BISHAN, Singapore (Interstat) — Lion City scored four unanswered goals and defeated Balestier Khalsa 4-0 at Bishan Stadium in Singapore on Sunday, using a two-goal burst before halftime and two more strikes in the final 11 minutes to pull away. Shawal Anuar opened the scoring in the 31st minute, Antonio Mance doubled the lead in the 37th, Matthias Phaeton added the third in the 80th and Lennart Thy completed the scoring in the 85th. Lion City’s season record in this competition is now four wins, no losses and one draw, while its record across all competitions is six wins, one loss and one draw. Balestier Khalsa’s record in the competition is now two wins, one loss and one draw, and its record across all competitions is also two wins, one loss and one draw. The visitors scored in each half and kept Balestier Khalsa from mounting a comeback after the interval.

The most important passage came in a six-minute span before halftime. Anuar broke through in the 31st minute to give Lion City the lead, and Mance made it 2-0 in the 37th minute. Balestier Khalsa was unable to respond before the break, and Lion City carried that cushion into halftime. The opening goal changed the match and forced Balestier Khalsa to chase the game. Lion City then made a pair of changes at the interval, with Mance and B. Wright involved in substitutions. Balestier Khalsa could not produce a goal through the opening hour, and Lion City’s back line kept the home side off the scoreboard. The first half ended with Lion City ahead and Balestier Khalsa still searching for a way back into the match.

Balestier Khalsa’s Y. Otake received a yellow card in the 65th minute, and Lion City made three changes in the 66th, involving Syahin H., Kweh G. and Anuar S. Balestier Khalsa also adjusted, with Chun Wei W. and Goh D. entering in the 71st minute, Iyadh F. and Matic T. coming on in the 78th, and Kuzminski M. entering in the 90th. Phaeton scored in the 80th minute to make it 3-0, and S. Hilman was booked for Balestier Khalsa in the 82nd. Thy added the fourth in the 85th minute, closing out a scoring night that saw Lion City convert its key opportunities while Balestier Khalsa was held without a goal. The late goals removed any lingering doubt about the result. The second half included two yellow cards and several substitutions, and Lion City maintained its advantage before adding two late goals.

Anuar’s performance led the listed key contributors with one goal in 66 minutes. Thy scored once in 44 minutes, Mance scored once in 46 minutes and Phaeton scored once in 24 minutes. Those four goals accounted for all the scoring at Bishan Stadium, with Lion City’s first two goals coming before halftime and its final two arriving in the last 11 minutes of regulation. Balestier Khalsa finished with the two yellow cards and was unable to find a response after falling behind early. The match remained scoreless after the opening half-hour before Anuar’s breakthrough set Lion City on course. Anuar, Mance, Phaeton and Thy were Lion City’s goal scorers, and Balestier Khalsa did not record a goal. Lion City’s goals came from four different players.

Before the match, Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Lion City 2, Balestier Khalsa 0, while Interstat’s ELO system gave Balestier Khalsa a 73.1 percent probability to win. Lion City had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -2.25. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 3.75.