Singapore Premier League • June 17, 2019
Singapore Premier League Week 13: Roundup
SINGAPORE, 17 JUNE 2019 – The net bulged a remarkable 17 times over the course of three games as the goals flowed freely, starting with Home United’s eight-goal thriller with Warriors FC where a stunning last-gasp strike rescued a draw for the hosts. Albirex Niigata (S) closed the gap on leaders Brunei DPMM with a convincing win against Tampines Rovers, while Geylang International hit Balestier Khalsa for five. We recap the weekend’s action below…
Home 4-4 Warriors | Bishan | 15 June
Song Uiyoung 10′, 49′, Shahril Ishak pen. 88′, Faizal Roslan 90′ | Sahil Suhaimi 19′, Gabriel Quak 45’+1, 53′, Jonathan Behe 58
Fans certainly got their money’s worth at this Uniformed Derby, which exploded to life after 10 minutes and provided edge-of-the-seat entertainment right until the final whistle. Song Uiyoung’s goal that broke the deadlock might have been a tad fortunate – his scrappy connection off Hafiz Nor’s excellent cross trickled into the bottom left corner – but his second was a sweet strike, chesting down Hami Syahin’s centre before swivelling to volley past Riki Kimura. That drew the Protectors level after Sahil Suhaimi and Gabriel Quak had turned things around; Quak’s incisive pass was well controlled and calmly slid in from a tight angle by Sahil, before he returned the favour and set up Quak to poke past Nazri Sabri on the stroke of half-time. When Quak smashed home from close range and Jonathan Behe headed in Sahil’s corner, it seemed like the Warriors were cruising. But Shahril Ishak set up a nervy finale by slotting home a penalty won by substitute Amiruldin Asraf and Faizal Roslan provided the blockbuster finish – from all of 35 yards, the centre-back cracked a powerful effort that flew into the top left corner to take everyone’s breaths away and salvage an unlikely point.
Facts
– This was the 80th edition of the Uniformed Derby.
– Home dropped points for the first time this season in a match they scored first in.
– Shahril and Faizal opened their accounts for the league season.
– Hami’s two assists were his first of the league season.
– Song drew level with Oliver Puflett on four league goals to become Home’s joint-leading league scorer.
– Home scored their first penalty goal of the season.
– Jonathan Behe scored for a fifth successive game (six goals); Quak scored for a fourth successive game (five goals).
– Warriors scored four goals in a game for the first time since April 2017.
– Warriors conceded a fourth penalty goal of the season, the most of any team in the league.
Home XI: Nazri Sabri (GK), Aqhari Abdullah, Abdil Qaiyyim, Faizal Roslan, Iqram Rifqi (Ho Wai Loon 90’+1), Hami Syahin, Song Uiyoung, Muhelmy Suhaimi (Oliver Puflett 59’), Adam Swandi, Hafiz Nor (Amiruldin Asraf 86’), Shahril Ishak (C).
Unused subs: Haikal Hasnol (GK), Nur Hizami, Taufiq Muqminin, Suhairi Sabri.
Warriors XI: Riki Kimura (GK), Ryhan Stewart (Shameer Aziq 87’), Kento Fukuda, Emmeric Ong, Tajeli Salamat, Poh Yi Feng, Faizal Raffi (Ammirul Emmran 72’), Gabriel Quak (C), Sahil Suhaimi (Ignatius Ang 78’), Khairul Nizam, Jonathan Behe.
Unused subs: Shahul Rayyan (GK), Fairoz Hasan, R Aaravin, Afiq Azhry.
Albirex 3-1 Tampines | Jurong East | 15 June
Hiroyoshi Kamata 6’, Daizo Horikoshi 42’, Shah Shahiran O.G 69’ | Shahdan Sulaiman 81’
Albirex narrowed the gap at the top to six points after a convincing victory over a faltering Tampines, who fell behind after just six minutes. Deployed at left wing-back, Hiroyoshi Kamata was picked out by Kyoga Nakamura’s inch-perfect pass and he cut in before smashing the ball past Syazwan Buhari from 12 yards. Kamata then supplied a fine through ball of his own to release Daizo Horikoshi, who sent Syazwan to ground before tapping into an empty net. The visitors’ misery was compounded when Horikoshi’s low cross deflected off Shah Shahiran and over the line. Yasir Hanapi, Tampines’ best player on the night, earned a free-kick that Shahdan Sulaiman curled splendidly into the top left corner, but it was too late for the Stags.
Facts
– Albirex are now unbeaten in 47 games at home in all competitions.
– Nakamura recorded a joint-league leading fifth assist.
– All three of Shahdan’s league goals have come from free-kicks; no other player has more.
Albirex XI: Kengo Fukudome (GK), Shuhei Sasahara, Kaishu Yamazaki, Sota Sugiyama, Shoki Ohara, Kyoga Nakamura (C), Yosuke Nakagawa (Yoshikatsu Hiraga 88’), Hiroyoshi Kamata, Zamani Zamri (Naruki Takahashi 46’), Daizo Horikoshi, Noor Akid Nordin (Daichi Tanabe 72’).
Unused subs: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Yusuke Kawagoe (GK), Shunsuke Fukuda, Daniel Martens.
Tampines XI: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Joel Chew (Zulfadhmi Suzliamn 55’), Madhu Mohana , Amirul Adli, Irwan Shah, Yasir Hanapi, Zehrudin Mehmedović, Shahdan Sulaiman (C), Ryutaro Megumi, Taufik Suparno, Shah Shahiran (Akmal Azman 75’).
Unused subs: Zulfairuuz Rudy (GK), Safirul Sulaiman, Shagir Firaf, Hamizan Hisham, Elijah Lim.
Geylang 5-0 Balestier | Our Tampines Hub | 16 June
Shawal Anuar 17’, 45’, Barry Maguire 43’, 48’, Yuki Ichikawa 76’
Geylang returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as they blew Balestier away in a one-sided encounter. Making only his second start of the season, Shawal Anuar got the Eagles underway when he collected Barry Maguire’s pass and took out his defender before blasting a left-footed effort into the bottom right corner. Having set up Maguire to turn in the second goal, Shawal then raced onto Firdaus Kasman’s 40-yard through ball and curled a first-time finish beyond Naqiuddin Nodin. There was no letting up after the break as Maguire headed in Fareez Farhan’s corner before captain Yuki Ichikawa, who had made a superb last-ditch tackle moments earlier, headed in a pin-point cross from Danish Irfan to complete the rout.
Facts
– Geylang ended a five-match win-less run
– Geylang scored five goals in a game for the second time this season.
– Geylang took a lead into half-time for the first time this season.
– Shawal scored for a second consecutive match.
– Balestier succumbed to a fourth straight defeat, their worst such streak in the league since May 2017.
