For the second year running, BG Tampines Rovers and Lion City Sailors are set to do battle in the Singapore Cup Final, with the Stags looking to avenge last season’s defeat. 

BG Tampines saw off a spirited Albirex Niigata (S) side 5-3 on aggregate despite a White Swans fightback in the second leg, while the Sailors secured a 1-0 win over Balestier Khalsa to seal their place in the Final.

BG Tampines survive White Swans' fightback to book spot in Cup Final

BG Tampines Rovers 1-3  Albirex Niigata (S) | Our Tampines Hub | 20 December 

(Seiga Sumi 55’ | Nozomi Ozawa 20’, Shingo Nakano 44’, Katsuyuki Ishibashi 72’) 

Albirex Niigata (S) produced a spirited display against BG Tampines Rovers, knowing that only a miraculous comeback would help them overcome a 4-0 first-leg semi-final deficit and reach the Singapore Cup Final. The

White Swans threw everything at the Stags but ultimately came up just a tad short, battling to a 3-1 win at Our Tampines Hub.

The White Swans took the game to the Stags right from the start. After Stags’ goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari repelled Haziq Kamaruidin’s fierce effort in the 16th minute, Albirex grew in confidence. 

Nozomi Ozawa’s deflected effort looped over Syazwan in the 20th minute to hand Albirex a 1-0 lead – and renewed hope – before Nicky Melvin Singh’s effort flashed narrowly past the post two minutes later.

That sparked the Stags into life, as Seiga Sumi’s effort was denied by a superb one-handed save from Hassan Sunny in the 31st minute. But Albirex's top scorer, Shingo Nakano, burst clear in the 44th minute before sliding the ball into the net to put his side within touching distance of that improbable comeback. 

BG Tampines emerged for the second half as the stronger side, and just nine minutes after the restart, Seiga Sumi towered above the Albirex defence to head home from a corner. 

Still, the away side refused to back down, with Katsuyuki Ishibashi rekindling Albirex’s hopes with a brilliantly taken free kick in the 72nd minute. 

But despite their best efforts, BG Tampines shut the door and held out for a 5-3 aggregate win, setting up a rematch of last year’s final against the Lion City Sailors.

BG Tampines Rovers: Syazwan Buhari (C), Irfan Najeeb, Shuya Yamashita, Amirul Adli, Takeshi Yoshimoto, Seiga Sumi, Kohya Kazama (Glenn Kweh 66’), Faris Ramli (Taufik Suparno 73’), Joel Chew, Trent Anthony Buhagiar, Hide Higashikawa (Tara Ndao 90+3’)

Unused subs: Nalawich Intacharoen, Dylan James Fox, Amirul Haikal, Iman Hakim, Kegan Phang, Buckley Liam James, Witthawat Phraothaisong, Naufal Mohammad

Albirex Niigata (S): Hassan Sunny, Kim Taeuk, Komei Iida, Nozomi Ozawa, Haziq Kamarudin (Ren Nishimura 73’), Naoki Yoshioka (Jared Gallagher 86’), Syed Firdaus Hassan, Nicky Melvin Singh (Jaden Heng 65’), Katsuyuki Ishibashi (Danish Qayyum 73’), Shingo Nakano (C), Takumi Yokohata (Cho Eunsu 86’) 

Unused subs: Takahiro Koga, Dylan Pereira, Amy Recha, Helmi Shahrol, Syukri Bashir, Delwinder Singh, Soshi Kadowaki

Maxime takes his final bow as Sailors reach Singapore Cup final

Lion City Sailors 1-0 Balestier Khalsa | Jalan Besar Stadium | 20 December

(Shawal Anuar 9’)

A comfortable 1-0 victory over Balestier Khalsa secured Lion City Sailors’ place in a third consecutive Singapore Cup Final, but the night belonged to Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne, who donned the Sailors’ white and blue for the final time.

Maxime had earlier announced that he was leaving the Sailors at the end of the year, with this match marking his farewell to the Sailors’ faithful. He was at the heart of the action from the start, delivering a trademark left-footed cross in the 6th minute that Mario Mustapic reacted to sharply, punching it clear from an onrushing Shawal Anuar.

But the Singaporean forward was not to be denied three minutes later when he pounced on Lazar Vujanic’s misguided backpass to tuck home the opener. 

The Sailors were in complete control, and they could have extended their 5-1 aggregate lead when Tsiy Ndenge’s effort curled narrowly past the post in the 32nd minute, before Maxime blazed his shot over the crossbar early in the second half.

When the ball again fell to Maxime inside the box in the 66th minute, it seemed certain he would curl one of his trademark left-footed efforts into the corner – just as he had done countless times in Singapore. But Mustapic produced a superb save to push the ball to safety.

The moment seemed set for Maxime to crown his swansong when the Sailors were awarded a penalty in the 70th minute, but his cheeky Panenka attempt was well read by Mustapic, drawing a grin from the Belgian. 

At last, the curtain came down on Maxime’s time in Singapore football when he was substituted in the 89th minute, with both sets of players gathering to form a guard of honour as he walked off the field.

It was a fitting farewell for one of the best players to have graced the domestic game, who will not be present on 10 January 2026, when the Sailors look to defend their Singapore Cup title. 

Lion City Sailors: Izwan Mahbud, Christopher van Huizen (Akram Azman 68’), Lionel Tan (Hami Syahin 60’), Toni Datkovic, Bailey Wright, Diogo Costa, Maxime Lestienne (C) (Hafiz Nor 89’), Tsiy William Ndenge (Bart Ramselaar 60’), Rui Pires, Shawal Anuar, Lennart Thy (Anderson Lopes 68’) 

Unused subs: Adib Nur Hakim, Ivan Susak, Zulqarnaen Suzliman, Nur Adam Abdullah, Abdul Rasaq Akeem

Balestier Khalsa: Mario Mustapic, Darren Teh (Syabil Hisham 90’), Tajeli Salamat, Madhu Mohana (C), Mario Subaric, Harith Kanadi (Fudhil I’Yadh 65’), Daniel Goh (Ignatius Ang 84’), Lazar Vujanic, Masahiro Sugita, Elijah Lim (Ifat Sha’aban 90’), Tin Matic (Bogdan Mandic 84’) 

Unused subs: Martyn Mun, Hafiz Ahmad, Tiago Barbosa Martins, Lin Ze Hao, Karthigaya Varmaan