Lion City Sailors lose 6-1 to Japan's Sanfrecce in first leg of AFC Champions League 2 quarters
The Singapore Premier League league leaders conceded four goals in the second half.
Shawal Anuar scores for Lion City Sailors against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. (Photo: Lion City Sailors)
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SINGAPORE: The Lion City Sailors were outclassed 6-1 by Japan's Sanfrecce in the first leg of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League 2 (ACL2) quarter-finals on Wednesday (Mar 5).
At the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima stadium, goals from Satoshi Tanaka, Hayao Kawabe, Valere Germain, Sota Nakamura and a Ryo Germain double gave the home side the victory, with a first-half Shawal Anuar strike but a consolation for the Sailors.
They will face Sanfrecce, runners-up in the J1 League last campaign and third in the league this season, in the second leg at the Jalan Besar stadium next Wednesday (Mar 12).
It was the home side who dominated possession from the get go, and they were rewarded for their dominance as Tanaka smashed a shot outside the box past a stranded Izwan Mahbud with what looked like a deflection of a Sailors defender.
They almost doubled their lead a minute later after Bailey Wright was caught in possession, only for Izwan to pull off a brilliant save, as skipper Hariss Harun bravely followed up with a block.
But the Singapore side weren't going down without a fight as a superb counter-attack off a Sanfrecce corner in the 36th minute was finished off by Shawal Anuar.
Previously known as the AFC Cup, the ACL2 is the second-tier Asian club football tournament with a revamped format.
The Sailors booked their spot in the round of 16 after topping Group F, ahead of Thai side Port FC, China's Zhejiang FC and Indonesia's Persib Bandung.
The Singapore Premier League side thrashed Thai team Muangthong United 7-2 on aggregate in the round of 16. They are the only Southeast Asian side left in the tournament.
On the other hand, Sanfrecce hammered Vietnamese side Nam Dinh 7-0 over two legs to progress, and they showed just why they are one of the fancied sides in the tournament as Germain put them ahead in the 42nd minute.
He then killed off the game six minutes after the start of the second half with a deft finish from close range, before Kawabe arrowed one in past Izwan in the 68th minute.
That seemed to deflate the away side, which went on to concede two goals in as many minutes as substitute Valere Germain and Nakamura ended the contest.
