Singapore Premier League • June 24, 2019
Singapore Premier League Week 14: Roundup
SINGAPORE, 24 JUNE 2019 – Brunei DPMM finally tasted defeat this season as Tampines Rovers ended their unbeaten run, though the Wasps still remain on top of the standings. Balestier Khalsa lost for a fifth consecutive time as they succumbed to a stirring Albirex Niigata (S) comeback, while Geylang International youngster Zikos Chua made history as the Eagles produced a come-from-behind victory as well to take down Warriors FC. We recap the weekend’s action below…
Balestier 1-3 Albirex | Bishan | 21 June
Šime Žužul 2′ | Kaishu Yamazaki 75′, Noor Akid Nordin 77′, Yosuke Nakagawa 90’+4
A superb display from Yosuke Nakagawa led a second-half comeback from Albirex as the new signing set up two goals before rounding off the victory with his maiden strike. Fadli Kamis’ cushioned header had set up Šime Žužul to crisply volley in his fourth goal of the season after just two minutes, but Balestier hardly had a sniff thereafter. Hiroyoshi Kamata crashed an effort off the bar as the White Swans struggled to find the finishing touch to passages of incisive play and it took a moment of brilliance to get them level. Nakagawa saw a shot blocked after one of his mazy dribbles and the loose ball fell to Kaishu Yamazaki, who met it perfectly on the half-volley as it dropped from the sky to send it arching over the goalkeeper from 35 yards. Another Nakagawa dribble forced a panicked clearance that Noor Akid Nordin hammered in with extreme prejudice, before the star man guided a low effort into the bottom right corner deep into added time to seal the comeback.
Facts
– In their other encounter earlier this year, Balestier also took the lead against Albirex but ended up losing the game.
– Balestier have now lost three games in which they’ve led at half-time; only one other side has done so in the league (Warriors, one game).
– Albirex have scored five goals in second-half injury time; no other team has more.
– Albirex have scored five times from outside the area in open play; no other team in the league has more.
– Yamazaki, Akid and Nakagawa all scored for the first time in Albirex colours.
Balestier XI: Naqiuddin Nodin (GK), Fadli Kamis, Nurullah Hussein, Khalili Khalif, Fazli Shafie (Kristijan Krajček 46’), Ahmad Syahir, Sufianto Salleh, Raihan Rahman (C), Huzaifah Aziz, Sameer Alassane (Sanjin Vrebac 72’), Šime Žužul.
Unused subs: Faris Danial (GK), Sheikh Abdul Hadi, Fariz Faizal, Illyas Lee, Suriya Ramesh.
Albirex XI: Kengo Fukudome (GK), Shuhei Sasahara, Naruki Takahashi, Shoki Ohara, Sota Sugiyama, Kaishu Yamazaki, Noor Akid Nordin, Zamani Zamri (Yoshikatsu Hiraga 46’), Yosuke Nakagawa, Daichi Tanabe, Hiroyoshi Kamata (C).
Unused subs: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Yusuke Kawagoe (GK), Gamu Tasaka, Shunsuke Fukuda.
Tampines 3-1 DPMM | Our Tampines Hub | 22 June
Ryutaro Megumi 26′, 70′, Jordan Webb 40′ | Razimee Ramlli 27′
Tampines inflicted a first defeat of the season on DPMM, who had no answer to their opponents’ fluent play. Ryutaro Megumi got the hosts underway by collecting Irwan Shah’s pass before cutting in from the left to curl a fine finish into the bottom right. Razimee Ramlli hit right back for the visitors with a simple tap-in but the Stags retook the lead with an elegant team move. Yasir Hanapi motored down the right and found Taufik Suparno, who slipped in Jordan Webb for a dinked finish. Yura Indera Putera’s sending-off on 64 minutes was swiftly taken advantage of as Zehrudin Mehmedović’s perfectly-weighted pass sent Megumi clear to slot in a third.
Facts
– Webb’s fifth league goal of the season makes him Tampines’ top scorer in the competition.
– DPMM’s club-record unbeaten run ended at 18 games.
– DPMM conceded a first-half goal and fell behind in a game, both for the first time this season.
Tampines XI: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Akmal Azman, Madhu Mohana, Amirul Adli, Irwan Shah (Ryaan Sanizal 73’), Yasir Hanapi (Zulfadhmi Suzliman 82’), Taufik Suparno (Zehrudin Mehmedović 65’), Shahdan Sulaiman (C), Ryutaro Megumi, Jordan Webb, Shah Shahiran (Akmal Azman 75’).
Unused subs: Zulfairuuz Rudy (GK), Safirul Sulaiman, Joel Chew, Shagir Firaf.
DPMM XI: Wardun Yussof (C), Abdul Mu’iz Sisa, Charlie Clough, Azwan Ali Rahman (Azwan Salleh 75’), Andrei Varankou, Helmi Zambin, Razimee Ramlli (Suhaimi Sulau 75’), Nurikhwan Othman, Blake Ricciuto, Shah Razen Said (Hazwan Hamzah 68’), Yura Indera Putera.
Unused subs: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Awangku Fakharrazi, Najib Tarif, Hanif Hamir.
Warriors 1-2 Geylang | Jurong East | 23 June
Jonathan Behe 38’ | Zikos Chua 80’, 81’
Warriors saw their good run of form ended by Geylang, who stunned them with two goals in as many minutes near the end of the game. Jonathan Behe snaffled a cut-back to smash the hosts in front but the Eagles rallied and Barry Maguire’s 25-yard dipping volley was inches over the bar. Their pressure paid off when Fareez Farhan’s beautiful floated pass played in Shawal Anuar, who unselfishly set up substitute Zikos Chua for a tap in. The 17-year-old then became the youngest player to ever score a brace in the league when he deflected in a cross from Shawal a mere minute later to cap a stunning comeback.
Facts
– Warriors suffered their first defeat in six games.
– Warriors are the only side not to have seen out a winning position at half-time.
– Behe scored for a sixth consecutive game – the longest such streak of this season so far.
– Geylang won a second consecutive match.
– At 17 years and 69 days, Zikos is the youngest player to score twice in a league game; he eclipsed Hariss Harun’s record, set at 17 years and 118 days in 2008.
