SINGAPORE — A second-half fightback from Warriors FC saw them come away from Toa Payoh Stadium with victory in their S.League opener as they beat Balestier Khalsa 2-1.

Captain Shaiful Esah led by example with his winning goal, a neat flicked header with two minutes of regulation time left, which added to Jordan Webb’s equaliser in the 49th minute.

The result was perhaps a little harsh on the hosts, who came desperately close to salvaging a point in added time only to see goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam’s free-kick come back off the post.

“It was a very good free-kick from Zaiful, who has worked on them in training,” said head coach Marko Kraljevic. “We did well in the first half…but in the second half, we became very slow.

“Still, I am happy as everybody worked very hard and we just have to move forward.”

Kraljevic is also confident that the club’s three new signings from Myanmar - attacking trio Aung Kyaw Naing, Kyaw Zayar, and Nanda Linn Kyaw Chit – will improve after handing them their debuts.

Their presence also helped to draw around 120 countrymen to the stands, which was packed with 1,975 spectators overall – better than last season’s best home attendance of 1,616.

Aung, in particular, looked a real livewire and it was his mazy run that forced Shaiful to foul him for a penalty in the 24th minute. Raihan Rahman then stepped up to convert from the spot for his first goal in Balestier colours.

“The three boys did okay,” Kraljevic said. “They worked very hard and they will get better.”

His counterpart, Razif Onn, was pleased to see his team respond well to going behind.

“We had a good talk inside (the changing room at half-time) and we knew we could play better than we did in the first half,” he explained.

Whatever he said, it worked as Webb earned a penalty just four minutes after the break as he was fouled by Sheikh Abdul Hadi. The Canadian made no mistake with his spot-kick.

The Tigers tried to hit back as Kyaw Chit went through on goal in the 59th minute, only to be foiled by goalkeeper Basil Chan. The latter also recovered quickly to deny Kyaw Naing from the rebound.

The double save proved crucial as the Warriors delivered a late blow thanks to Shaiful, who acrobatically guided in Shahril Ishak’s teasing free-kick in the 88th minute to seal the three points.