Garena Young Lions vs Geylang International

(21 October, Saturday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Rashid Sulaiman

Garena Young Lions will be keen to follow up on their first win of the Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League season when they take on Geylang International at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday night.

The developmental side who were without a win all season, put on a brave performance to clinch a 1-0 win over nine-time S.League champions Warriors FC a week ago.

Goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad was one who stood out as he put on a fine display between the sticks with Haiqal Pashia netting the winner in the 63rd minute.

Head coach Vincent Subramaniam was certainly pleased with his players after that win and was full of praise for the showing against their more illustrious opponents.

“We are all seasoned coaches, we handle wins and defeats but it means much more to the boys who played today,” he enthused.

“You could see that the boys wanted the win so badly, especially after scoring the goal against Warriors. Yes, you come off lucky; there was a shot that came off the bar and the keeper made a few good saves. But at the end of the day, we won and it was a good result.”

With many writing off the Young Lions’ chances against Warriors, Subramaniam felt that the win has come at the right time for the boys.

“It was difficult for us and to come away with a win which might be a surprise to many but for us we have been waiting for so long,” he noted.

“Geylang will be a tough team to play against but I’m sure with a win like that, the boys will be determined and believe they can go out there and get the win again.”

As for Geylang, they are currently in fifth spot on 30 points with nine wins and two draws this season.

It is a difficult time for head coach Noor Ali as he had to cope with injuries and suspension in their previous match against Tampines Rovers. They eventually lost 3-2 to the Stags with Fazli Ayob scoring in second half stoppage time.

“I was proud of the performance of the boys , especially when we came into this match with only 11 S.League players available to me,” said Noor Ali after their encounter with the Stags at Our Tampines Hub.

With several players out on the treatment table, Noor Ali had little choice but to field Yuki Ichikawa and Shahfiq Ghani who were still recovering from their knocks in their last match.

But Noor Ali will be relieved to have striker Victor Coto – who has three goals to his name in the S.League – available for selection again.

“I was glad we managed to match Tampines this way until the 90th minute and I cannot fault any of my players,” the former Singapore international. “In fact, Yuki and Shahfiq were injured but I had no choice but to play them.

“It’s going to be difficult, but at least I will have Coto back for this one. I’m not sure if I will have the other injured players back, but I always stay positive and hope for the best.

“We still have four more games to go and a fourth-placed finish is definitely still within reach for us.”

The recent meeting between Young Lions and Geylang was a close affair as it ended 2-1 in favour of the Eagles. Amy Recha and Coto gave Geylang a two-goal advantage in the second half while Amirul Adli pulled back a goal for the Young Lions in the closing stages of the match.

Garena Young Lions – LLLLW

14/10/17 Warriors FC 0-1 Garena Young Lions

07/10/17 Brunei DPMM 7-1 Garena Young Lions

20/09/17 Garena Young Lions 0-1 Balestier Khalsa

15/09/17 Hougang United 2-1 Garena Young Lions

12/09/17 Garena Young Lions 0-4 Tampines Rovers

Geylang International – WWWLL

15/10/17 Geylang International 2-3 Tampines Rovers

23/09/17 Geylang International 1-3 Home United

15/09/17 Warriors FC 0-2 Geylang International

09/09/17 Geylang International 2-0 Balestier Khalsa

18/08/17 Hougang United 0-1 Geylang International

Head to Head (S.League)

02/07/10 Geylang International 2-1 Garena Young Lions

15/04/17  Garena Young Lions 0-2 Geylang International

18/08/16  Garena Young Lions 0-2 Geylang International

05/05/16  Geylang International 3-1 Garena Young Lions

25/02/16  Garena Young Lions 0-2 Geylang International