SINGAPORE -- In what has been an incredible run in the AFC Champions League Two thus far, Lion City Sailors have just kept raising the bar -- for themselves, and for Singaporean football.
On Wednesday, they found another level once more when it mattered most -- producing a near-perfect display to claim a 2-0 win over Sydney FC in the first leg of their semifinal, which will surely prove hugely valuable ahead of what will be a daunting away task in next week's return encounter.
Once again the underdogs, the Sailors were hardly overawed by the occasion and took the lead in the 18th minute through a stunning effort from Bart Ramselaar, before Lennart Thy added a second eight minutes into the second half to seal a massive win for the Singapore Premier League outfit.
Despite the scoreline, it was far from a comfortable outing at Jalan Besar Stadium for the Sailors as, expectedly, the visitors came intent on getting a positive result to take back to Australia.
Sydney started the brighter of the two teams, enjoying the majority of possession in the opening exchanges. Their fluidity -- as they employed two different systems, when in possession and when not -- was initially dragging the opposition out of position.
Yet, as it proved throughout the evening, the Sailors did everything that was asked of them.
First, was to absorb all that early pressure while trying to gain a foothold in the contest.
Then, it was to take their chances when they arrived.
Ramselaar is no stranger to finding the back of the net but, even by his own admission, few will better his opener as he found space on the edge of the box after receiving possession from Diogo Costa and proceeded to unleash a rocket of a strike in off the bar.
Even at full stretch, Sydney goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares was never going to stop it.
With their first meaningful effort, the hosts had the all-important opening goal to sit back on should they have desired.
But the Sailors have not got this far by opting for a conservative approach.
The next thing they got right was to continue taking the game to Sydney. Even if the Sailors weren't always in control of proceedings, at least their opponents weren't either.
Then came another half-chance in the 53rd minute. Once more, LCS made the most of it.
Costa was once again pivotal as he played an inventive searching pass over the Sydney backline to send Thy advancing towards goal.
From an acute angle, the German's decision to go for goal when a cross seemed likelier paid off as he caught Devenish-Meares out at his near post with a left-footed bullet into the roof of the net.
The final part that the Sailors pulled off to perfection? Some desperate defending to ensure Sydney would not even have a reduced deficit to take home.
Sydney substitute Adrian Segecic immediately looked their likeliest source of a goal after his halftime introduction but the Sailors were having none of it.
Bodies flung around without a care either blocked efforts or pressured the shooter into misfiring. And when some hopeful balls were hung up in the area, Sailors goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud showed clean hands.
Only half the job is done.
If LCS are to make history by becoming the first Singaporean outfit to reach an AFC final, they have to negotiate their way through another 90 minutes in Sydney next Wednesday.
And it will not be easy.
Yet, the fact that the Sailors are in a position to actually achieve that is down to the latest masterclass they produced.