geylang International’s Tomoyuki Doi and Balestier Khalsa’s Kodai Tanaka, the joint top scorers in the knockout competition.

However, the former PSV Eindhoven player insists team glory comes first.

“For me, (being the cup’s top scorer) is not important. I just want to win the cup. It doesn’t matter if I score or not. I want to win,” said the 28-year-old.

“To be able to win trophies, that’s why you become a footballer. And to potentially win three in my first season would be amazing. I’m really looking forward to it. ”

More on this Topic

Join  ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Thanks for sharing!