Written By: Aysha Ridzuan

Home United grabbed three points with a 2-1 win against Warriors FC in the second Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League Uniformed Derby at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night.

The first meeting between both side earlier in the season had ended in a 2-2 stalemate, but goals from Song Uiyoung and Ken Ilso ensured that the Protectors took home maximum points this time round.

Jonathan Behe helped the Warriors pull level in the second-half, but the Frenchman’s goal proved to be mere consolation for the designated hosts in the end.

The victory for the Protectors means that they moved to fifth place in the table, eight points behind leaders Albirex Niigata (S) while Warriors sit a place below with nine points.

Home threatened to score just 10 minutes into the game when Ilso took down a free-kick inside the 18-yard box, but fired a shot wide of the mark.

A minute later, Warriors fired their own warning shot when Nicola Rak attempted a close-range shot after meeting Zulfadli Zainal’s corner, but Protectors’ custodian Hyrulnizam Juma’at was quick to push the Croatian’s shot away.

Poh Yi Feng was next to try his luck in the 13th minute with a fierce drive from just outside the box, but Hyrulnizam was alert to the danger.

A counter-attack by Home seven minutes later saw Ilso sliding a low cross into the box for Song to bundle the ball home at the far post.

The visitors should have doubled their lead in the 36th minute after Sirina Camara found Khairul Nizam with a pint-point cross, but the latter’s header was too weak to trouble Warriors custodian Yazid Yasin.

The Protectors came out firing after the break and almost increased their lead when Aqhari Abdullah was played through on goal in the 56th minute, but a moment of hesitation from the midfielder saw the Warriors defence recover in time to deflect his shot out for a corner.

Warriors almost restored parity a minute after the hour mark when Syaqir Sulaiman nodded the ball into the path of Hafiz Osman, but the latter, who was playing in midfield, blasted the ball wide.

Warriors then found the equaliser in the 63rd minute when a defensive mix-up between Hyrulnizam and Camara allowed Behe to tap the ball into an empty goal for his seventh goal of the season.

However, the Protectors refused to settle for another draw with their rivals and continued to search for their second goal.

They finally found it five minutes from time when an attacking move started by Ilso ended with Camara sending in a cross from the left for the Dane to slide home the winner for the Protectors.

Warriors FC coach Jorg Steinebrunner: “I think we did not deserve to lose the game tonight. It was quite an even game. In the second half it was all our game. We had a good possession and we deserved to level 1-1.

“Home’s second goal was a brilliant move by Ken Ilso. He’s a good player. He initiated the move and he finished it.

“But we could have done better. It’s painful to think that we did enough, played in good spirit. I thought the least we could get was a draw. But overall it was a good game.”

Home United coach Philippe Aw: “We did well in the first half…we dominated the game but after that Warriors had a better possession.

“They were also creative. Hyrul (Hyrulnizam) made a mistake for Warriors’ equaliser…but we got away with another goal after that.

“The goal we conceded was down to communication. Communication is very important in a game. We still have to work on that and stop making the same mistake.”

Warriors FC: Yazid Yasin (GK), Zulfadli Zainal (C), Kento Fukuda, Hafiz Osman (Shaiful Esah 60’), Madhu Mohana, Poh Yi Feng, Syaqir Sulaiman, Nikola Rak, Hafiz Nor (Fazli Jaffar 83’), Hafiz Rahim (Ridhuan Muhammad 71’), Jonathan Behe

Home United FC: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Juma’at Jantan (C), Sirina Camara, Abdil Qaiyyim, Shahrin Saberin (Shamil Sharif 56’), Uiyoung Song, Zulfahmi Arifin, Aqhari Abdullah (Faris Ramli 69’), Azhar Sairudin (Syahiran Miswan 80’), Ken Ilso, Khairul Nizam