Haag's Set-Piece Threat Helps Sailors Keep Winning on Multiple Fronts

Giovanni Haag's set-piece deliveries have become a central part of the Lion City Sailors' attacking output, according to a club report published on the Sailors' official website. The French midfielder arrived with a reputation for physicality and composure in midfield, but the club said his dead-ball quality quickly stood out. Since his debut, his deliveries have played a part in seven of the Sailors' 22 goals across all competitions, almost a third of the team's total.

That influence has shown up in both domestic and continental matches. The club report credited his deliveries with contributing to goals against BG Pathum United and Tai Po FC in the ACL Two, and against Young Lions and Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Premier League. The report described his corner away to Adelaide United as arguably his most telling contribution so far: with the score level after 80 minutes, the delivery found Hugo Gomes, who broke the deadlock and set the Sailors on course for a 2-0 win.

Haag said the Adelaide result mattered greatly because the team knew the importance of taking all three points, and he praised the collective effort. He explained that the Sailors work extensively on set pieces because players such as Gomes, Bailey Wright and Toni Datković are dangerous in those situations, adding that dead-ball delivery is one of his strengths and that the priority is using it to help the team. The same match marked Lennart Thy's return to action; the German came off the bench and scored with a dinked finish on his first appearance of the season. Haag called it a perfect night but said the side wanted to build on the performance in the next league game and again when they meet Adelaide the following week.

Haag also credited the coaching staff, saying a lot of preparation went into the Adelaide game and that assistant coach Cameron Toshack speaks with every player to keep everyone aligned. He stressed that communication is especially important for set pieces, and the club report noted another goal from a dead-ball situation in that match. The report said the Sailors celebrated with travelling supporters after full-time at Coopers Stadium but had little time to savour the win: less than 12 hours after the final whistle, the team was at the airport for a flight of almost seven hours back to Singapore.

The Sailors' next league fixture is against Balestier Khalsa at Bishan Stadium on Sunday, 1 November, with the team looking to close the gap on leaders Geylang International. They then host Adelaide United at Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday, 5 November in the return ACL Two fixture. Haag said the team wants to win every match and must keep its momentum, noting that the quick turnaround reflects what the season will demand if the club wants to go far in different competitions. He added that recovery time is short but the whole squad is working and ready to give its best against Balestier to maintain the winning run.

The club report said the Sailors began October with a narrow defeat to Công An Hà Nội in their ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup opener, then responded with five consecutive wins, scoring 17 goals and conceding once. With the reigning SPL champions competing on several fronts, Haag emphasised the need for high standards and consistency in every match, whether in the ACL Two, the Shopee Cup or the domestic league, and said the team must approach each game with the right mentality. He also said teammates, coaching staff, the club and fans had made him feel very welcome, describing everything as top-class and saying the side simply wants to keep winning and enjoying its football.