SINGAPORE, 29 SEPTEMBER 2019 – The curtain came down on the 2019 AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Sunday night, where the final four matches of the season were played simultaneously.

Brunei DPMM, who were crowned champions earlier this month, concluded their campaign on a high by defeating Hougang United 5-4 at home in a remarkable game.

The result meant that Tampines Rovers finished second to seal a spot in the first preliminary round of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League qualifying play-offs next year, while Hougang finished third.
Adrian Pennock’s men were awarded the SPL trophy in a prize presentation ceremony after the match in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, which was presented by Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah with Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President, Mr Lim Kia Tong, also in attendance.

Hougang also received their second runners-up prizes after the game; it is the Cheetahs’ highest ever league finish.

Tampines were presented with their prizes at Our Tampines Hub, after their 1-1 draw with the Young Lions, who finished eighth.The other two matches on the night saw defending champions Albirex Niigata defeat Home United 1-0 to finish fourth, while bottom side Balestier Khalsa produced a two-goal comeback to draw 3-3 with Warriors FC, who ended up seventh.

DPMM striker Andrei Varankou finished as the league’s top scorer, plundering 21 goals to fire his side to their second ever SPL title. The Belarussian also finished 10 assists, tied with Tampines’ Ryutaro Megumi and Geylang International’s Christopher van Huizen as joint-most in the league.

Mr Lim said: “I would like to congratulate Brunei DPMM for clinching their second SPL title. It was a close fight for the title and heartening to see all teams, especially Hougang United and Tampines Rovers, putting up a good fight til the end.”

Ms Joanna Ong, AIA Singapore Head of Brand & Corporate Communications, said: “It has been an exciting season for the AIA Singapore Premier League! Congratulations to Brunei DPMM FC for clinching the title, and well done to Tampines Rovers and Hougang United for being the first and second runners-up respectively for the league.

“2019 marks the first year for AIA as the Title Sponsor of the SPL. The AIA SPL is an iconic league, part of Singapore’s rich football history, which has touched the hearts of generations of Singaporeans, both young and old, and AIA is privileged to be part of it. Football is a universal language that brings people together and a popular sport that allows us to encourage Singaporeans and families to lead Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

“To date, it has been a remarkable journey for AIA, which saw many great collaborations with the FAS through the SPL where we partnered on several events to collectively promote and uplift the sport in the community.

“Exciting opportunities await in 2020 and we look forward to another fantastic AIA SPL season in the months ahead!”

The final table standings can be found below and at www.spl.sg/table.

The football season continues with the 2019 Komoco Motors Singapore Cup, which kicked off earlier this week – fixtures and results can be found here.

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