Written By: Stanley Yeo

Albirex Niigata (S) halted Geylang International’s three-game winning streak with a 2-0 win and go seven points clear at the top of the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League table at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night.

The first chance of the game fell to the White Swans when Atsushi Kawata’s exquisite free kick came crashing off the post and Mikiya Yamada blasted the rebound over the goalpost.

The White Swans dominated possession after that as the Eagles were more keen to soak up the pressure and hit Albirex on the break.

The Eagles had limited chances to score, but almost took the lead against the run of play when Gabriel Quak presented Croatian striker Branko Cubrilo with a golden opportunity through a defense-splitting pass, but Cubrilo’s first touch let him down.

The game looked like it was going to remain a stalemate as the first period drew to a close, but Naofumi Tanaka headed home Shuto Inaba’s cross to give the White Swans the lead going into the break.

Goalscoring scoring chances remained at a premium in the second-half as Albirex found it hard to get past Geylang custodian Syazwan Buhari, before doubling their lead when substitute Masaya Jitozono curled home an absolute beauty from the edge of the box.

Albirex Niigata (S) coach Naoki Nauro: “It was a difficult game for us but we kept the clean sheet and scored two goals so it was good for us.

“Geylang’s attack was very fast that was why it took 45 minutes to score the first goal.

“This victory is very important for us but there is room for improvement. I think that we should focus on the next game rather than the future.”

Geylang International coach Hasrin Jalaini: “ The goal itself was out of the blue but anyone still has a chance at this stage.

“I think it was an entertaining game. They tried to be attacking and we tried to attack as well. At the end of the day, this is just another defeat. The boys felt that they played well but we lost.

“I am very sure we will be able to pick up the team spirit and we look forward to the next game.”

Albirex Niigata (S): Yosuke Nozawa (GK) (C), Mikiya Yamada, Kento Fujihara, Atsushi Shirota, Naofumi Tanaka, Shuto Inaba, Tomoki Menda, Kento Nagasaki, Tatsuro Inui (90’ Masaya Jitozono) , Atsushi Kawata, Hiroyoshi Kamata ( 83’ Daichi Ishiyama) #ALBGEY

Geylang International: Syazwan Buhari (GK), Yuki Ichikawa, Shariff Samat, Gabriel Quak, Daniel Bennett, Fartiz Hameed, Safirul Sulaiman, Stanely Ng (74’ Shawal Anuar), Branko Cubrilo, Amy Recha (67’ Sahil Suhaimi), Nor Azli Yusoff (C) (67’ Carlos Delgado)