Lion City Sailors 2-0 Tampines Rovers | Jalan Besar Stadium | 6 September
(Ilhan Fandi 17’, 26’)
Ilhan Fandi struck twice as Lion City Sailors beat Tampines Rovers 2-0 at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (September 6) to claim the SPL Playback Community Shield 2026/27, lifting the first silverware of the new Singapore Premier League (SPL) campaign.
The Sailors arrived as reigning SPL champions and Singapore Cup winners, while Tampines were runners-up in both competitions, setting the stage for another chapter in the rivalry between two of Singapore’s leading club sides.
Both sides handed full competitive debuts to new faces, with the Sailors naming seven debutants in their starting XI: Victor Aznar, Hugo Gomes, Ryhan Stewart, Farhan Zulkifli, Ilhan Fandi, Matthias Phaeton, and Giovanni Haag. Tampines had two debutants of their own in Shodai Yokoyama and Zharfan Rohaizad in the first eleven.
The opening 15 minutes saw both sides exchange spells of possession without either establishing clear control. Tampines had the first attempt when Kohya Kazama fired over on the break in the eighth minute, before Ilhan sent his effort high over the bar shortly after.
Ilhan strikes twice to put Sailors in control
The deadlock was broken in the 17th minute, with Ilhan showing good hold-up play before working the ball down the left through Bart Ramselaar and Phaeton. Phaeton slipped a through ball to Diogo Costa, whose pinpoint cross was met by Ilhan, heading home from close range. The Sailors continued to press, with Phaeton forcing a save two minutes later after a powerful run through the middle by Ramselaar.
Ilhan doubled the lead in the 26th minute, latching onto a cutback from Farhan — who had been played through on the right by Ramselaar. His scuffed first-time effort clipped the inside of the left post before finding the net to make it 2-0.
Tampines hit woodwork twice
Tampines improved after going two goals down and came close twice to pulling one back.
In the 33rd minute, Yuki Kobayashi’s long-range pass was misread by Aznar, sending Hide Higashikawa through on goal, but the forward could only find the right post. Seiga Sumi went even closer just before the break, unleashing a powerful drive that crashed off the crossbar.
The Stags finally registered their first effort on target in the fourth minute of added time, but Aznar saved Hide’s close-range header to preserve the Sailors’ 2-0 lead.
Cagey start to second half
Tampines picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, with Hide running through on goal early in the second period. Last season’s SPL top scorer, however, could only send his effort wide.
The Stags continued to look for a way back into the game, but the opening 15 minutes of the second half remained cagey. Costa and Haag both tested the Tampines defence with efforts on target in the 56th minute, while Jacob Mahler was shown the first yellow card of the match five minutes later for a late tackle on Ramselaar.
New rule adds unusual twist
A triple change followed in the 63rd minute, with Song Uiyoung, Glenn Kweh, and Antonio Mance coming on for Haag, Farhan, and Ilhan as the Sailors looked for fresh legs to find a third. The changes also saw Glenn make his Sailors debut against his former side.
An unusual sequence followed in the opposing dugout when Raoul Suhaimi was prevented from entering the field after Seiga Sumi failed to leave within the 10-second limit under a new substitution rule introduced this season. As a result, Raoul had to wait one minute before he could enter the field at the next stoppage.
The brief numerical advantage produced little, with Phaeton flashing a shot across goal before Glenn sent a weak header off target.
Sailors create more chances late on
The Sailors continued to threaten as the game entered its final stages. Ramselaar released Ryhan in the 71st minute, but the defender could only send his effort wide with his weaker foot.
Former Liverpool FC youngster Bobby Adekanye came on for Phaeton in the 76th minute and nearly created the third in the 82nd minute, when his cross for an unmarked Mance was blocked by Mahler.
Tampines also pushed for a way back into the contest, with Shah forcing a save before Yokoyama curled a fine effort narrowly wide.
Mance then had two chances to put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time, firing wide from a Hami Syahin pass in the third minute before Dylan Fox’s underhit back-pass almost sent him through on goal in the sixth.
Despite having just 44 per cent possession, the Sailors saw out the victory to secure their third Community Shield following previous triumphs in 2022 and 2024, and lifted the first silverware of the 2026/27 season.
Lion City Sailors: Victor Aznar, Hugo Gomes, Toni Datkovic (C), Kyoga Nakamura (Jeorge Karseladze 87’), Bart Ramselaar (Hami Syahin 87’), Ilhan Fandi (Antonio Mance 63’), Ryhan Stewart (Hariss Harun 87’), Farhan Zulkifli (Glenn Kweh 63’), Matthias Phaeton (Bobby Adekanye 76’), Giovanni Haag (Song Uiyoung 63’), Diogo Costa
Unused subs: Ivan Susak, Lionel Tan, Shawal Anuar, Lennart Thy, Abdul Rasaq
Tampines Rovers: Zharfan Rohaizad, Jacob Mahler, Shah Shahiran, Faris Ramli (C) (Kenshin Yamazaki 46’), Shodai Yokoyama, Dylan Fox, Irfan Najeeb, Hide Higashikawa, Seiga Sumi (Raoul Suhaimi 67’), Yuki Kobayashi, Kohya Kazama (Amirul Adli 82’)
Unused subs: Syazwan Buhari, Yu En Ong, Amirul Haikal, Caden Lim, Iman Hakim, Naufal Mohammad, Jarec Ng, Kegan Phang, Yuma Kimura
