Tanjong Pagar crushed by Lion City Sailors in devastating 6-0 defeat

Singapore Premier League strugglers Tanjong Pagar United, with a fearless attitude of having "nothing to lose", went all out against powerhouse Lion City Sailors on Sept 14 by pushing forward aggressively in search of goals.

While that ultimately proved futile as the Jaguars suffered their worst defeat of the season in a 6-0 loss at the Jurong East Stadium, new interim coach Hyrizan Jufri defended his decision to stick to his guns and play offensive football.

The 53-year-old said: “I’ll take full responsibility for (this result), because at no point in the game did I tell them to actually sit back.

“I’ll not stop here. I have to be honest with you, at the end of the day, we have nothing to lose. I’m here to actually create something from negative to positive.

“The only way to win games (is to) go forward as much. Now, the key part I try to work on is the risks we take at the back and what we can do better when we are defending.”

The Jaguars extended their winless streak to seven and remain at the bottom of the nine-team table.

The Sailors, who made seven changes to the side who drew 2-2 draw with Geylang International, started without Bart Ramselaar, Maxime Lestienne and Lennart Thy.

They moved to the top after BG Tampines Rovers dropped to second following a 2-2 draw with the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic empathised with Hyrizan, adding: “I wish him all the best because it can be very hard when you take over a team in the middle of the season, so to get his idea of playing is going to need some more time.”

He added that they are not focusing on their league position as there is still a long way to go.

The Sailors took the lead in the 32nd minute when Obren Kljajic was fouled in the box and Abdul Rasaq converted the resulting spot-kick. It was the 23-year-old striker’s first goal in his first appearance since a meniscus tear injury in 2023.