Lion City Sailors, a club from Singapore made a surprise keep the first 3 points in their home after beating Zhejiang FC, a club from China scoring 2-0 in the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25 Group Stage, Group G at Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang.
Zhejiang FC had the first real chance in the 4th minute, with defender Liu Haofan finding space inside the box, but his effort was blocked by the Lion City Sailors’ defense. The hosts responded in the 15th minute when Maxime Lestienne sent in a perfect cross, only for Bailey Wright’s header to be comfortably saved by Zhejiang goalkeeper Dong Chunyu.
The Lion City Sailors grew in confidence, consistently looking dangerous on the attack. Lennart Thy came close in the 23rd minute with a long-range effort that was again saved, while at the other end, Cheng Jin missed a crucial opportunity for Zhejiang, sending his shot over the bar from inside the box.
Despite Zhejiang’s pressure, it was the Singaporean side that struck first. In the 44th minute, a poor clearance from the Zhejiang defense allowed Hariss Harun to pounce, firing a stunning long-range strike to give the Sailors a 1-0 lead just before halftime.
Zhejiang struggled to break down the Lion City defense in the second half and found themselves further behind in the 79th minute. A swift counter-attack saw Bart Ramselaar set up Maxime Lestienne, who calmly lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Dong Chunyu to seal a 2-0 win for the hosts.
Credit Photo : Jayden Seah/SNE-Photo
