Singapore Premier League • March 11, 2019
Singapore Premier League Week 2: Roundup
SINGAPORE, 11 MARCH 2019 – Tampines Rovers chalked up their second win in as many games to stay top of the Singapore Premier League table over the weekend, with Brunei DPMM matching them a day later to remain in second. Big-spending Hougang United bounced back from opening-day defeat to notch their first victory – we recap the second week of SPL action below…
Tampines 5-1 Home | Our Tampines Hub
Irwan Shah 35′, Yasir Hanapi 41′, Taufik Suparno 49′, Shahdan Sulaiman 59′, Jordan Webb pen. 76′ | Adam Swandi 57′
The Stags showed why they are early favourites by ripping into the visitors, who looked jaded from a packed schedule and were missing both foreign stars Song Uiyoung and Isaka Cernak. Having already put five past Hougang in their opening win, the hosts shrugged aside Taufik Suparno’s early penalty miss and broke the deadlock through Irwan Shah. The 30-year-old, who earned a recall to the national team last week after four years, saw his left-wing cross end up in the top right corner. Yasir Hanapi then smashed in the rebound after Ho Wai Loon had cleared Ryutaro Megumi’s effort off the line, before turning provider for Taufik to convert from 14 yards. Aqhari Abdullah teed up Adam Swandi to pull one back with a neat finish, but Shahdan Sulaiman quickly restored the three-goal cushion with a splendid free-kick before Jordan Webb tucked home a penalty that was earned by Taufik.
Facts
– Tampines have now scored in 14 consecutive games in all competitions.
– Irwan Shah scored in two consecutive matches for the first time in his career.
– Taufik scored his first Tampines goal and ended a 23-game goal drought that stretched back to April 2017.
– Tampines scored at least five goals in two straight games for the first time since 2005 (5-0 vs Sinchi and 5-0 vs Paya Lebar Punggol).
– The last time Home lost their first two league games was in 2001.
Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Akmal Azman, Amirul Adli, Daniel Bennett, Irwan Shah, Shah Shahiran (Zehrudin Mehmedović 46′), Shahdan Sulaiman (C), Yasir Hanapi (Madhu Mohana 67′), Ryutaro Megumi, Jordan Webb, Taufik Suparno (Zulfadhmi Suzliman 79′).
Unused subs: Zulfairuuz Rudy (GK), Joel Chew, Khairul Amri, Hamizan Hisham.
Home: Nazri Sabri (GK), Faritz Hameed, Abdil Qaiyyim, Faizal Roslan, Ho Wai Loon, Izzdin Shafiq (C), Aqhari Abdullah, Arshad Shamim (Juma’at Jantan 54′), Adam Swandi, Iqram Rifqi (Hafiz Nor 46′), Shahril Ishak (Nur Hizami 70′).
Unused subs: Haikal Hasnol (GK), Isaka Cernak, Anaqi Ismit.
Balestier 0-1 Hougang | Bishan Stadium
Faris Ramli 58’
The Cheetahs relieved some of the pressure on them by earning a deserved victory away to Balestier in their second match of the season. Mahathir Azeman made his debut for the visitors, who had the majority of possession but struggled to create noteworthy opportunities. But they did manage to find the only breakthrough of the game when Stipe Plazibat’s dragged shot fell kindly to Faris Ramli, who gleefully tapped in his second goal in as many games. Nazrul Nazari hit the bar as Hougang searched fruitlessly for a second, but held on to inflict a first defeat of the season for the Tigers.
Facts
– Faris Ramli is the first player to score in each of his first two games for Hougang since Stipe Plazibat in 2016.
– Hougang’s last five wins have now all come in away matches.
– Mahathir Azeman made the first league start of his professional career.
– Ridhuan Barudin kept his first clean sheet in 11 matches; his last one was in October 2017 against Young Lions in a 1-0 league win.
– Balestier have now failed to win any of their last four home matches against Hougang.
Balestier: Zaiful Nizam (GK)(C), Fadli Kamis, Nurullah Hussein, Illyas Lee, Khalili Khalif (Sufianto Salleh 46′), Daniel Goh (Ahmad Syahir 77′), Kristijan Krajček, Huzaifah Aziz, Fariz Faizal (Sanjin Vrebac 61′), Hazzuwan Halim, Šime Žužul.
Unused subs: Faris Danial (GK), Ahmad Zaki, Akbar Shah, Sameer Alassane.
Hougang: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Nazrul Nazari, Afiq Yunos, Kong Howon, Jordan Vestering (Fazrul Nawaz 46′), Zulfahmi Arifin (C), Mahathir Azeman (Fabian Kwok 87′), Amir Zalani (Muhaimin Suhaimi 46′), Afiq Noor, Faris Ramli, Stipe Plazibat.
Unused subs: Khairulhin Khalid (GK), M. Anumanthan, Hafiz Sujad, Timothy Yeo.
DPMM 3-0 Geylang | Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium
Blake Ricciuto 23’, Andrei Varankou pen. 90’, Razimee Ramlli 90’+2
DPMM cruised to a comfortable home victory to make it six points out of six as Blake Ricciuto opened his account for the club with a deft header off Shah Razen Said’s cross. Syahiran Miswan had Geylang’s best chances, first seeing a long-range chip being headed away and then powering his effort straight at Wardun Yussof after being set up by Barry Maguire. Super-sub Razimee Ramlli then earned a penalty for Andrei Varankou to convert and seal the game, before the pair swopped roles as the Belarussian crossed for his team-mate to head in deep into injury time.
Facts
– DPMM are unbeaten in nine league games now, their longest such run since 2016.
– DPMM have kept two consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since September 2015.
