SINGAPORE, 14 May – The Lion City Sailors have been crowned champions of the 2024/25 Singapore Premier League (SPL) despite a one nil loss against Balestier Khalsa at the Jalan Besar Stadium. While Balestier put up a spirited fight, this result had no impact on the title that was secured four days earlier.
Aleksandar Ranković’s charges came away from the Jurong East Stadium with a narrow but decisive 1-0 win over Tanjong Pagar United on 10 May. That result gave the Sailors an unassailable eight-point lead at the top of the SPL standings ahead of nearest challengers BG Tampines Rovers.
This is the Sailors’ second ever SPL title, after their first win in 2021.
The road to the title was not without twists. The Sailors missed a chance to wrap up the championship earlier on the fourth of May after a surprise 3-2 defeat to Geylang International, briefly handing Tampines a potential lifeline in the title race.
However, Tampines slipped up days later in a narrow defeat to Balestier Khalsa, and the Sailors capitalised against Tanjong Pagar. Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne earned and converted a first-half penalty—his 14th goal of the season—sending the Jaguars’ goalkeeper Matt Silva the wrong way from the spot.
The SPL trophy lift comes just four days ahead of the Sailors’ historic AFC Champions League Two final this Sunday, 18 May, against United Arab Emirates (UAE) side Sharjah FC.
The Sailors are the first Singaporean club to reach a continental final and now head into that fixture as domestic champions with momentum behind them as they look to extend that history-making streak.
