Reo Nishiguchi of Tanjong Pagar United takes a shot in their match against the Young Lions, 18 June 2022

 

SINGAPORE, 22 JUNE 2022 – The frontrunners continued to dominate in the AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) as leaders Lion City Sailors thrashed Balestier Khalsa, while nearest challengers Albirex Niigata (S) kept the gap at six points with a convincing win over Hougang United. Tanjong Pagar United and Tampines Rovers dispatched the Young Lions and Geylang International respectively to remain firmly in the top four. Geylang’s win-less streak was then extended to 11 matches as they were held by the Young Lions. We recap all the action below…

 

Jaguars impress again
Tanjong Pagar 2-0 Young Lions | Jurong East | 18 June
Reo Nishiguchi 40′, Faritz Hameed 49′

 

Young Lions did well to contain the hosts until late into the first half when Nishiguchi benefited from Khairul Nizam’s cutback to squeeze one in at the near post. Tanjong Pagar then doubled their advantage shortly after the break with Faritz on hand to convert from close range after being teed up by Blake Ricciuto and held on for the victory.

 

Facts

• Tanjong Pagar are now undefeated in their last five encounters against Young Lions.
• Tanjong Pagar won three straight home matches for the first time since July 2013.
• Tanjong Pagar won three straight league games for the first time since October 2014.
• Young Lions conceded for a 44^th straight SPL match.
• Nishiguchi equalled his best-ever scoring run by netting in a fifth successive SPL match.
• Faritz netted his 10^th career league goal, which was also his 15^th career goal; both his goals this season have come against the Young Lions.
• Tanjong Pagar’s Zharfan Rohaizad has matched his previous best for clean sheets in a season – three each in 2017 and 2018.
• Young Lions’ Irfan Iskandar made his professional debut.

Tanjong Pagar: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Emmeric Ong, Raihan Rahman, Faritz Hameed (C), Akram Azman (Shodai Nishikawa 65’), Rusyaidi Salime (Fathullah Rahmat 68’), Blake Ricciuto, Aqhari Abdullah, Mirko Šugić, Khairul Nizam (Khairul Amri 68’), Reo Nishiguchi (Syukri Bashir 90’+2)
Unused subs: Veer Karan Sobti (GK), Fashah Iskandar (GK), Naufal Ilham, Hadiputradila Saswadimata.

Young Lions: Ridhwan Fikri (GK)(C), Jordan Emaviwe, Syabil Hisham, Syed Akmal, Danish Qayyum (Harith Kanadi 62’), Arshad Shamim, Joel Chew (Nor Hakim 84’), Jared Gallagher, Glenn Kweh (Irfan Iskandar 84’), Abdul Rasaq, Khairin Nadim (Zikos Chua 62’).
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Raoul Suhaimi, Syahrul Sazali, Danial Crichton, Fairuz Fazli.

 

Stags paint town yellow again
Tampines 2-0 Geylang | Our Tampines Hub | 18 June
Yasir Hanapi 33′, Boris Kopitović 84′

 

After a couple of fine saves by Syazwan Buhari to keep Geylang at bay, Tampines took the lead with Yasir thrashing home a neat first-time volley off Zehrudin Mehmedović’s cross. The points were sealed late on with Kopitović curling high past Zaiful Nizam after Geylang were reduced to ten men minutes earlier.

 

Facts

• Tampines have won the last two Eastern Derbies and lost just one out of the last 11 encounters.
• Geylang’s win-less streak stretched to ten matches.
• Tampines kept their first clean sheet of the season; it was a first clean sheet for Syazwan in 12 matches.
• Yasir scored his first league goal since May 2021 in a 3-2 loss to Hougang. He is the seventh different player to score for the Stags this season.
• Kopitović has netted five goals in the last five Eastern Derbies.

Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Andrew Aw (Christopher van Huizen 65’) Irfan Najeeb, Shuya Yamashita, Adam Reefdy (Ryaan Sanizal 65’), Amirul Haikal (Irwan Shah 78’), Kyoga Nakamura (C), Firdaus Kasman (Taufik Suparno 78’), Ong Yu En (Yasir Hanapi 19’), Zehrudin Mehmedović, Boris Kopitović.
Unused subs: Danial Iliya (GK), Iman Hakim, Syed Firdaus Hassan, Ethan Pinto.

Geylang: Zaiful Nizam (GK) (C), Tajeli Salamat, Abdil Qaiyyim (Joshua Pereira 67’), Rio Sakuma, Faizal Roslan, Takahiro Tezuka, Huzaifah Aziz, Hazzuwan Halim (Umar Akhbar 88’), Vincent Bezecourt, Khairul Hairie (Ahmad Syahir 46’), Šime Žužul.
Unused subs: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Ilhan Noor, Danish Siregar, Kieran Teo, Furqan Raoff.

Red Card: Huzaifah Aziz (Geylang) 82’

 

Relentless Sailors set record
Balestier 1-6 Sailors | Toa Payoh | 19 June
Daniel Goh pen. 90’+3 | Shahdan Sulaiman 10′, 41′, Song Uiyoung 19′, Hariss Harun 26′, Gabriel Quak 74′, Faris Ramli 81′

 

A stunning first-time volley by Shahdan from 35 yards out opened the floodgates, as the Sailors soon made it two with Song applying the finishing touch to Diego Lopes’s unselfish pass. Hariss then fired home from close range, before Shahdan netted a spectacular second to put the champions four up at the break. Lopes then set up substitutes Quak and Faris to make it a hat-trick of assists, before Balestier found a consolation deep into injury time through Goh’s penalty conversion.

 

Facts

• The Sailors set a new club record of seven straight SPL wins, while Balestier lost five straight matches for the first time since May 2021.
• The Sailors have scored at least four goals in six out of the seven encounters since their 2020 inception.
• The Sailors have scored at least four goals in five of their last seven league matches.
• This is Balestier’s biggest defeat at Toa Payoh since a 5-0 defeat to Home United in October 2016.
• Shahdan scored his first brace since September 2017 in Tampines’ 5-1 win over Hougang; this is his third SPL brace.
• Song has now scored six times in his last six outings against Balestier; it was his 70^th career goal in all domestic competitions.
• Hariss scored his first SPL goal since 15 October 2011 when he netted for Young Lions in a 5-1 win over Woodlands.
• Quak scored his 40^th SPL goal.
• Faris scored his first goal since September 2021 in a 3-0 win over Geylang.
• Faris is the 11th different player to score for the Sailors – a league-best tally this year.
• Lopes is the first player to make three assists in a SPL match since Masaya Idetsu tallied four on 27 May for Albirex against Geylang.
• Sailors’ Hassan Sunny conceded a league goal for the first time in 495 minutes.
• Madhu Mohana made his debut for Balestier.

Balestier: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Darren Teh, Madhu Mohana, Delwinder Singh (Amer Hakeem 84’), Ho Wai Loon (C) (Aidil Johari 64’), Daniel Goh, Akmal Azman (Aarish Kumar 84’), Gareth Low (Ammirul Emmran 64’), Kuraba Kondo (Naufal Azman 84), Ryoya Taniguchi, Shuhei Hoshino.
Unused subs: Riki Kimura (GK), Ensar Brunčević, Asshukrie Wahid, Ignatius Ang.

Sailors: Hassan Sunny (GK), Hafiz Nor, Hariss Harun (C) (Amirul Adli 68’), Pedro Henrique, Nur Adam Abdullah, Shahdan Sulaiman (M. Anumanthan 79’), Diego Lopes, Haiqal Pashia (Gabriel Quak 61’), Song Uiyoung (Hami Syahin 46’), Maxime Lestienne (Faris Ramli 79’), Kim Shin-wook.
Unused subs: Izwan Mahbud (GK), Iqram Rifqi, Amiruldin Asraf, Adam Swandi.

 

White Swans show title fight
Albirex 5-0 Hougang | Jurong East | 19 June
Tadanari Lee 2′, Kodai Tanaka pen. 19′, Ilhan Fandi 53′, Masahiro Sugita 56′, Masaya Idetsu 65′

 

Lee’s early deft header off Daichi Omori’s cross paved the way for Albirex and they soon doubled their lead with Tanaka converting from the spot after Sugita was brought down in the area. Tanaka then turned provider to tee up Ilhan and Sugita for close-range finishes, before Idetsu clinically finished off Sugita’s cutback to complete the rout. Hougang finished the night with 10 men to pile on to their misery.

 

Facts

• Hougang are now win-less in the last seven encounters in all competitions since a 2-1 win at Jurong East in the 2019 RHB Singapore Cup group stage.
• Albirex are now unbeaten in their last 10 league matches and have won their last four.
• Hougang’s winless away streak is now extended to 10 matches.
• One goal and two assists meant Tanaka now has 16 goal involvements in 11 SPL outings.
• Ilhan has two goals and one assist in 78 minutes for Albirex so far this season.
• Tanaka became the third player to score and make an assist in the same match this season, after Maxime Lestienne and Boris Kopitović.

Albirex: Takahiro Koga (GK), Jun Kobayashi (C), Keito Hariya, Daichi Omori, Masaya Idetsu, Kumpei Kakuta, Kan Kobayashi (Reo Kunimoto 76’), Zamani Zamri (Fairoz Hasan 63’), Masahiro Sugita (Kanato Fukazawa 76’), Tadanari Lee (Ilhan Fandi 46’), Kodai Tanaka (Nicky Melvin Singh 63’)
Unused subs: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Kai Yamamoto (GK), Tatsuya Sambongi, Mahiro Takahashi.

Hougang: Mukundan Maran (GK), Nazrul Nazari (C), Anders Aplin, Lionel Tan, Nazhiim Harman (Fabian Kwok 63’), Hafiz Sujad (Afiq Noor 79’), Kaishu Yamazaki, Kristijan Krajček, Shawal Anuar (Shahril Ishak 63’), Sahil Suhaimi (André Moritz 46’), Pedro Bortoluzo.
Unused subs: Aizil Yazid (GK), Shahfiq Ghani, Amy Recha, Muhaimin Suhaimi, Jordan Vestering.

Red Card: Nazrul Nazari (Hougang) 90’+2

 

Late comeback from Young Lions
Geylang 2-2 Young Lions | Our Tampines Hub | 21 June
Takahiro Tezuka 17′, Hazzuwan Halim 46′ | Danish Qayyum 80′, Syed Akmal 90’+1

 

Geylang thought they had done enough to earn a much-needed win after Tezuka curled home a gorgeous free-kick before Hazzuwan converted Šime Žužul’s low cross to go two goals up. However, the Young Lions rallied with Qayyum thrashing a great volley past Zaiful Nizam to pull one back before Syed turned home Shah Shahiran’s corner in injury time to steal a share of the spoils.

 

Facts

• Geylang’s win-less streak stretched to 11 SPL matches – their worst run of form since the 2012 season when they went the same number of matches without a victory.
• The Young Lions are undefeated in their last three games against the Eagles and have lost just one of the last five encounters at OTH.
• This is the Young Lions’ first away point this season; all four of their points in 2022 have come against the Eagles.
• Young Lions conceded for a 45^th straight SPL game – they are the only team yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
• Qayyum scored his first professional goal.
• Both of Syed’s career SPL goals have come against Geylang.
• Geylang’s Danish Haziq made his professional debut, while Young Lions’ Nor Hakim made his first professional start.

Geylang: Zaiful Nizam (GK) (C), Tajeli Salamat, Abdil Qaiyyim, Rio Sakuma, Faizal Roslan, Takahiro Tezuka, Joshua Pereira (Umar Akhbar 83’), Danish Haziq (Hazzuwan Halim 46’), Vincent Bezecourt, Ahmad Syahir, Šime Žužul.
Unused subs: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Ilhan Noor, Khairul Hairie, Badrul Amin, Furqan Raoff.

Young Lions: Ridhwan Fikri (GK), Syabil Hisham (Harith Kanadi 37’), Syahrul Sazali, Syed Akmal, Danish Qayyum, Shah Shahiran (C), Harhys Stewart, Jared Gallagher (Zikos Chua 73’), Glenn Kweh, Abdul Rasaq, Nor Hakim (Joel Chew 56’).
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Putra Anugerah (GK).

 

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!