The Sailors celebrate victory over Geylang

SINGAPORE, 26 NOVEMBER 2020 – The top three in the AIA Singapore Premier League all picked up midweek wins, with three games remaining. Leaders Albirex Niigata (S) dispatched the Young Lions to maintain their two-point lead, while the chasing pack of Tampines Rovers and Lion City Sailors cruised in their respective away games against Hougang United and Geylang International. Elsewhere, Tanjong Pagar United’s search for a first win continues after a creditable draw with Balestier Khalsa. We recap all the action below…

 

Victory continues to elude gritty Jaguars
Balestier 2-2 Tanjong Pagar | Bishan | 25 Nov
Danish Uwais 21’, Shuhei Hoshino 36’ | Luiz Junior 26’, Shodai Nishikawa 38’

Despite yet another admirable display which saw them come from behind twice, Tanjong Pagar’s wait for a first win of the season continues. Balestier took the lead with debutant centre-back Danish turning home Hazzuwan Halim’s corner but were pegged back swiftly with the in-form Luiz sweeping home from close range after Shodai Nishikawa’s cross was half-cleared. The home side retook the lead with 2018 Golden Boot winner Hoshino left criminally unmarked to nod in Hazzuwan’s left-wing cross, but the Jaguars equalised again almost immediately with Nishikawa hooking home a volley on the turn after Takahiro Tanaka’s cross caused chaos in the area. There were no further goals in the second half as both sides settled for a point apiece.

 

Facts

• Balestier had twice as many shot attempts as Tanjong Pagar (22 to 11).
• Balestier have failed to win at home after six games this season, with four of those ending in 2-2 draws.
• Balestier have now failed to win their last five matches.
• Balestier have drawn three games in which they took the lead in, the joint-most with Tampines.
• Tanjong Pagar got their first away point on their fifth attempt this season.
• Tanjong Pagar have come from behind twice in their last two games to attain draws.
• Tanjong Pagar are now on five points – surpassing the worst-ever tally of four set by Paya Lebar Punggol in 2005.
• Balestier have scored from four corners – the most of any team, while Tanjong Pagar have conceded from four – the most of any team.
• Danish scored on his league debut – he had started two matches for Tampines in the 2017 League Cup group stages.
• Luiz has now netted four goals in three successive games.
• Three out of Luiz’s five goals so far have been assisted by Nishikawa.
• Hoshino ended a six-game goal drought – his longest barren run since September 2018.
• Tanaka is now the joint-top assisting defender along with Albirex’s Kazuki Hashioka with four.
• Nishikawa is the first Japanese to score for Tanjong Pagar since Takaya Kawanabe in a 3-2 defeat to Woodlands Wellington at Queenstown in November 2012.
• Tanjong Pagar’s Indera Iskandar made his professional debut.

 

Balestier: Zaiful Nizam (GK)(C), Keshav Kumar (Gaye Sameer 41’), Danish Uwais (Jufri Taha 81’), R. Aaravin, Ahmad Syahir, Aarish Kumar, Jordan Emaviwe (Šime Žužul 58’), Hazzuwan Halim, Kristijan Krajček, Zulfadhmi Suzliman (Yeo Hai Ngee 81’), Shuhei Hoshino.
Unused subs: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Karthik Raj, Puvan Raj.

Tanjong Pagar: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Faritz Hameed (C), Delwinder Singh (Raihan Rahman 23’), Syabil Hisham (Yann Motta 66’), Takahiro Tanaka, Nashrul Amin (Zulkiffli Hassim 46’), Ammirul Emmran, Suhairi Sabri, Suria Prakash (Indera Iskandar 87’), Shodai Nishikawa, Luiz Junior.
Unused subs: Joey Sim (GK), Julian Tan, Elfy Danish.

 

White Swans grind out yet another win
Albirex 2-0 Young Lions | Jurong East | 25 Nov
Ong Yu En 4′, Kazuki Hashioka 67′

There is no stopping the Albirex express as they notched a fifth straight win to remain at the summit. Teenage Singaporean midfielder Ong set the White Swans on the way early on by lashing into the roof of the net from just inside the box after a neat one-two with Tomoyuki Doi, before captain and right-back Hashioka settled the nerves in the second half with an emphatic finish to cap a superb solo run. The hosts were also twice denied by the woodwork while Young Lions goalkeeper Nurshafiq Zaini produced a series of impressive saves to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.

 

Facts

• Albirex have now won the last 14 encounters since November 2015.
• Albirex won five straight games for the first time since winning their first 17 games in 2018.
• Ong scored on his first professional start and became the eighth youngest-ever SPL scorer at 17 years and 54 days.
• Ong is the sixth Singaporean to score for Albirex – after Adam Swandi, Daniel Martens, Noor Akid Nordin, Zamani Zamri and Fairoz Hasan.
• Hashioka scored his first SPL goal.
• Doi has accumulated the most number of shots in each of his last six appearances.
• Albirex’s Kei Okawa is now up to six clean sheets – the joint-most with Tampines’ Syazwan Buhari.
• Albirex now have 11 different scorers – the joint-most with the Sailors.

 

Albirex: Kei Okawa (GK), Kazuki Hashioka (C), Rio Sakuma, Kotaro Takeda, Hiroyoshi Kamata, Kenta Kurishima, Iman Hakim (Yasuhiro Hanada 61’), Ryosuke Nagasawa, Ong Yu En (Reo Nishiguchi 46’), Ryoya Taniguchi (Mahiro Takahashi 90’+2), Tomoyoki Doi.
Unused subs: Hyrulnizam Juma’at (GK), Gareth Low, Ryuya Mitsuzuka, Fairoz Hasan.

Young Lions: Nurshafiq Zainal (GK), Sahffee Jubpre (Ilhan Fandi 66’), Irfan Najeeb, Jacob Mahler (C) (Syed Akmal 80’), Nur Adam Abdullah, Ryhan Stewart, Harhys Stewart, Hami Syahin (Bill Mamadou 24’), Shahrulnizam Mazlan (Idraki Adnan 80’), Amirul Haikal, Khairin Nadim (Zamani Zamri 80’).
Unused subs: Ridhwan Fikri (GK), Danial Crichton.

 

No Webb, no problem as Stags keep title hopes alive
Hougang 0-2 Tampines | Hougang | 25 Nov
Boris Kopitovic 22’, Taufik Suparno 46’

Despite missing Canadian talisman Jordan Webb through suspension, Tampines had no issues swatting away a Hougang side that fielded an all-local line-up with Charlie Machell and Zachary Anderson left out due to the impending expiry of their contracts. The Stags opened the scoring with the on-song Kopitovic converting at the back post after Baihakki Khaizan had flicked on Zehrudin Mehmedović’s corner into his path. Half-time substitute Taufik then wasted little time in making an impact after coming on as he benefitted from captain Yasir Hanapi’s low cross to fire home a snapshot from 10 yards. That sealed an easy victory for Gavin Lee’s men, who remained two points off the top with three games to go.

 

Facts

• Hougang have now won just one out of their last seven matches.
• Hougang have won just once in their last 18 matches at Hougang Stadium.
• Tampines kept their first clean sheet in five matches.
• Tampines have now scored in 31 straight SPL matches.
• Kopitovic has scored five goals in his last five appearances for Tampines.
• Taufik scored 36 seconds after coming on a substitute – the fastest by a substitute this season.
• Taufik scored his first league goal since September 2019 in a 3-3 home draw with Balestier.
• Tampines’ Syazwan Buhari has the joint-most clean sheets with Albirex’s Okawa on six.
• Tampines’ Danish Siregar made his first professional start.
• Tampines’ Kyoga Nakamura has the most shots for a player without a goal this season – 29.

 

Hougang: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Nazrul Nazari, Anders Aplin, Lionel Tan, Hafiz Sujad (Faiz Salleh 83’), Fabian Kwok (C), Nikesh Singh (Anumanthan Kumar 46’), Afiq Noor (Maksat Dzhakybaliev 83’), Farhan Zulkifli, Shahfiq Ghani (Justin Hui 76’), Shawal Anuar.
Unused subs: Khairulhin Khalid (GK), Daniel Martens, Emmeric Ong.

Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Ryaan Sanizal (Daniel Bennett 46’), Madhu Mohana (Shannon Stephen 90’+1), Baihakki Khaizan, Irwan Shah, Kyoga Nakamura, Shah Shahiran, Zehrudin Mehmedović (Fazrul Nawaz 83’), Yasir Hanapi (C) (Amirul Adli 87’), Danish Siregar (Taufik Suparno 46’), Boris Kopitovic.
Unused subs: Zulfairuuz Rudy (GK), Andrew Aw.

 

Sailors show fight to remain third
Geylang 0-3 Sailors | Our Tampines Hub | 25 Nov
Song Uiyoung 71’, Gabriel Quak 86’, Kaishu Yamazaki 90’+2

Kept at bay by a disciplined Geylang backline for large parts of the game, the Sailors kept plugging away and eventually sealed the three points with a flurry of goals in the final 20 minutes. South Korean midfielder Song broke the deadlock with a first-time finish off substitute Adam Swandi’s right-wing cross, following a lightning counter-attack that started with goalkeeper Hassan Sunny. Quak then showed brilliant individual skill to beat two defenders before firing past Hairul Syirhan from close range. Japanese centre-back Yamazaki put the icing on the Sailors’ cake as he fired home a stunning left-footed shot from the edge of the area to keep Aurelio Vidmar’s outfit six points off the top.

 

Facts

• Geylang have now lost the last 11 encounters since a 4-1 win over the Sailors’ predecessor Home United in October 2016.
• Five out of the seven Sailors’ goals against Geylang this season came after the 70th-minute mark.
• The Sailors kept their first clean sheet in six matches.
• Song has now equaled his 2019 league tally of six goals.
• Quak is now the top assist-maker in the league with six.

 

Geylang: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Darren Teh, Shahrin Saberin, Yuki Ichikawa (C), Adam Hakeem, Harith Kanadi (Zikos Chua 81’), Umar Akhbar, Barry Maguire, Nur Luqman Rahman (Christopher Van Huizen 46’), Fareez Farhan (Iqbal Hussain 69’), Amy Recha.
Unused subs: Wayne Chew (GK), Nurullah Hussein, Azri Suhaili, Safirul Sulaiman.

Sailors: Hassan Sunny (GK)(C), Aqhari Abdullah, Tajeli Salamat, Kaishu Yamazaki, Naqiuddin Eunos , Shahdan Sulaiman, Song Uiyoung, Gabriel Quak, Arshad Shamim (Adam Swandi 63’), Haiqal Pashia (Hafiz Nor 63’), Shahril Ishak (Stipe Plazibat 73’, Izzdin Shafiq 79’).
Unused subs: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Abdil Qaiyyim, Aizal Murhamdani.

 

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