SINGAPORE, 14 SEPTEMBER 2026 – The 2026/27 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season is off to an entertaining start, with Tampines Rovers and FC Jurong opening their campaigns with wins over Balestier Khalsa and Young Lions, respectively. Lion City Sailors fought back from two goals down to rescue a point against Hougang United, while Geylang International edged past nine-man Tanjong Pagar United. We recap all the action here…
Stags make winning start
Tampines 2-0 Balestier | Our Tampines Hub | 11 September | Tajeli Salamat O.G. 28’, Hide Higashikawa 86’
Tajeli Salamat’s own goal gave Tampines the first-half lead in the 2026/27 SPL opener after Yuki Kobayashi’s dangerous corner inadvertently bounced off the Balestier captain’s knee and into the net. The Tigers pushed for an equaliser after the break, with Tin Matic seeing his side-footed effort from a tight angle bounce off the crossbar. The Stags eventually sealed the points when Shodai Yokoyama’s inviting cross found Hide Higashikawa, who nodded home from close range to make it 2-0.
Facts
- Hide Higashikawa nets his 20th goal in 21 SPL appearances for Tampines.
- The Stags have now won three straight league meetings against Balestier.
- Balestier are now winless in their last seven opening league matches, with their last opening-match victory being a 4-1 win over Young Lions in the 2019 SPL season.
Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK, C), Raoul Suhaimi, Jacob Mahler, Shah Shahiran, Faris Ramli (Kenshin Yamazaki 76’), Shodai Yokoyama (Yuma Kimura 90’), Dylan Fox, Amirul Haikal (Caden Lim 90+6’), Hide Higashikawa, Seiga Sumi, Yuki Kobayashi
Unused subs: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Jarec Ng (GK), Amirul Adli, Ong Yu En, Iman Hakim, Irfan Najeeb, Rasul Ramli, Naufal Mohammad, Kegan Phang
Balestier: Mario Mustapic (GK), Tajeli Salamat (C), Azim Akbar (Irfan Mika’il 77’), Daniel Goh (Timothy Cheng 83’), Marin Kuzminski (Zikos Chua 62’), Hiro Mizuguchi, Tin Matic, Yushin Otake, Fudhil I’yadh, Jakov Katusa, Bill Mamadou
Unused subs: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Danial Crichton, Woo Chun Wei, Ilyasin Zayan, Syafi Hilman, Levi Farris Alfa
Comeback earns Sailors a point
Hougang 2-2 Sailors | Bishan | 12 September | Ayman Kassimi 17’, Oakley Cannonier 22’ | Antonio Mance 39’, Bobby Adekanye 87’
Ayman Kassimi and Oakley Cannonier put Hougang two goals up inside the opening 22 minutes, with Kassimi cutting inside from the left to fire a powerful strike past Ivan Sušak before Cannonier finished off Zulqarnaen Suzliman’s solo run. The Sailors pulled one back before the break when Antonio Mance controlled Diogo Costa’s cross on his chest before finishing neatly. Bobby Adekanye then completed the comeback in the 87th minute, lifting a calm finish past Takahiro Koga to earn the defending champions a point.
Facts
- Sailors have remained unbeaten in their opening league match since the club’s inception in 2020.
- Former Liverpool FC youth players Oakley Cannonier (Hougang) and Bobby Adekanye (Sailors) scored their first league goals for their new clubs.
- Sailors have maintained their unbeaten run against Hougang in league and cup competitions, last losing 1-3 to the Cheetahs on 20 March 2021.
Hougang: Takahiro Koga (GK), Zulqarnaen Suzliman (C) (Washington Jaramillo 83’), Koki Kawachi, Huzaifah Aziz, Ayman Kassimi, Arya Igami, Milos Drincic, Oakley Cannonier (Connor Flynn-Gillespie 65’), Amir Syafiz, Lucas Cardoso (Khairin Nadim 78’), Jordan Emaviwe
Unused subs: Aizil Yazid (GK), Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Phutanet Somjit, Brant Tan, Jarrel Ong, Rauf Sanizal, Natthakit Phosri, Lin Ze Hao, Ashvin Vela
Sailors: Ivan Susak (GK), Toni Datkovic (C) (Hariss Harun 77’), Jeorge Karseladze (Ryhan Stewart 63’), Lionel Tan, Kyoga Nakamura (Giovanni Haag 77’), Bart Ramselaar, Antonio Mance, Song Uiyoung (Shawal Anuar 85’), Ilhan Fandi (Bobby Adekanye 63’), Matthias Phaeton, Diogo Costa
Unused subs: Victor Aznar (GK), Hugo Gomes, Glenn Kweh, Hami Syahin, Farhan Zulkifli, Nur Adam Abdullah, Abdul Rasaq
Jurong off to flying start
Young Lions 0-4 Jurong | Jalan Besar | 13 September | Toa Suenaga 14’, 45+1’, Andrew Aw 81’, Shunsuke Ono 87’
Toa Suenaga opened the scoring from close range after Izwan Mahbud failed to hold Takuma Yamaguchi’s effort, before the Japanese forward grabbed his brace in first-half added time. Young Lions had opportunities to get back into the contest, but Andrew Aw made it 3-0 in the 81st minute before Shunsuke Ono headed home from a corner six minutes later to complete a 4-0 victory. Hassan Sunny also made several important stops to preserve his side’s shutout as Jurong began life under their new name with a convincing win.
Facts
- Jurong have won their last four league meetings with Young Lions, scoring 10 goals without reply.
- Joel Chew made his full debut on his return to Young Lions, having last featured for the club in 2022.
- Keisuke Honda was left out of Jurong’s matchday squad, instead listed as team staff as he awaits his SPL debut.
Young Lions: Izwan Mahbud (GK) (Benjamin Zerak 67’), Nathan Mao (C), Luth Harith (Hafiz Nor 46’), Shuya Yamashita, Kai Whitmore (Hisatoshi Nishido 67’), Daisuke Sakai, Toi Kagami, Andy Reefqy, Iryan Fandi, Joel Chew (Danial Herwan 75’), Louka Tan (Garv Sahoo 46’)
Unused subs: Fairuz Fazli, Ikram Mikhail, Sarrvin Raj, Aryan Sahib, Farrel Farhan, Erdy Thaqib, Abdil Qaiyyim
Jurong: Hassan Sunny (GK), Seiya Satsukida (C), Kim Yoonsik, Seo Seungwoo (Shunsuke Ono 64’), Yuma Tsuzurabara, Takuma Yamaguchi, Toa Suenaga (Mizuki Ando 64’), Akram Azman, Christopher van Huizen (Sim Jun Yen 71’), Haziq Kamarudin (Andrew Aw 71’), Lee Jaeyong (Kodai Dohi 80’)
Unused subs: Firman Nabil (GK), Jaden Heng, Syed Firdaus, Aneeq Fairus, Shakthi Vinayagavijayan, Aqil Zafri, Izz Anaqi
Eagles edge nine-man Jaguars
Geylang 1-0 Tanjong Pagar | Our Tampines Hub | 14 September | Kim Taeuk 33’
Kim Taeuk headed Geylang ahead in the 33rd minute from Yang Hyeonju’s free-kick, before Tanjong Pagar were reduced to nine men as Madhu Mohana and Marvin Anieboh were sent off either side of half-time. The Eagles found the net twice more, but both efforts were ruled out for offside – Nazrul Nazari’s strike was chalked off in first-half added time before Dejan Račić saw his tap-in disallowed after the break. Despite being down to nine men, the Jaguars still created several chances but could not find a way through as the Eagles held on for a narrow win.
Facts
- Tanjong Pagar named 10 new players in their starting XI, with only Marcus Mosses returning from last season’s squad.
- Boris Kopitović made his SPL return, having last played in the competition on 22 November 2024 for Tampines against his current club, Tanjong Pagar.
- Geylang have now won five straight matches against Tanjong Pagar in league and cup competitions.
Geylang International: Milos Cupic (GK), Joshua Pereira (C), Darren Teh, Cho Eunsu, Kim Taeuk, Naoki Yoshioka (Milan Landreman 81’), Kaisei Ogawa, Dejan Racic, Harith Kanadi (Sahil Suhaimi 62’), Yang Hyeonju, Nazrul Nazari
Unused subs: Aniq Matin (GK), Dylan Pereira (GK), S C Denilson, Putera Irfan, Prince Rio Rifae’i, Shafrel Ariel, Diego Aspiras, Daniel Serrano
Tanjong Pagar United: Aitor Mujica (GK), Madhu Mohana (C), Jared Gallagher (Zahil Rahman 90+5’), Yuki Aizu, Boris Kopitovic, Masahiro Sugita, Riku Fukashiro, Taufik Suparno (Kieran Teo 58’), Marcus Mosses (Syahrul Sazali 79’), Alejandro Masogo (Naqiuddin Eunos 90+5’), Marvin Anieboh
Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Travis Ang (GK), Syed Akmal, Samuel Pillai, Fathullah Rahmat, Deshan Gunasegara, Anaqi Ismit
Red Card – Madhu Mohana (Tanjong Pagar) 44’, Marvin Anieboh (Tanjong Pagar) 55’
