Dutch forward Lennart Thy, however, has warned the Singapore side to be cautious in next week’s return leg in Sydney as the Sailors chase a first ever appearance in a continental final. 

“We can be happy with the performance today at home,” said Thy, who sealed the victory after Bart Ramselaar’s thunderous opener. 

“We know our strengths, we did pretty good on the counter-attacks, kept the ball and could have scored more in the end. Going to Sydney with a 2-0 lead is a good result but there’s still 90 minutes to play.”

Head coach Aleksandar Rankovic praised his side’s tactical execution and discipline, especially in keeping the A-League outfit at arm’s length.

“This team has a lot of quality. To keep them out of the box was really good,” said Rankovic. We had a plan and executed well. But like Lenny (Thy) said, it’s just the first half, and we expect a totally different game in Sydney.”

While the Sailors made the most of their few chances, Sydney FC were left frustrated by their inability to capitalise on their opportunities.

“We had a lot of the ball, but we didn’t really penetrate and they (Sailors) sat very deep – 10 players inside their 18-yard box at times. It was difficult to break them down, said head coach Ufuk Talay.

“I think key passes in crucial moments, especially in the final third, really let us down tonight. The first goal was great execution from the opposition. The second came from a transition moment we should’ve handled better.

“They had two real chances, and they took both. That was the difference. Overall, we had plenty of possession, but we were quite ineffective when it mattered most.”

Source: AFC