Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Miroslav Pejic once again came to Warriors FC’s rescue as he struck three minutes before the end to earn a deserved 1-1 draw against a gritty Tanjong Pagar United at Queenstown Stadium on Thursday evening.

Sebastien Etiemble gave the Jaguars the lead in the first half as he rose highest to nod in Masrezwan Masturi’s corner kick beyond the flailing arms of Warriors custodian Hassan Sunny in the 13th minute.

It could have been two goals up for Patrick Vallee’s charges after a defensive mix-up by the Warriors defence. But with Hassan off his line, Asraf Rashid failed to capitalise on the opportunity as his shot was blocked by Marin Vidosevic in the six yards area.

Both sides ended the match with 10 men after referee Muhd Taqi flashed the red card to Shi Jiayi and Asraf after the duo were caught up in a heated exchanges of words in the 68th minute.

The hosts started the second half strongly as Firdaus Idros gave Zulfadli Zainal a torrid time with his speed and mazy runs down the right flank, causing chaos in the Warriors’ penalty box with his enterprise.

Thomas Beattie’s absence in the match was felt by Alex Weaver’s side who were struggling to keep pace with Jaguars’ Etiemble and Tengku Mushadad in central midfield, especially in the first half.

Warriors were restricted to take shots from a distance as Jaguars’ defence, led by captain Hafiz Osman and Anthony Aymard, were keeping the visitors at bay.

A slew of changes in the final quarter of the match gave the Warriors a much needed spark in midfield as Weaver brought in Irwan Shah and Prime League player Suria Prakash in for the tiring Jeremy Chiang and Hafsyar Farkhan.

With fresh legs on the field, the Warriors continued to heap pressure on the hosts and were finally rewarded as Pejic scored his seventh goal of the campaign in the 87th minute.

The Croatian cleverly shook off his markers at the edge of the box before picking his spot and slid the ball into the bottom corner past a hapless Aurelien Herisson.

The hosts immediately responded by laying siege to the Warriors’ goal in a bid to secure a valuable three points at home.

The Jaguars were denied from claiming the spoils of battle as Hassan produced top quality saves to deny Mazrezwan and Zerka at the end.