Written by: Phoon Jia Hui

After his side’s 13-0 capitulation at the hands of Albirex Niigata (S) in a StarHub League Cup Group A match at Jurong East Stadium, Police SA team manager Hisham Saad admitted that they had lost out on ‘fitness, experience and exposure’.

“I think the boys tried their best against full-time footballers. They tried their best in fighting for every ball. I thought the first-half was where we lost the game and second-half we had lapses at the back and that ultimately cost us the game,” he added.

However, Hisham hoped that his players had picked up valuable experience from this and do better for their upcoming games in future.

“It’s not the first time we have lost, but it’s the first time we lost by such a big margin,” he stated.

“Since the S.League clubs are of a different level, the boys can bring back the experience playing against top-flight teams like Albirex and hope to improve against next game against Tanjong Pagar United.”

Albirex coach Tatsuyuki Okuyama was understandably delighted with the result which saw them go top of the group and dedicated it to their fans.

“Of course, the result is important, even if we won 1-0 it’s okay. What’s most important is whether we can win the heart of supporters by showing up in this game, compared to scoring more goals,” explained the 38-year-old.

“It was an important game for us today and for the game I wanted the players to challenge themselves. They tried and they could win so I’m very happy with their effort.”