Albirex Niigata (S) are the Champions of the Singapore Premier League 2023, 16 September 2023.

 

SINGAPORE, 18 SEPTEMBER 2023 – The 2023 Singapore Premier League season ended with a bang as champions Albirex Niigata (S) celebrated their sixth triumph in style by thrashing Hougang United, while fourth place went to Balestier Khalsa – whose defeat to Tampines Rovers did not matter as nearest challengers Geylang International fell to Lion City Sailors a day later. Elsewhere, Brunei DPMM secured seventh spot by holding Tanjong Pagar United. We recap all the action here…

 

DPMM attain seventh place

Tanjong Pagar 1-1 DPMM | Jurong East | 15 September   

Marin Mudražija 55’ | Hakeme Yazid 45+2′

 

Having to play with ten men for the majority of the game due to goalkeeper Kenji Rusydi’s early dismissal, Tanjong Pagar went a goal down with Hakeme heading home Helmi Zambin’s corner. However the Jaguars rallied and rescued a point in the second half with substitute Mudražija tapping in Naqiuddin Eunos’ ball across the six-yard area.

Facts

• Seventh place is DPMM’s lowest finish in the SPL since 2017 when they finished in eighth.
• Hakeme finished the 2023 SPL campaign with 12 goals.

Tanjong Pagar: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Syed Akmal (Shakir Hamzah 46’), Faizal Roslan, Pedro Dias (Khairul Amri 81’), Shahrin Saberin (C), Mirko Šugić, Tajeli Salamat, Naqiuddin Eunos, Raihan Rahman (Blake Ricciuto 46’), Khairul Hairie (Fashah Iskandar 14’), Syukri Bashir (Marin Mudražija 46’).

Unused subs: Azim Akbar, Zulfadhmi Suzliman.

DPMM: Kristijan Naumovski (GK), Helmi Zambin (Azwan Saleh 75’), Yura Indera Putera, Hanif Hamir, Abdul Mu’iz Sisa (Awangku Fakharrazi 43’), Najib Tarif, Hanif Farhan (Abdul Azizi Rahman 84’)X, Farshad Noor, Naziruddin Ismail (Andrei Varankou 84’), Hakeme Yazid (Razimie Ramlli 84’), Azwan Ali Rahman (C).

Unused subs: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Syafiq Hilmi, Hirzi Zulfaqar.

Red Card – Kenji Rusydi (Tanjong Pagar) 11’

 

Tanjong Pagar United’s Mirko Sugic in action against Hougang United, 19 August 2023.

 

Stags close out season with win

Balestier 1-3 Tampines | Bishan | 15 September   

Ryoya Taniguchi 88’ | Glenn Kweh 72′, Kyoga Nakamura 90+1′, Shah Shahiran 90+4′

 

The goals came late in this one, with Kweh first lashing in a thumping right-footed drive to put Tampines ahead before Taniguchi applied the finishing touch to Shuhei Hoshino’s accurate pass to draw Balestier level. However, the Stags scored two in injury time to steal the three points – with Nakamura bundling home from close range before turning assister to tee up Shah to wrap the victory up.

Facts

• Fourth place is Balestier’s highest finish in the SPL since they last did so in 2015.
• Taniguchi finished as the 2023 SPL second-highest scorer with 23 goals.
• Kweh and Shah both scored their first goals of the season.
• Tampines’ Jovan Ang made his first-ever professional start.

Balestier: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Fudhil I’yadh (Iqram Rifqi 46’), Madhu Mohana (Fabian Kwok 81’), Jordan Emaviwe, Darren Teh, Ho Wai Loon (C), Ryoya Taniguchi, Daniel Goh, Masahiro Sugita, Ignatius Ang (Syukri Noorhaizam 77’), Shuhei Hoshino.

Unused subs: Wayne Chew (GK), Syabil Hisham, Emmeric Ong, Aidil Johari, Kian Jared Ghadessy, Garv Sahoo.

Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Irfan Najeeb, Shuya Yamashita, Miloš Zlatković, Jovan Ang (Glenn Kweh 46’), Shah Shahiran, Joel Chew (Saifullah Akbar 76’), Kyoga Nakamura, Yasir Hanapi (C) (Syed Firdaus Hassan 90’+2), Faris Ramli (Caelan Chong 82’), Boris Kopitović.

Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Rezza Rezky, Hamizan Hisham, Kegan Phang, Adam Reefdy.

 

Tampines Rovers’ Boris Kopitovic in action against Brunei DPMM, 18 August 2023.

 

Five-star Albirex celebrate title in style

Albirex 5-0 Hougang | Jurong East | 16 September

Seia Kunori 12’, 19′, Junki Yoshimura 44′, Tadanari Lee 49′, 69′

 

There was no way back for Hougang after Kunori netted an early brace through a couple of clinical finishes off Asahi Yokokawa’s crosses, as Yoshimura made it 3-0 by half time by tapping home at the far post. Lee then joined in the act with a header off a set-piece, before hooking in Kunori’s attempted shot to complete a convincing Albirex win.

Facts

• Albirex ended the season with seven straight victories and on the back of a 14-match unbeaten run.
• Albirex have scored at least five goals in nine out of 24 matches this season.
• Kunori finishes as the league’s third-highest scorer with 21 goals.
• Albirex’s Hassan Sunny wins the 2023 Golden Glove award with nine clean sheets.
• Yoshimura’s goal meant Albirex have the joint-most number of different scorers this season with 15 – level with Young Lions.

Albirex: Hassan Sunny (GK) (Hyrulnizam Juma’at 86’), Ryo Takahashi, Shunsaku Kishimoto, Koki Kawachi, Asahi Yokokawa (C) (Keito Komatsu 46’), Kaisei Ogawa (Hilman Norhisam 84’), Shodai Yokoyama (Shakthi Vinayagavijayan 84’), Junki Yoshimura (Riku Fukashiro 60’), Shuto Komaki, Seia Kunori, Tadanari Lee.

Unused subs: Keito Hariya, Sho Fuwa, Zamani Zamri, Kenji Austin.

Hougang: Zaiful Nizam (GK), Nazrul Nazari, Naoki Kuriyama, Anders Aplin, Jordan Vestering (Abdil Qayyim 81’), Zulfahmi Arifin (C), Irwan Shah (Shahdan Sulaiman 63’), Kristijan Krajček, Sahil Suhaimi (Gabriel Quak 46’), Hazzuwan Halim (Amy Recha 46’), Đorđe Maksimović (Ajay Robson 63’).

Unused subs: Zainol Gulam (GK), Idraki Adnan, Amir Zalani, Rauf Sanizal.

 

Albirex Niigata (S) Tadanari Lee in action against Balestier Khalsa, 20 August 2023.

 

Geylang denied top-four finish

Sailors 3-1 Geylang | Bishan | 16 September

Shawal Anuar 53’, Hami Syahin 62′, Haiqal Pashia 90+5′ | Yushi Yamaya 31’

 

Geylang took a shock lead as Yamaya ghosted in to head home Gareth Low’s deep cross and looked set to steal fourth spot off Balestier, but the Sailors came out strongly in the second half. Shawal rose the highest to head home Christopher van Huizen’s cross, before Hami lashed in a thunderbolt from outside the box to put the Sailors 2-1 up. Despite Lionel Tan’s dismissal, the Sailors sealed the victory late on with Pashia applying the finishing touch to Nathan Mao’s trivela pass.

Facts

• The Sailors finish the campaign with five straight wins.
• Shawal’s goal meant he has struck double digits for goals for a second straight league season – in total he has done so in three campaigns, including 2017 with Geylang.
• Pashia scored in back-to-back games for the first time since September 2021.

Sailors: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Hafiz Nor, Bill Mamadou, Hariss Harun (C), Christopher van Huizen, Hami Syahin (Nathan Mao 81’), Adam Swandi, Maxime Lestienne (Lionel Tan 46’), Diego Lopes (M. Anumanthan 70’), Richairo Živković (Haiqal Pashia 46’), Shawal Anuar (Zulqarnaen Suzliman 77’).

Unused subs: Izwan Mahbud (GK), Rusyaidi Salime, Harith Kanadi.

Geylang: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Fadli Kamis (Faisal Shahril 67’), Rio Sakuma, Amirul Adli, Akmal Azman, Joshua Pereira (C), Gareth Low (Azri Suhaili 46’), Takahiro Tezuka, Yushi Yamaya, Iqbal Hussain, Danish Haziq (Nazhiim Harman 59’).

Unused subs: Ridhwan Fikri (GK), Danish Irfan, Izz Anaqi, Zach Whitehouse, Josh Tan.

Red Card – Lionel Tan (Sailors) 71’

Geylang International’s players celebrating a goal against Young Lions, 19 August 2023.