Written By: Kenneth Ho

Hougang United coach Salim Moin shared his disappointment at the Cheetahs’ 2-2 draw with Courts Young Lions despite calling it a “fair result”.

Salim’s unhappiness stemmed from Hougang’s inability to kill off the Young Lions after they took a lead just 15 seconds into the game.

Hougang captain Nurhilmi Jasni scored the opener after latching onto Carlos Delgado’s pass and beat both his marker and Young Lions goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari to slot home.

The Cheetahs continued to dominate the rest of the first half but they failed to put away the chances that came their way.

This was a major factor in Hougang having to settle for a point, according to Salim.

“It was a fair point,” Salim said. “But I feel very disappointed with the draw.”

“In fact, the first half we had many chances and we should have scored a second goal and then we would have been in a good position.”

Eventually, the Young Lions came back a vastly different side in the second half as they turned things around and took a 2-1 lead instead.

Luckily for Hougang, Nurhilmi came to their rescue once again as he scored the equaliser for his side in the 73rd minute.

The draw meant Hougang still stayed above the Young Lions in the table despite both of them having 19 points. Hougang are now in eighth spot while Young Lions are in ninth.

“At least we collected a point, it is very important and at least we are the same points with the Young Lions,” Salim added..

Young Lions coach Juergen Raab on the other hand was not so pleased by the result and believed their second-half’s performance merited maximum points.

“How we played football was very well, we dominated the match and played with possession and with good attacks,” Raab said.

“Second half we played some nice football and normally we would finish the match as victors because we had clear chances.

“It’s not easy for the team, in the end we want to have a result and I am not happy about the result, but am happy with how we played.”