SINGAPORE, 26 MAY 2025 – The long 2024/25 Singapore Premier League season came to its conclusion with new champions Lion City Sailors holding nearest rivals BG Tampines Rovers to finish eight points clear on top, while Balestier Khalsa sealed fourth spot with a last-gasp win over Albirex Niigata (S). Elsewhere, Brunei DPMM overcame Hougang United to claim fifth place while Tanjong Pagar United and Geylang International played out a six-goal thriller. We recap all the action here…
DPMM sign off in style
Hougang 2-3 DPMM | Our Tampines Hub | 24 May
Shodai Yokoyama 2′, Dejan Račić 68′ | Dāvis Ikaunieks 33’, 46′, Miguel Oliveira 77’
Yokoyama gave Hougang the perfect start with a brilliant drive, but DPMM turned it around with Ikaunieks benefitting from Oliveira’s slide-rule pass to equalise before netting a stunning volley from the edge of the box for a clinical double. Račić then curled home a stunner to equalise, but Oliveira then rifled inside Zaiful Nizam’s near post at the other end to give DPMM the three points in their final SPL outing.
Facts
- DPMM ended their SPL tenure with six league wins on the trot.
- Hougang ended the season with a six-match winless streak.
- Ikaunieks netted 14 goals in as many SPL appearances.
Hougang: Zaiful Nizam (GK) (C), Tajeli Salamat, Anders Aplin, Daniel Henrique (Hazzuwan Halim 84’), Danish Irfan (Tan-Vaissierre Louka 73’), Shahdan Sulaiman, Ismail Salihović (Pariya Kaochukiat 71’), Ratthathammanun Deeying, Shodai Yokoyama, Gabriel Quak (Farhan Zulkifli 46’), Dejan Račić.
Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Justin Hui, Rauf Sanizal, Yasir Nizamudin.
DPMM: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Syafiq Safiuddin, Hanif Hamir, Damir Muminović, Najib Tarif, Hanif Farhan (Yura Indera Putera 90’+8), Hariz Danial Khallidden (Nazirrudin Ismail 46’), Miguel Oliveira, Azwan Ali Rahman (C) (Nurikhwan Othman 76’), Gabriel Gama (Abdul Hariz Herman 67’), Dāvis Ikaunieks (Faturrahman Embran 76’).
Unused subs: Ishyra Amin (GK), Azwan Saleh, Nazry Aiman.
Spoils shared between top two
BG Tampines 0-0 Sailors | Jalan Besar | 24 May
In an entertaining game between this season’s top two sides, BG Tampines can count themselves unlucky not to win – two goals disallowed for offside, while Joel Chew was denied an injury-time winner by a stunning Zharfan Rohaizad point-blank save.
Facts
- BG Tampines is the only side along with Geylang to have taken points off the Sailors on three occasions this season.
- BG Tampines’ Syazwan Buhari is the winner of the SPL Golden Glove this season with a total of 11 clean sheets.
- Sailors’ Joshua Little made his SPL debut at 17 years and 206 years old.
BG Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK) (C), Amirul Adli (Irfan Najeeb 62’), Shuya Yamashita, Dylan Fox, Miloš Zlatković, Shah Shahiran, Kyoga Nakamura (Ong Yu En 82’), Taufik Suparno (Glenn Kweh 46’), Arya Igami Tarhani (Joel Chew 62’), Itsuki Enomoto, Seia Kunori (Yasir Hanapi 75’).
Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Amirul Haikal, Faris Ramli, Kegan Phang.
Sailors: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Hafiz Nor (Andy Reefqy 87’), Zulqarnaen Suzliman, Hariss Harun (C) (Lionel Tan 62’), Sergio Carmona Pérez, Christopher van Huizen, Anumanthan Kumar, Joshua Little (Enrico Silveira 87’), Obren Kljajić (Haiqal Pashia 55’), Abdul Rasaq Akeem, Lennart Thy (Henry Spence 62’).
Unused subs: Izwan Mahbud (GK), Shawal Anuar, Song Uiyoung, Hami Syahin.
Winning farewell for Peter de Roo
Balestier 3-2 Albirex | Bishan | 26 May
Anton Fase 26′, Masahiro Sugita 45+1′, Reycredo Bukit 90+4′ | Koki Kawachi 51′, 69′
Balestier led by two at the break – with Fase heading home Jared Gallagher’s cross, before Sugita applied the finishing touch after some superb play between him and Kodai Tanaka. Albirex rallied, with centre-back Kawachi producing a pair of brilliant headers off deliveries from Arshad Shamim and Yohei Otake to draw level. However, the Tigers would steal victory at the death with super-sub Reycredo curling a stunning effort beyond Hassan Sunny to give outgoing coach Peter de Roo the perfect parting gift.
Facts
- Balestier sealed back-to-back fourth-placed finishes for the first time since 1997 and 1998.
- Balestier ended the season with just one defeat in eight matches.
- Fase scored seven goals in 12 SPL appearances since joining in the mid-season transfer window.
Balestier: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Darren Teh, Madhu Mohana (C), Cher Garang (Ignatius Ang 70’), Abdil Qaiyyim, Harith Kanadi (Reycredo Bukit 76’), Jared Gallagher, Masahiro Sugita, Riku Fukashiro, Anton Fase (Fudhil I’yadh 76’), Kodai Tanaka.
Unused subs: Martyn Mun (GK), Emmeric Ong, Elijah Lim, Amiruldin Asraf, Syukri Noorhaizam, N Sakthivelchezhian.
Albirex: Hassan Sunny (GK), Junki Yoshimura, Koki Kawachi, Stevia Egbus Mikuni, Syahrul Sazali (Syed Firdaus Hassan 46’), Naoki Yoshioka, Yohei Otake (C), Haziq Kamarudin (Amy Recha 73’), Shuhei Hoshino, Arshad Shamim, Shingo Nakano.
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Zainol Gulam (GK), Daniel Goh, Syukri Bashir, Daniel Martens, Hilman Norhisam, Sim Jun Yen.
Eagles fight back for draw
Tanjong Pagar 3-3 Geylang | Jurong East | 25 May
Salif Cissé 29′, 49′, Rezza Rezky 55′ | Ryoya Taniguchi 35′, 65′, Keito Hariya 76’
Cissé’s close-range opener was cancelled out by Taniguchi’s brilliant free-kick, but Tanjong Pagar went back ahead with Cissé finding space to net a second before he turned provider for Rezza to double their advantage. However, Geylang came roaring back with Taniguchi scoring a wonderful solo goal before Hariya capitalised on a rebound to complete a comeback draw.
Facts
- Geylang ended the season as the highest-scoring side with 97 goals – one more than champions Lion City Sailors.
- Cissé netted 11 goals in 19 SPL appearances.
- Rezza netted just his second-ever SPL goal – his first came back in 2019 with Young Lions.
Tanjong Pagar: Prathip Ekamparam (GK), Syed Akmal, Timur Talipov, Faizal Roslan (C), Zenivio Mota, Azim Akbar (Syahadat Masnawi 55’), Raihan Rahman (Suhairi Sabri 66’), Rezza Rezky (Sahil Suhaimi 32’), Thorsten Takashi Cross (Marcus Mosses 55’), Tomoki Wada, Salif Cissé.
Unused subs: Riki Kimura (GK), Fathullah Rahmat, Umar Akhbar, Hariysh Krishnakumar, Izrafil Yusof.
Geylang: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Naqiuddin Eunos (Ahmad Syahir 46’), Rio Sakuma, Keito Hariya, Akmal Azman (Faisal Shahril 76’), Takahiro Tezuka (C), Raiyan Noor (Nur Ikhsanuddin 57’), Naufal Azman (Hud Ismail 46’), Ryoya Taniguchi, Prince Rio Rifae’I (Saifullah Akbar 57’), Zikos Chua.
Unused subs: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Joshua Pereira, Nizwan Izzairie.
