Lion City Sailors etched their name into the history books despite suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sydney FC in the second leg of the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Two semi-final at Sydney Football Stadium on Wednesday. The Singaporean side advanced to the final with a 2-1 aggregate score, becoming the first club from the city state to ever reach the final of a top-tier Asian club competition.
Matching the feats of Home United and Geylang United as Singapore’s first Asian semi-finalists in nearly two decades, Lion City Sailors went one step further on their historic run, earning a place in the final against Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates, who secured their spot by defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawoun the previous day.
The Sailors’ qualification was anchored by a resolute defensive display that thwarted Sydney FC’s attempts to overturn the first-leg deficit. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Ufuk Talay’s men were unable to find the goals they needed.
Sydney threatened early when Anthony Caceres surged down the left and cut inside to fire a low shot toward the bottom corner in the ninth minute. LCS goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud reacted superbly, deflecting the shot wide off the post. From the ensuing corner, Sydney momentarily thought they had leveled the aggregate score as Jordan Courtney-Perkins bundled the ball over the line, but the goal was disallowed due to Adrian Segicic being adjudged offside in the lead-up.
Lion City’s attacking ventures were few and far between, but Maxime Lestienne almost found the net midway through the first half, only to be denied by a brave stop from Harrison Devenish-Meares. On the opposite end, Segicic came close with a deflected shot that veered just wide.
The pressure from Sydney remained relentless, with Rhyan Grant heading home in the 43rd minute, only to have his effort chalked off for offside. The visitors offered another reminder of their counterattacking threat early in the second half, when Lestienne curled a shot high and wide. Moments later, Bart Ramselaar had a golden opportunity to give the Sailors the lead on the night, but he sent his effort over the bar despite having space and time inside the box.
As the match wore on, Segicic tested Izwan with a powerful drive that the veteran keeper secured on the second attempt. The young midfielder then volleyed over after latching onto a cross from Grant. In the 74th minute, Patrik Klimala’s thunderous header seemed destined for the net, but Izwan once again came to the rescue with a perfectly-timed dive to his right. Shortly after, Joe Lolley’s header was also kept out by the ever-reliable Izwan.
Sydney finally found a breakthrough five minutes from time when Lolley rifled a low shot into the bottom corner after Grant nodded the ball into his path. But despite a late surge and sustained pressure, the Australians couldn’t find a second goal to push the match into extra time, leaving Lion City Sailors to celebrate a landmark achievement on the continental stage.