5 lessons from Matchweek 6 of the Singapore Premier League
The Singapore Premier League (SPL) returned with a bang as Matchweek 6 delivered drama, momentum shifts and talking points across all four fixtures. With 21 goals scored and two red cards flashed, if the first matches of 2026 are a sign of things to come, we are in for an explosive year of SPL action.
Young Lions are still a work in progress
BG Tampines Rovers 7-1 Young Lions | Our Tampines Hub | 16 January
(Hide Higashikawa 9’, 38′, 72′, 76′, Kohya Kazama 29′, 32′, Glenn Kweh 45+2′ | Abner Vinicius 10′)
The Young Lions’ difficult league campaign continued as they were swept aside by a ruthless BG Tampines Rovers side keen to respond after their Singapore Cup Final disappointment.
The contest was delicately poised at 1–1 before goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud was controversially sent off in the 22nd minute for denying Hide Higashikawa a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Japanese forward went on to score four times, with Kohya Kozama adding a brace and Glenn Kweh also getting on the scoresheet.
The result leaves the Young Lions rooted to the foot of the table, with Firdaus Kassim’s side hoping to find a response in their upcoming clash against seventh-placed Tanjong Pagar United.
BG Tampines Rovers: Syazwan Buhari (C), Raoul Suhaimi (Kegan Phang 80’), Seiga Sumi (Jacob Mahler 72’), Shah Shahiran, Glenn Kweh (Taufik Suparno 80’), Trent Anthony Buhagiar, Joel Chew (Yuki Kobayashi 68’), Irfan Najeeb, Hide Higashikawa, Takeshi Yoshimoto (Amirul Haikal 80’), Kohya Kazama
Unused subs: Danial Iliya, Ong Yu En, Zikos Chua, Iman Hakim, Tara Ndao, Naufal Mohammad, Rae Peh
Young Lions: Izwan Mahbud, Enrico Silveira, Abner Vinicius (Fairuz Fazli 76’), Andrew Aw, Sergio Mendonca, Amir Syafiz (C) (Aizil Yazid 28’), Henry Lawrence Spence (Nicolas Michael Beninger 72’), Kieran Teo, Harith Danish, Luth Harith Fathi (Caelan Cheong 72’), Andy Reefqy (Danial Ukail 72’)
Unused subs: Marcus Mosses, Garv Sahoo, Yazid Rizal Rais, Aqil Khusni, Zaki Jumlan, Erdy Thaqib Taha, Lukyan Tan Ye Yi
Red card – Izwan Mahbud (Young Lions) 22’
New-look Albirex look promising
Albirex Niigata (S) 3-2 Tanjong Pagar United | Jurong East Stadium | 17 January
(Cho Eunsu 43′, Takumi Yokohata 52’, Nozomi Ozawa 87’ | Youssef Ezzejjari 54’, Anaqi Ismit 84’)
Albirex Niigata (S) will be encouraged by their first outing of the new year after edging past a spirited Tanjong Pagar United side in a five-goal thriller.
Following a busy transfer window that saw Jared Gallagher and Amy Recha depart, and the arrivals of Ryang Hyonju, Zulqarnaen Suzliman and Abdul Rasaq, Keiji Shigetomi’s men showed resilience to secure all three points. While Shingo Nakano again drew a blank, goals from defenders Cho Eunsu and Nozomi Ozawa proved decisive.
The win lifts the White Swans to third, just one point behind BG Tampines Rovers, ahead of a tricky away assignment against Balestier Khalsa.
Defensive lapses continue to haunt the Jaguars
Despite showing admirable fighting spirit, Tanjong Pagar United were once again left lamenting defensive errors.
Goals from talisman Youssef Ezzejjari and substitute Anaqi Ismit hauled the Jaguars back into contention, but parity lasted only three minutes as Nozomi Ozawa ghosted in at the far post to head home the winner. Head Coach Noh Alam Shah praised his side’s execution of the game plan but acknowledged that lapses, particularly at set pieces, proved costly.
The Jaguars will take heart from the performance as they seek their first points of 2026 against the Young Lions – the only side they have beaten this season.
Albirex Niigata (S): Hassan Sunny, Kim Taeuk, Nozomi Ozawa, Naoki Yoshioka, Zulqarnaen Suzliman (Nicky Melvin Singh 69’), Takumi Yokohata (Komei Iida 90’), Katsuyuki Ishibashi (Yang Hyeonju 69’), Syed Firdaus Hassan (Jaden Heng 90’), Cho Eunsu, Haziq Kamarudin (Shakthi Vinayagavijayan 78’), Shingo Nakano (C)
Unused subs: Takahiro Koga, Dylan Pereira, Helmi Shahrol, Soshi Kadowaki, Liska Haaziq Iskandar, Danish Qayyum
Tanjong Pagar United: Zaiful Nizam, Syahrul Sazali (Naqiuddin Eunos 71’), Fathullah Rahmat, Youssef Ezzejjari Lhasnaoui, Bruno Dybal, Zenivio Morientes Mota (Azim Akbar 80’), Emmeric Ong (C), Raihan Rahman, Estevez Tsai Emilio (Anaqi Ismit 71’), Aaron Michael Evans, Lee Chanwoo (Faizal Roslan 58’)
Unused subs: Matthew Silva, Kenji Rusydi, Aloysius Pang, Sahil Suhaimi, Samuel Pillai, Vincenzo Ucchino, Haziq Zulkifli, Hafid Rifa’l Sohan
Never count the Cheetahs out
Balestier Khalsa 2-3 Hougang United | Bishan Stadium | 18 January
(Bogdan Mandic 4’, Zharfan Rohaizad O.G. 8’ | Settawut Wongsai 11’, Victor Blasco 78’, Nabilai Kibunguchy 83’)
Hougang United produced one of the comebacks of the season to overturn a two-goal deficit and stun Balestier Khalsa at Bishan Stadium.
The Tigers raced into an early 2–0 lead through Bogdan Mandic and an unfortunate Zharfan Rohaizad own goal. Hougang responded swiftly, with Settawut Wongsai pouncing after Mario Mustapic spilled Victor Blasco’s long-range effort. Balestier’s task was made harder in the 34th minute when Mario Subaric was sent off for denying Wongsai a clear goalscoring opportunity.
And the Cheetahs showed they can pounce when the opportunity arises.
Second-half strikes from Blasco and substitute Nabilai Kibunguchy completed the turnaround and handed the Cheetahs a morale-boosting victory.
Balestier Khalsa: Mario Mustapic, Darren Teh, Tajeli Salamat, Mario Subaric, Madhu Mohana (C), Lazar Vujanic, Bogdan Mandic (Ignatius Ang 72’), Daniel Goh (Harith Kanadi 72’), Elijah Lim (Ifat Sha’aban 90+5’), Tin Matic, Masahiro Sugita
Unused subs: Martyn Mun, Hafiz Ahmad, Tiago Barbosa Martins, Fudhil I’Yadh, Aniq Raushan, Ilyasin Zayan, Karthigaya Varmaan
Hougang United: Zharfan Rohaizad, Jordan Vestering, Huzaifah Aziz, Saifullah Akbar, Farhan Zulkifli, Settawut Wongsai (Saharat Panmarchya 46’), Washington Ayovi, Ryaan Sanizal (C), Yuma Suwa, Victor Blasco Llorens (Chonlawit Kanuengkid 90+3’), Jaushua Sotirio (Nabilai Kibunguchy 76’)
Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin, Anders Aplin, Kanok Kongsimma, Parinya Nusong, Rauf Sanizal, Brant Tan, Nabilai Kibunguchy, Syady Sufwan
Red card – Mario Subaric (Balestier Khalsa) 34’
It will take something special to halt the flawless Sailors
Geylang International 0-3 Lion City Sailors | Our Tampines Hub | 18 January
(Nazrul Nazari O.G. 43’, Tsiy Ndenge 64’, Shawal Anuar 90+1’)
Fresh from lifting their first trophy of the season, Lion City Sailors continued their perfect league run with a composed victory over Geylang International.
The Eagles held firm for much of the first half, but were undone just before the break when Nazrul Nazari inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. Geylang pushed forward after the interval, but Tsiy Ndenge’s thunderous strike shortly after the hour killed the contest. Shahdan Sulaiman went close for the hosts, rattling the crossbar, before Shawal Anuar sealed the win with a late header.
Six wins from six leaves the Sailors firmly in control as their early-season dominance shows no signs of slowing.
Geylang International: Rudy Khairullah, Kim Tae Ho, Shuhei Hoshino, Riku Fukashiro, Joshua Pereira (C), Ryoya Taniguchi, Vincent Bezecourt, Nikola Ignjatovic, Amy Recha (Shahdan Sulaiman 61’), Kaisei Ogawa, Nazrul Nazari
Unused subs: Yu Kanoshima, Danial Crichton, Iqram Rifqi, Gareth Low, Ko Jaehyun, Raiyan Noor, Faisal Shahril, Danie Hafiy, Prince Rio Rifae’i, Timothy Cheng
Lion City Sailors: Ivan Susak, Toni Datkovic, Tsiy William Ndenge (Hariss Harun 84’), Shawal Anuar, Lennart Thy (Luka Adzic 64’), Bart Ramselaar, Hami Syahin (Rui Pires 84’), Bailey Wright (C), Diogo Costa, Akram Azman, Kyoga Nakamura (Lionel Tan 76’)
Unused subs: Benjamin Zerak, Adib Nur Hakim, Hafiz Nor, Nur Adam Abdullah, Lucas Eliezer Agueiro
