The Singapore Premier League returned from the international break with a bang – with a dramatic late winner to hand BG Tampines Rovers their first defeat of the season, while the Lion City Sailors showed exactly why they sit top of the table. Here are five lessons from the weekend:
Albirex announce themselves as title contenders
Albirex Niigata (S) 3-2 BG Tampines Rovers | Jurong East Stadium | 4 April
(Yang Hyeonju 39′ (P), Shingo Nakano 60′, Abdul Rasaq 86′ | Trent Anthony Buhagiar 4′, Hide Higashikawa 7′)
BG Tampines Rovers looked to be cruising when Trent Anthony and Hide Higashikawa struck early to put the Stags firmly in control.
But Albirex Niigata (S) had other ideas. A penalty — awarded following a foul on Katsuyuki Ishibashi — ignited the White Swans’ comeback, and when Shingo Nakano equalised, the momentum had fully shifted.
Abdul Rasaq then delivered the decisive blow in the 86th minute, completing a stunning turnaround that sends a clear message to the rest of the league: Albirex are firmly in the title conversation.
Costly slip for Stags as Sailors extend lead
BG Tampines Rovers’ unbeaten run is over. Having led Albirex Niigata (S) 2-0 inside seven minutes, the Stags will be left to rue a collapse that cost them dearly — not just in terms of the result, but in the context of the title race.
With Lion City Sailors picking up all three points on Monday night against Tanjong Pagar United, the gap between the Stags and the league leaders has grown wider.
With the season entering a decisive phase, this represents a setback for Tampines in their pursuit of the title.
Albirex Niigata (S): Hassan Sunny, Kim Taeuk, Nozomi Ozawa (Naoki Yoshioka 65′), Komei Iida, Zulqarnaen Suzliman (Nicky Melvin Singh 77′), Katsuyuki Ishibashi (Ren Nishimura 89′), Cho Eunsu, Abdul Rasaq Akeem, Yang Hyeonju, Haziq Kamarudin (Sim Jun Yen 46′), Shingo Nakano (C) (Takumi Yokohata 77′)
Unused subs: Takahiro Koga, Dylan Pereira, Helmi Shahrol, Delwinder Singh, Soshi Kadowaki, Danish Qayyum, Naufal Mohammad
BG Tampines Rovers: Syazwan Buhari (C), Shuya Yamashita, Jacob Mahler, Seiga Sumi, Shah Shahiran (90+5′), Trent Anthony Buhagiar (Taufik Suparno 77′), Irfan Najeeb (Raoul Suhaimi 90+2′), Hide Higashikawa, Takeshi Yoshimoto, Yuki Kobayashi (Joel Chew 80′), Kohya Kazama (Tara Ndao 90+2′)
Unused subs: Kasey Champlin Rogers, Ong Yu En, Dylan James Fox, Amirul Haikal, Zikos Chua, Iman Hakim, Kegan Phang
Eagles soar with back-to-back victories
Hougang United 0-1 Geylang International | Bishan Stadium | 4 April
(Ryoya Taniguchi 5′)
Ryoya Taniguchi’s fifth-minute strike to put Geylang International ahead set the tone at Bishan Stadium, and Eagles’ goalkeeper Rudy Khairullah made sure it was enough — producing a crucial save in the 76th minute to preserve the clean sheet and all three points for Geylang.
The result gave Noor Ali and his charges back-to-back victories and kept them fifth on the table, one spot above the Cheetahs.
For Hougang, it was another frustrating evening — and the gap to fifth place remains.
Hougang United: Ridhuan Barudin, Jordan Vestering, Huzaifah Aziz, Saifullah Akbar, Farhan Zulkifli, Washington Ayovi (45+5′), Ryaan Sanizal (C), Nabilai Kibunguchy, Yuma Suwa, Victor Blasco Llorens (Chonlawit Kanuengkid 80′), Jaushua Sotirio
Unused subs: Aizil Yazid, Anders Aplin, Kanok Kongsimma, Saharat Panmarchya, Rauf Sanizal, Brant Tan, Wong Ngang Haang, Aryan Boon Ying An, Syady Sufwan, Woo Chun Wei, Ganesan Silloren
Geylang International: Rudy Khairullah, Kim Tae Ho (90+3′), Shuhei Hoshino, Joshua Pereira (C), Ryoya Taniguchi, Vincent Bezecourt (Gareth Low 76′), Nikola Ignjatovic, Shahdan Sulaiman, Shodai Yokoyama, Kaisei Ogawa, Nazrul Nazari
Unused subs: Yu Kanoshima, Ko Jaehyun, Amy Recha, Raiyan Noor, Ryu Hardy, Faisal Shahril, Timothy Cheng, Abuduryim Abdushukur, Vedant Raj
Balestier get back on track
Young Lions 0-2 Balestier Khalsa | Jalan Besar Stadium | 5 April
(Masahiro Sugita 55′, Daniel Goh 85′)
Balestier Khalsa returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Young Lions.
Masahiro Sugita broke the deadlock in the second half before Daniel Goh sealed the win late on. Despite the result, Young Lions showed promise, with several players making their first league starts and creating a number of chances.
The performance offered positives for the developmental side, even if they left without points.
Young Lions: Izwan Mahbud, Ajay Robson, Andrew Aw (45+2′), Amir Syafiz (C), Henry Lawrence Spence (Nicolas Michael Beninger 84′), Marcus Mosses, Garv Sahoo (Abner Vinicius 75′), Nathan Mao (Sergio Mendonca 75′), Luth Harith Fathi, Danial Ukail (Joshua Little 70′), Abdil Qaiyyim
Unused subs: Ashman Saravanan, Iryan Fandi, Fairuz Fazli, Yazid Rizal Rais
Balestier Khalsa: Mario Mustapic, Darren Teh (Fudhil I’Yadh 81′), Tajeli Salamat, Mario Subaric, Madhu Mohana (C), Lazar Vujanic, Bogdan Mandic (Elijah Lim 90+1′), Tin Matic, Masahiro Sugita, Jakov Katusa, Ignatius Ang (Daniel Goh 70′)
Unused subs: Martyn Mun, Hafiz Ahmad, Dany Irfan, Aniq Raushan, Ilyasin Zayan, Yanir Ben Eliezer, Syafi Nur Hilman
Sailors maintain momentum as Golden Boot race intensifies
Tanjong Pagar United 0-4 Lion City Sailors | Jurong East Stadium | 6 April
(Lennart Thy 33′, Bart Ramselaar 48′, Bailey Wright 65′, Diogo Costa 90+10′)
Lion City Sailors continued their unbeaten league run with a commanding victory over Tanjong Pagar United, with four different scorers underlining the depth and quality at Jesus Casas’ disposal.
The result also added another subplot to a league in the form of an increasingly compelling Golden Boot race.
Bart Ramselaar joined Anderson Lopes on eight goals after his strike, while Lennart Thy extended his lead at the top to 11. With the Sailors showing no signs of letting up, individual battles within the collective only add to the spectacle of what remains an enthralling season.
Tanjong Pagar United: Matthew Silva (C), Syed Muhammad Akmal (Sahil Suhaimi 87′), Fathullah Rahmat (Azim Akbar 81′), Zenivio Morientes Mota, Faizal Roslan, Naqiuddin Eunos (Raihan Rahman 81′), Estevez Emilio, Vabio Canavaro, Shodai Nishikawa, Lee Chanwoo, Lougah Junior Djile (Anaqi Ismit 65′)
Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi, Zaiful Nizam, Syahrul Sazali, Syahadat Masnawi, Aiqel Aliman, Samuel Pillai, Haziq Zulkifli, Izrafil Yusof
Lion City Sailors: Ivan Susak, Toni Datkovic, Tsiy William Ndenge (Song Uiyoung 59′), Lennart Thy (Anderson Lopes 68′), Bart Ramselaar, Nur Adam (Shawal Anuar 46′), Christopher van Huizen (Lucas Agueiro 59′), Bailey Wright (C), Diogo Costa, Akram Azman, Kyoga Nakamura (Hariss Harun 68′)
Unused subs: Benjamin Zerak, Adib Nur Hakim, Lionel Tan, Hafiz Nor, Hami Syahin
Red card: Faizal Roslan (Tanjong Pagar United) 77’
