SINGAPORE -- BG Tampines Rovers may still have some ground to make up on Lion City Sailors in the Singapore Premier League.
Having played four games in the SPL so far in 2025-26, one less than the Sailors, Tampines currently sit third and are already seven points adrift the league leaders and reigning champions.
But, away from the domestic scene, the Stags are well and truly excelling.
Just last week, they secured a knockout round appearance on the continental stage for the first time since 2016 -- even doing enough to guarantee that they will finish top of Group H ahead of South Korean giants Pohang Steelers in the AFC Champions League Two.
And, on Wednesday, Tampines picked up a second win in three outings of this season's ASEAN Club Championship -- officially known as the 2025-26 Shopee Cup -- in stunning fashion.
It initially looked as though BG Pathum United were going to exact their revenge on the Stags for a costly 2-1 defeat in their previous meeting back at the start of October, which factored into the Thai League 1 giants' group-stage elimination in ACL Two and, conversely, Tampines' eventual progress.
Inside the opening half-hour at Jalan Besar Stadium, BGPU were leading by two goals and seemingly coasting to victory.
First, Tomoyuki Doi -- a former bane of Tampines, and every other SPL outfit apart from former club Geylang International from his record-breaking 44-goal campaign last season which eventually earned him a move to Thailand -- pounced on a loose ball inside the area to clinically fire home the opener after seven minutes.
20 minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage through Raniel -- who climbed highest inside the area to meet Gakuto Notsuda's floated delivery from the right with a powerful header in off the bar.
Nonetheless, Tampines gave themselves a lifeline in first-half stoppage time through a well-worked team goal as Trent Buhagiar was released inside the box by Koya Kazama's inventive flicked through-pass and slid an inch-perfect ball across the face of goal to leave Hide Higashikawa with a simple tap-in.
A minute after the hour mark, the hosts pulled level as a left-wing cross from Takeshi Yoshimoto looked to be sailing out of play but was kept alive right at the touchline by Glenn Kweh -- whose determined header back into the danger zone was further flicked on by Shuya Yamashita into the path of Higashikawa, who made made no mistake in drilling a low shot in off a desperately-recovering defender.
Incredibly, a stirring comeback by the Stags was completed with 12 minutes remaining as Higashikawa completed his hat-trick -- this time deserving plenty of individual acclaim as he received possession from Buhagiar on the edge of the area and left two defenders for dead in one move with a delightful spin before dispatching a shot unerringly into the bottom corner.
Then, with their backs against the wall in the closing stages of the contest, the Stags showed plenty of resilience to repel some frantic BGPU forays forward, in spite of the Rabbits throwing some tall timber forward, and hold up for three points that gets them back on track in the ASEAN Club Championship after suffering defeat to Selangor last time out.
There is still plenty of work to be done but Tampines, despite hardly being the favourites, are now leading Group A and well on course for a place in the semifinals.
On the regional stage, as they have done at continental level, Tampines are certainly making waves on an international scale -- even if they are not enjoying similar joy on the domestic front just yet.