SINGAPORE -- Last season, Lion City Sailors made history by becoming the first Singaporean club to reach the decider of a continental -- after making a captivating charge to the AFC Champions League Two final before ultimately falling to Sharjah.
It was always going to be a tough task to replicate that amazing feat in 2025-26 but, at the very least, the Singapore Premier League champions would have been expected to at least reach the knockout round -- and give themselves every chance of going on a deep run.
Four games into the new campaign, the Sailors find themselves languishing in third place of Group G -- five points behind leaders Bangkok United and three behind Indonesia Super League outfit Persib Bandung.
The latest blow to their hopes of progressing from the group stage came at Bishan Stadium on Thursday, as they fell to a 2-1 loss to Bangkok United just a fortnight suffering a 1-0 defeat to the same opponents away.
Strange coincidence has seen the Sailors lose all four of their meetings with the Thai League 1 side by a single goal.
Nonetheless, it is worth remembering that LCS also lost twice at this stage last season and still progressed as group winners -- something coach Aleksandar Ranković believes gives them reason to believe.
"Of course, as long as there is a mathematical chance, we will go for it," Ranković said.
"Now it's a situation where it's not in our own hands so it depends on other results but, last season, we were in the same position.
"We lost to Persib in the dying seconds, then lost to Zhejiang [Professional] in the dying seconds. We're going to keep fighting until the end.
"If we keep playing with this energy, I'm telling you, it will turn around."
The Sailors can certainly feel slightly unfortunate that they did not come away with at least a point, with even Bangkok United coach Totchtawan Sripan noting that luck had been on their side.
In an evenly-contested opening 45, the Sailors were hit by a sucker punch right on halftime when a searching over-the-top ball by Weerathep Pomphan released Muhsen Al-Ghassani, who raced through on goal before expertly finishing past Ivan Sušak.
The hosts then came out for the second half showing increased urgency and were soon knocking on the opponents' door with regularity -- only to just be let down by the lack of a cutting edge and perhaps an extra bit of patience.
As they pushed higher, the space that naturally appeared would be exploited in the 83rd minute when Bangkok United hit on the counter and substitute Luka Adžić was able to make the most of a two-on-two situation -- drawing Bailey Wright in and then going out wide before sending an emphatic finish in the far corner.
The Sailors did pull one back in injury-time when a scramble in the area paved the way for Lennart Thy to pounce on a loose ball and convert neatly on the swivel, but it would ultimately prove to be a mere consolation.
When asked by ESPN if his charges perhaps could have had just a bit more composure in the final third, Ranković agreed, noting: "In some moments, we were really rushing. Of course, when you're 1-0 down, you want to score as soon as possible so you can chase for the second goal.
"We definitely could have done better in some moments. 100%. We should have exploited spaces on the side instead of going through the middle, where they [Bangkok United] are very strong with their captain [centre-back Everton].
"Some of the moments, we just missed that last pass."
Nonetheless, what really incurred the ire of Ranković was some contentious refereeing decisions that went against his side -- and it was not just him.
On the field, the Sailors responded in shock at several calls, and there was a similar sentiment in the stands. A penalty shout for the hosts in the first half was also waved away, leaving Ranković calling for the entire situation to be looked at.
"I'm sorry -- I never talk about the referee but this is the first time I'm going to say something," he added.
"I think [two teams] like us and Bangkok United -- we are talking about a team that played [in the qualifiers of the top-tier AFC Champions League] Elite and us, who played in the Champions League [Two] final last year -- I think we deserve a little bit more quality. Sorry to say this.
"Also, for me, it's unbelievable that we don't have VAR in this kind of games. We're still playing in the Champions League and [there are] crucial moments. In the first half, we should have gotten a penalty 100%. We don't get it.
"Of course, maybe they couldn't see it but that is a crucial moment at 0-0. So I hope in the future we will get a little bit more quality that we deserve."
