Written by: Shawn Lim

Garena Young Lions pulled off one of the biggest upset of the season when they defeated Warriors FC 3-1 at Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday night.

Goals from Khairul Amri, Hazim Faiz and Hami Syahin helped the Young Lions achieved what was only their second win in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League this season, after they defeated Balestier Khalsa on the first day of the season three months ago.

Jonathan Behe pulled a goal back for Warriors five minutes from time, but it proved to be a consolation goal for the nine-times S.League champions.

The loss meant that Warriors stretched their winless run to six games and left the Choa Chu Kang-based club languishing in seventh place with 10 points, while the Young Lions remain at the bottom and go level on points with the Tigers.

Jorg Steinebrunner’s charges started brightly and almost opened the scoring just two minutes into the game when Kento Fukuda’s goalbound header was tipped away by Young Lions custodian Benjamin Bertrand.
The hosts then took the lead against the run of play in the fifth minute when an unmarked Hami slided home Fareez Farhan’s cross at the far post for his second goal of the season.

The Young Lions should have doubled their lead in the 11th minute when Amri, who was starting his first game of the season, fired a ferocious effort at goal from 20-yards out that Warriors custodian Zainol Gulam was able to push away.

The hosts who had not scored more than one goal this season before the game, got their second of the game in the 16th minute when Fareez’s powerful volley at goal was pushed into the path of an unmarked Hazim by Zainol.

The 21-year-old forward needed no further invitation to head the ball into an empty net to put the Young Lions 2-0 up.

The Young Lions were let off the hook in the 38th minute when Firdaus Kasman gave the ball away in his own half, but Poh Yi Feng’s shot from 20-yards flew narrowly wide of the goalpost with Bertrand at full-stretch.

Warriors should have pulled a goal back five minutes before the break when Nikola Rak’s powerful shot from outside the box was pushed away by Bertrand, but Ridhuan Muhammad was unable to direct his header towards goal.

The visitors continued to look dangerous as the first-half drew to a close, with the Young Lions thankful for two good saves from Bertrand in quick succession. He first got a hand to Hafiz Rahim’s dangerous free-kick, before recovering in time to push away Ridhuan’s rebound shot.

The Young Lions continued where they had left off after the break and came close to adding a third when Fareez dribbled his way unchallenged into the box, but saw his shot at goal stopped by Zainol, who then went on to spill his catch.

However, to the relief of the Warriors’ second-choice goalkeeper, there were no Young Lions player to take advantage of his mistake.

Warriors’ misery was further compounded in the 50th minute when Amri shrugged off the attentions of Ismail Yunos and Madhu Mohana in the six-yard box to slot the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Fareez could have added a fourth for Young Lions on the hour mark when he stole in behind Warriors’ defence, but sent his shot straight at Zainol.

Warriors continued searching for a way back into the game, but found it difficult to get past Bertrand as the Frenchman stood firm to deny Hafiz Nor in the 64th minute after the midfielder had gone through on goal, before tipping away Hafiz Rahim’s curling shot from close-range in the 77th minute.

There was nothing Bertrand could do in the 85th minute though, when Behe took down a cross easily in the box and poked the ball under the former from six-yards out to reduce the deficit for Warriors.

Garena Young Lions assistant coach V.Selvaraj: “We defended very well in the first-half..there were a lot of hunger. Most importantly, we took our chances.

“The first goal really motivated us and the boys worked really hard not to make any mistakes. The second-half, we knew they would come at us even more, so we defended even better.”

Warriors FC coach Jorg Steinebrunner: “The first 15 minutes went wrong for us when we conceded two goals. We didn’t put enough pressure for the first one when the cross came in, second one, we didn’t press hard enough when the shot was taken.

“We could have scored ourselves after that but the goalkeeper pulled off a couple of good saves. Unfortunately, we conceded again a few minutes after the break and we could have scored after that as well, if not for the goalkeeper again.”

Garena Young Lions: Benjamin Bertrand (GK), Amirul Adli, Zakir Samsudin (Gareth Low 78′), Shannon Stephen, Rusyadi Salime, Firdaus Kasman, Joshua Bernard Pereira, Hami Syahin (Muhelmy Suhaimi 70′), Fareez Farhan, Hazim Faiz, Khairul Amri (C) (Muhaimin Suhaimi 63′)

Warriors FC: Zaniol Gulam (GK), Zufadli Zainal (C), Ismail Yunos (Ignatius Ang 70′), Kento Fukuda, Madhu Mohana (Hafiz Osman 73′), Poh Yi Feng (Emmeric Ong 54′), Ridhuan Muhamad, Hafiz Rahim, Nikola Rak, Hafiz Nor, Jonathan Behe