SINGAPORE, 16 MARCH 2020 – It was a good week for the Eastern sides with Tampines Rovers and Geylang International defeating Tanjong Pagar United and Hougang United respectively to occupy the top two positions, while Balestier Khalsa dispatched Young Lions to climb to fourth. We recap the weekend’s action below…

 

Tigers finally off the mark
Young Lions 0-2 Balestier | Jurong West | 14 March
Hazzuwan Halim 32’, Ensar Brunčević 76’

Balestier got their first win of the season after surviving an early scare when Young Lions’ Sahffee Jubpre rocked the bottom left-hand post with his first-time shot. The Tigers broke the deadlock when Hazzuwan latched onto Shuhei Hoshino’s lofted pass and took it round the goalkeeper. Despite Zulfadhmi Suzliman’s dismissal with 19 minutes left, the Tigers sealed the three points with Serbian defender Brunčević nodding in Kristijan Krajček’s inswinging corner for his second goal in as many games.

 

Facts

• This is Balestier’s first win in eight league matches.
• Balestier kept a clean sheet for the first time in 23 league matches – their last clean sheet before this was in a 3-0 win over Geylang in March 2019.
• Young Lions lost their first three opening games for the first time since 2017.

 

Young Lions XI: Nurshafiq Zainal (GK), Scott Crichton (Syed Akmal 59’), Akmal Azman, Danish Irfan, Sahffee Jubpre (Marc Ryan Tan 69’), Ryhan Stewart, Harhys Stewart, Nur Adam Abdullah, Jacob Mahler (C), Shahrulnizam Mazlan (Nor Hakim Redzuan 80’), Fikri Junaidi.
Unused Subs: Ridhwan Fikri (GK), Amirul Haikal, Ilhan Fandi, Akram Azman.

Balestier XI: Zaiful Nizam (GK)(C), Fadli Kamis, Aiman Zavyan (Jufri Taha 58’), Ensar Brunčević, Ahmad Syahir, Hazzuwan Halim, Aarish Kumar, Kristijan Krajček, Syukri Noorhaizam (Zulfadhmi Suzliman 46’), Šime Žužul (Faizal Raffi 67’), Shuhei Hoshino.
Unused Subs: Zacharial Leong (GK), Karthik Raj, Elijah Lim, Azizi Rahman.

 

Webb the ever-reliable performer

Tampines 2-0 Tanjong Pagar | Our Tampines Hub | 14 March
Jordan Webb 12’, 74’

After holding Lion City Sailors in their season-opener, Tanjong Pagar could not repeat their heroics. Tampines did not have to sweat much for the three points, courtesy of Webb’s clinical brace. Johnny-on-the-spot to thump home after Kenji Rusydi spilled Boris Kopitovic’s cross into his path, the Canadian attacker was it again 16 minutes from time as he finished off Kyoga Nakamura’s intelligent ball over the top with a brilliant outside-foot strike.

 

Facts

• Webb has now scored in 11 straight seasons since making his SPL debut in 2010 with Hougang.
• Webb is now on 96 league goals.

 

Tampines XI: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Shannon Stephen, Daniel Bennett (C), Syahrul Sazali, Irwan Shah (Safirul Sulaiman 77’), Huzaifah Aziz (Amirul Adli 72’), Kyoga Nakamura, Shah Shahiran (Zehrudin Mehmedović 46’), Joel Chew, Jordan Webb, Boris Kopitovic.
Unused Subs: Zulfairuuz Rudy (GK), Fathullah Rahmat, Hamizan Hisham, Haziq Mikhail.

Tanjong Pagar XI: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Faritz Hameed (C), Yann Motta, Delwinder Singh, Syabil Hisham, Ignatius Ang, Shodai Nishikawa, Suhairi Sabri, Nashrul Amin (Hadiputradila Saswadimata 90’+1), Syahadat Masnawi (Suria Prakash 59’), Luiz Junior.
Unused Subs: Fashah Iskandar (GK), Syariful Haq Sapari, Farihin Farkhan, Ribiyanda Saswadimata.

 

Eagles dampen Cheetahs’ homecoming
Hougang 1-2 Geylang | Hougang | 15 March
Shawal Anuar 81’ | Christopher Van Huizen 16’, 50’

There was no dream return to Hougang Stadium after 563 days away as it turned out to be a nightmarish evening for Cheetahs custodian Khairulhin Khalid. Caught out by Van Huizen’s speculative free-kick from fully 40 yards out in the first half, it turned from bad to worse after the restart as he inexplicably fumbled in a feeble shot by the same player. Hougang rallied late on and pulled one back through Shawal’s emphatic header off substitute Hafiz Sujad’s teasing left-wing cross, but it proved to be too little too late.

 

Facts

• Hougang are now win-less in their last 15 games at Hougang Stadium since beating Young Lions 2-1 in September 2017.
• Hougang have won just one out of their last six meetings with Geylang.
• Hougang have yet to keep a clean sheet this season after five games in all competitions.
• Van Huizen has already doubled his goal tally from 2019.

 

Hougang XI: Khairulhin Khalid (GK), Nazrul Nazari, Zachary Anderson, Anders Aplin, Jordan Vestering (Hafiz Sujad 67’), Anumanthan Kumar, Fabian Kwok, Nikesh Singh (Sahil Suhaimi 46’), Shawal Anuar, Farhan Zulkifli (Afiq Noor 55’), Stipe Plazibat.
Unused Subs: Heng How Meng (GK), Maksat Dzhakybaliev, Shahfiq Ghani, Alif Iskandar.

Geylang XI: Zainol Gulam (GK), Darren Teh, Joshua Pereira, Yuki Ichikawa (C), Harith Kanadi, Muhd Noor Ariff, Firdaus Kasman, Iqbal Hussain (Amy Recha 70’), Barry Maguire, Christopher Van Huizen (Kamolidin Tashiev 86’), Khairul Nizam.
Unused Subs: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Azri Suhaili, Panagiotis Linardos, Danish Qayyum, Ilhan Noor.

 

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