The K League 1 side led from start to finish with Jun Amano and Moon Seon-min the scorers for Jeonbuk, who also benefited from an own goal from Sailors’ Lionel Tan.

“It was a crucial game for us, and I am thrilled with the positive attitude displayed by the players and their performance on the field,” said  Petrescu. “We managed to score some impressive goals, and I believe we could have added more to the tally. 

“Congratulations to the players for delivering one of the best performances since I took charge of coaching the club. Despite facing a team with strong national players, our determined attitude made it challenging for them. I want to express my gratitude to the fans for their support.

“I’m pleased with the performance of the players who started today's game. We've been rotating the squad for these matches, and I'm glad to see the players performing well. The team's training sessions have been promising, and the team spirit among the players is crucial for our success.”

It took Amano five minutes to find the target after the midfielder curled a left-footed shot from range into Zharfan Rohaizad’s bottom corner that left the Sailors stunned. 

The Jeonbuk No 21 echoed his coach’s comments, saying that the team started the match with a positive mentality.

“Lion City are a formidable team and we approached the match with a positive attitude,” said Amano. While there were moments when we faced challenges, our performance allowed us to secure the three points.”

Despite the defeat, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic is certain his team will learn from the experience.  

“I told my players in the dressing room: they can get better by playing in games like these. We can learn a lot from today, especially when it comes to the intensity of the game,” said Ranković.

“We might have lost today, but we still have one more game (against Jeonbuk) and it will be a different game playing at home with the artificial turf and weather. If there was one positive from today, it would be that we didn’t pick up any new injuries or red cards.” 

Both sides will face off again at Singapore’s Jalan Besar Stadium on November 8.