Lennart Thy broke Persib Bandung hearts with a last-gasp header as the Lion City Sailors snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw in their 2025/26 AFC Champions League Two Group G showdown at Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium on the night of September 18.
Saddil Ramdani had seemingly set Persib on course for a perfect start to their campaign with a clinical finish early in the second half, but the Singaporean side refused to go quietly. Deep into stoppage time, Thy rose highest to meet Maxime Lestienne’s inch-perfect cross, stunning the home crowd and rescuing a point for last year’s runners-up LCS.
Persib had dominated the early proceedings, urged forward by their fans, forcing three corners within eight minutes as Sailors center back Diogo Costa was repeatedly called upon to clear his lines.
Saddil was a constant menace down the wings, while Luciano Guaycochea nearly opened the scoring with a curling effort from outside the box, only for Sailors goalkeeper Ivan Susak to deny him with a sharp stop. Susak was called into action again seconds later, keeping out Eliano Reijnders’ follow-up.
The breakthrough almost arrived just before half-time when Federico Barba latched onto a header from Guaycochea, but the defender’s effort whistled narrowly wide. Moments later, Persib suffered a setback as captain Marc Klok limped off, forcing Thom Haye into action.
Persib finally found the opener just two minutes after the restart, Saddil latching onto a loose pass after a mistake from Toni Datkovic and calmly slotting past Ivan to send the stadium into raptures.
The Sailors, however, mounted a spirited response. Bart Ramselaar’s effort from distance was charged down, Safuwan Baharudin headed wide from Lestienne’s delivery, and Teja Paku Alam was forced into action to keep out Lestienne’s fierce strike in the 69th minute. The Persib keeper then denied Thy from point-blank range as the Sailors piled on the pressure.
But in the dying seconds, Persib’s resistance was finally broken. Lestienne floated in a perfect cross, and Thy powered home the equalizer — a dagger to the hosts’ hopes of opening their campaign with a statement win.