Albirex Niigata (S) players celebrating a goal against Young Lions, 22 July 2023.

 

SINGAPORE, 23 JULY 2023 – It is advantage Albirex Niigata (S) in the 2023 AIA Singapore Premier League title race as they easily dispatched Young Lions to go three points ahead with a game in hand, while nearest challengers Tampines Rovers fell to a surprise defeat to Geylang International. Elsewhere, Lion City Sailors edged Tanjong Pagar to keep their faint title hopes alive while Hougang United’s revival continued with a win over Balestier Khalsa. We recap all the action below…

 

Comeback victory from the Sailors

Sailors 3-2 Tanjong Pagar | Bishan | 20 July   

Maxime Lestienne 12’, pen. 81’, Shawal Anuar 86’ | Syukri Bashir pen. 35’, Akram Azman 65’

 

 

It had looked like the Sailors was on the way to a routine victory after Lestienne tapped home after Diego Lopes’s shot was parried into his path, but Tanjong Pagar gave them a huge scare as Syukri levelled from the spot before captain Akram unleashed a clean shot into the bottom corner to put the Jaguars ahead. The Sailors woke up from their slumber, with Lestienne then dusting himself off after being fouled by Raihan Rahman in the box to equalise from the spot before substitute Shawal nodded in Adam Swandi’s cross to complete the comeback.

Facts

• The Sailors have now won eight matches out of 10 at home this season.
• Lestienne have now pulled level with Balestier’s Ryoya Taniguchi on 20 goals at the top of the SPL scoring charts.
• Syukri have now doubled his previous career-best of two goals in 2019 with Young Lions.
• Akram scored in successive SPL matches for the first time in his career.

Sailors: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Hafiz Nor (Zulqarnaen Suzliman 65’), Lionel Tan, M. Anumanthan, Nur Adam Abdullah (Christopher van Huizen 65’), Hariss Harun (C), Hami Syahin (Nur Muhammad Asis 65’), Adam Swandi, Maxime Lestienne (Haiqal Pashia 90’+2), Diego Lopes (Shawal Anuar 55’), Richairo Živković.

Unused subs: Adib Nur Hakim (GK), Rusyaidi Salime, Bill Mamadou, Yazid Rizal Rais.

Tanjong Pagar: Fashah Iskandar (GK), Tajeli Salamat, Azim Akbar, Shakir Hamzah (Pedro Dias 24’), Raihan Rahman (Khairul Hairie 81’), Akram Azman (C), Faizal Roslan, Naqiuddin Eunos (Zulfadhmi Suzliman 82’), Blake Ricciuto, Syukri Bashir, Khairul Amri (Marin Mudražija 46’).

Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Shahrin Saberin, Khairul Hairie, Syed Akmal, Saiful Azhar, Ahmad Dzulfaqar.

 

Lion City Sailors’ Maxime Lestienne in action against Young Lions, 7 July 2023.

 

Cheetahs prowling again

Balestier 1-3 Hougang | Bishan | 21 July

Shuhei Hoshino 19’ | Djordje Maksimovic 53’, Kristijan Krajček 74’, 86’

 

 

Hoshino reacted the quickest in the area to put Balestier ahead and they had looked good for a fifth straight win, but Hougang showed up in the second half. Krajček teed up Maksimovic to round Hairul Syirhan for his first Cheetahs strike, before curling home a neat effort from the edge of the area to put the away side ahead. The Croatian playmaker then rounded off a superb individual display with yet another stunner from outside the box to complete the Cheetahs’ victory.

Facts

• Hougang have won both matches in which mid-season signing Abdil Qaiyyim has started in.
• Balestier have now conceded in their last 36 SPL matches.
• Krajček has netted four goals in his last four appearances against Balestier.
• That was also Krajček’s first league brace since July 2022 in Hougang’s 4-2 win over Tampines.

Balestier: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Fudhil I’yadh (Syukri Noorhaizam 68’), Madhu Mohana, Jordan Emaviwe, Darren Teh, Alen Kozar (Kian Jared Ghadessy 85’), Ho Wai Loon (C), Ryoya Taniguchi (Ignatius Ang 77’), Daniel Goh, Masahiro Sugita, Shuhei Hoshino.

Unused subs: Suffian Abdullah (GK), Syabil Hisham, Emmeric Ong, Amer Hakeem, Garv Sahoo, Irfan Mika’il.

Hougang: Zaiful Nizam (GK), Nazrul Nazari, Abdil Qaiyyim, Naoki Kuriyama, Kazuma Takayama, Zulfahmi Arifin (C), Irwan Shah (Amir Zalani 75’), Louka Vaissierre-Tan (Hazzuwan Halim 46’), Kristijan Krajček (Ajay Robson 88’), Gabriel Quak (Sahil Suhaimi 66’), Djordje Maksimovic (Amy Recha 88’)

Unused subs: Zainol Gulam (GK), Anders Aplin, Fairoz Hasan, Idraki Adnan.

 

Hougang United’s Kristijan Krajček in action against Balestier Khalsa, 2 July 2023.

 

White Swans cruising towards title

Albirex 5-0 Young Lions | Jurong East | 22 July

Keito Komatsu 6’, 15’, pen. 23’, Hilman Norhisam 67’, Shunsaku Kishimoto 82’

 

 

After nodding a header in off the bar, Komatsu then tapped home from close range before thumping home from the spot to complete a stunning 23-minute hat-trick. Young Lions were then reduced to nine men after a couple of sending-offs, with Albirex then adding a fourth with Hilman popping up at the far post to round off a great team move. Captain Kishimoto then nodded home a corner to complete an easy victory.

Facts

• Komatsu’s 23-minute hat-trick is the fastest of any player this season – he is now the league’s fourth-highest scorer with 11 goals despite just starting two matches all season.
• Kishimoto’s goal meant Albirex now have 13 different scorers this season – the joint-most in the league alongside Young Lions.
• Albirex’s Hyrulnizam Juma’at kept his first clean sheet since September 2019 in Albirex’s 1-0 win over Home United.
• Hilman scored his first SPL goal.
• Young Lions have now lost 11 straight matches and conceded in 83 straight SPL outings.

Albirex: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Ryo Takahashi, Keito Hariya, Shunsaku Kishimoto (C), Sho Fuwa (Shuto Komaki 45’+2), Shodai Yokoyama, Junki Yoshimura (Zamani Zamri 81’), Kaisei Ogawa (Hilman Norhisam 62’), Riku Fukashiro (Shakthi Vinayagavijayan 81’), Masaya Watanabe, Keito Komatsu.

Unused subs: Yoshihiko Kobayashi (GK), Koki Kawachi, Asashi Yokokawa, Seia Kunori, Tadanari Lee.

Young Lions: Wayne Chew (GK) (Aizil Yazid 46’), Fairuz Fazli, Jun Kobayashi (C), Kieran Teo, Aqil Yazid, Iman Hakim, Kan Kobayashi, Syafi’ie Redzuan (Loo Kai Sheng 76’), Farhan Zulkifli, Syahadat Masnawi (Ikram Mikhail 46’), Haziq Kamarudin.

Unused subs: Zikos Chua, Ryan Praveen, Danish Haqimi.

Red Cards – Aqil Yazid (Young Lions) 34’, Haziq Kamarudin (Young Lions) 40’

 

Albirex Niigata (S) Tadanari Lee in action against Brunei DPMM, 8 July 2023.

 

Stags’ title hopes fade

Tampines 2-3 Geylang | Our Tampines Hub | 22 July

Yasir Hanapi pen. 61’, 83’ | Akmal Azman 35’, Yushi Yamaya 53’, Rio Sakuma 90’+7

 

 

It was an Eastern Derby for the ages as Akmal’s shot from outside the box was deflected in before Yamaya swivelled well to net a second as Geylang took a 2-0 lead. Tampines – reduced to 10 men after Irfan Najeeb’s dismissal – launched a rousing comeback with Yasir first scoring a penalty before converting a stunning free-kick to equalise. However, the Eagles stole the three points deep into injury time with Sakuma tapping home after Takahiro Tezuka’s header was parried into his path.

Facts

• Geylang are unbeaten in all three Eastern derbies this season, with a record of one win and two draws.
• Tampines lost for the first time in 11 matches.
• Yasir netted back-to-back braces for the first time in his career – he has also equalled his 2021 and 2022 career-best tallies of six goals in a season.
• Sakuma scored his fourth goal of his SPL career, while Akmal scored his first-ever professional goal.

Tampines: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Irfan Najeeb, Shuya Yamashita, Shah Shahiran, Glenn Kweh, Saifullah Akbar (Ryaan Sanizal 76’), Joel Chew (Syed Firdaus Hassan 88’), Kyoga Nakamura, Yasir Hanapi (C), Faris Ramli, Boris Kopitović (Taufik Suparno 45’).

Unused subs: Sunny Tia (GK), Rezza Rezky, Firdaus Kasman, Kegan Phang, Caelan Chong, Adam Reefdy.

Geylang: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Akmal Azman (Fadli Kamis 72’), Rio Sakuma, Amirul Adli, Ahmad Syahir, Takahiro Tezuka, Joshua Pereira (C), Yushi Yamaya, Arshad Shamim, Iqbal Hussain (Gareth Low 72’), Shahfiq Ghani (Naufal Azman 46’).

Unused subs: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Faisal Shahril, Danish Irfan, Ikhsanuddin Sharil, Danish Haziq, Syazwan Abdul Latiff.

Red Card – Irfan Najeeb (Tampines) 51’

 

Geylang International players celebrating a goal against Tanjong Pagar United, 15 July 2023.