Five lessons from Matchweek 7 of the Singapore Premier League
Matchweek 7 of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) delivered another compelling weekend of action. Visiting teams triumphed in three of the four matchups, with BG Tampines Rovers coming out on top in the Eastern derby, and Lion City Sailors and Albirex Niigata (S) sweeping past their opponents by four goals each. In the battle at the bottom, Young Lions earn their first point of this season after being held to a draw by Tanjong Pagar United.
The Stags attack have the tools to unlock any defence
Geylang International 1-3 BG Tampines Rovers | Our Tampines Hub | 23 January
(Ryoya Taniguchi 74′ | Nikola Ignjatovic O.G. 20′, Trent Buhagiar 55′, 60′)
BG Tampines Rovers once again showcased variety and ingenuity in their attacking play as they swept past Geylang International in the Eastern derby. The breakthrough came when Glenn Kweh’s teasing cross forced Nikola Ignjatovic into an own goal, setting the tone for the evening.
Relentless pressure paid off soon after, as Hide Higashikawa dispossessed Ignatovic and selflessly squared the ball for Trent Buhagiar to double the advantage.
The Stags’ attacking prowess was further underlined by Kohya Kazama’s delightful reverse pass, which carved open the Eagles’ defence for Buhagiar’s second of the night.
Ryoya Taniguchi pulled one back for the Eagles in the 74th minute, but it proved to only be a consolation goal as the Stags ran out 3-1 winners on the night.
Geylang International: Yu Kanoshima, Shuhei Hoshino, Riku Fukashiro (Prince Rio Rifae’i 90’), Joshua Pereira (C) (Ryu Hardy 86’), Ryoya Taniguchi, Vincent Bezecourt, Shakir Hamzah (Iqram Rifqi 90’), Nikola Ignjatovic (Kim Tae Ho 69’), Shahdan Sulaiman (Amy Recha 69’), Kaisei Ogawa, Nazrul Nazari
Unused subs: Rudy Khairullah, Danial Crichton, Gareth Low, Raiyan Noor, Faisal Shahril, Danie Hafiy
BG Tampines Rovers: Syazwan Buhari (C), Shuya Yamashita, Seiga Sumi (Raoul Suhaimi 69’), Shah Shahiran, Glenn Kweh (Joel Chew 85’), Trent Anthony Buhagiar, Dylan James Fox (Takeshi Yoshimoto 69’), Irfan Najeeb, Hide Higashikawa (Taufik Suparno 85’), Yuki Kobayashi (Ong Yu En 78’), Kohya Kazama
Unused subs: Danial Iliya, Jacob Mahler, Amirul Haikal, Zikos Chua, Tara Ndao, Kegan Phang, Rae Peh
Free-scoring Sailors show no signs of slowing down
Hougang United 1-5 Lion City Sailors | Bishan Stadium | 24 January
(Settawut Wongsai 11′ | Shawal Anuar 19′, Ryaan Sanizal O.G. 27′, Lennart Thy 32′, Bart Ramselaar 66′, 72′)
Even conceding the first goal did not halt the Lion City Sailors’ relentless march to the top of the Singapore Premier League. After Settawut Wongsai headed Hougang United ahead in the 11th minute, the Sailors responded emphatically to cruise to a 5-1 victory.
Bart Ramselaar delivered a standout performance, contributing two goals and an assist, as the league leaders underlined their attacking depth and composure. It marked the fourth time this season that the Sailors have scored five or more goals in a league match. With 30 goals already amassed, they sit 12 goals clear of the league’s next most prolific side, BG Tampines Rovers.
Hougang United: Zharfan Rohaizad, Jordan Vestering, Huzaifah Aziz (Chonlawit Kanuengkid 79’), Saifullah Akbar, Gloire Amanda (Parinya Nusong 76’), Farhan Zulkifli, Settawut Wongsai, Ryaan Sanizal (C), Nabilai Kibunguchy, Yuma Suwa, Victor Blasco Llorens (Saharat Panmarchya 67’)
Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin, Anders Aplin, Kanok Kongsimma, Washington Ayovi, Rauf Sanizal, Brant Tan, Syady Sufwan, Woo Chun Wei
Lion City Sailors: Ivan Susak, Toni Datkovic (Rui Pires 73’), Tsiy William Ndenge (Luka Adzic 73’), Shawal Anuar, Lennart Thy (Anderson Lopes 67’), Bart Ramselaar, Hami Syahin (Hariss Harun 37’), Bailey Wright (C), Diogo Costa, Akram Azman, Kyoga Nakamura
Unused subs: Benjamin Zerak, Adib Nur Hakim, Lionel Tan, Hafiz Nor, Nur Adam Abdullah, Christopher van Huizen, Lucas Eliezer Agueiro
Defensive woes continue to plague the Tigers
Balestier Khalsa 0-4 Albirex Niigata (S) | Bishan Stadium | 25 January
(Shingo Nakano 42′, 59′, Kim Taeuk 45+2′, Naoki Yoshioka 82′)
Balestier Khalsa endured a bruising evening as they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Albirex Niigata (S). Any hopes of resistance were dented midway through the first half when captain Madhu Mohana was controversially sent off in the 32nd minute.
What followed exposed persistent defensive frailties, with Marko Kraljevic’s side conceding three headed goals, including two from corners. There was also a spectacular acrobatic finish from Shingo Nakano – surely a goal of the season contender – to add gloss onto the Albirex win. Across the pitch, two defeats from two matches in the new year leave the Tigers searching for a swift response to arrest their slide.
Shingo Nakano’s goals could be a key factor in White Swans’ SPL season
Shingo Nakano continued his prolific form with a brace that not only powered Albirex Niigata (S) to victory, but also drew him level with Lennart Thy at the top of the SPL scoring charts.
Both Nakano and Thy found the net in Matchweek 7, reinforcing their roles as focal points of their respective sides. Nakano’s tally of six league goals keeps the White Swans within touching distance of BG Tampines Rovers, who are one point ahead in second.
Balestier Khalsa: Mario Mustapic, Darren Teh, Tajeli Salamat, Madhu Mohana (C), Lazar Vujanic (Fudhil I’Yadh 83’), Bogdan Mandic, Harith Kanadi (Aniq Raushan 90+4’), Daniel Goh (Ignatius Ang 83’), Elijah Lim, Tin Matic, Masahiro Sugita
Unused subs: Martyn Mun, Hafiz Ahmad, Ilyasin Zayan, Yanir Ben Eliezer, Larry Lim, Karthigaya Varmaan
Albirex Niigata (S): Hassan Sunny, Kim Taeuk, Nozomi Ozawa, Naoki Yoshioka, Zulqarnaen Suzliman (Danish Qayyum 90+5’), Takumi Yokohata (Nicky Melvin Singh 83’), Katsuyuki Ishibashi (Yang Hyeonju 59’), Syed Firdaus Hassan (Haziq Kamarudin 46’), Cho Eunsu, Abdul Rasaq Akeem (Aqil Zafri Junaidi 90+5’), Shingo Nakano (C)
Unused subs: Takahiro Koga, Dylan Pereira, Jaden Heng, Syukri Bashir, Aneeq Fairus, Shakthi Vinayagavijayan
Red card – Madhu Mohana (Balestier Khalsa) 32’
Young Lions show signs of progress
Young Lions 1-1 Tanjong Pagar United | Jalan Besar Stadium | 26 January
(Sergio Mendonca 26′ | Zenivio Mota 45+8’)
In a tense clash at the foot of the table, the Young Lions and Tanjong Pagar United encounter served up an end-to-end contest filled with chances for both sides.
The breakthrough came courtesy of a superbly weighted pass from 17-year-old Andy Reefqy, who slipped Sergio Mendonca through on goal. The Brazilian showed composure to round Zaiful Nizam and finish into an empty net for his third goal of the season.
The Jaguars responded through a moment of individual brilliance. Zenivio Mota weaved into the penalty area before curling a fine effort past Izwan Mahbud from a tight angle.
The second half saw the Young Lions push for a winner, with Henry Spence causing constant problems down the right flank. Mendonca went close to adding to his tally, denied once by Zaiful and seeing a second half header drift narrowly wide.
While pleased with the performance, Young Lions Head Coach Firdaus Kassim reiterated the need for continued hard work as the Young Lions look to build on an encouraging display against the Jaguars.
Young Lions: Izwan Mahbud, Joilson Lucas Souza, Abner Vinicius (Caelan Cheong 90+8’), Andrew Aw (Enrico Silveira 60’), Sergio Mendonca, Amir Syafiz (C), Henry Lawrence Spence (Nicolas Michael Beninger 77’), Kieran Teo, Harith Danish (Ajay Robson 77’), Luth Harith Fathi (Danial Ukail 60’), Andy Reefqy
Unused subs: Aizil Yazid, Ainun Nuha Ilyasir, Marcus Mosses, Fairuz Fazli, Garv Sahoo, Yazid Rizal Rais
Tanjong Pagar United: Zaiful Nizam, Syahrul Sazali, Fathullah Rahmat (Sahil Suhaimi 73’), Bruno Dybal, Zenivio Morientes Mota, Faizal Roslan, Raihan Rahman (Azim Akbar 90+3’), Estevez Tsai Emilio, Aaron Michael Evans (C), Shodai Nishikawa (Naqiuddin Eunos 64’), Lee Chanwoo
Unused subs: Matthew Silva, Kenji Rusydi, Youssef Ezzejjari Lhasnaoui, Aloysius Pang, Samuel Pillai, Vincenzo Ucchino, Darius Lai, Haziq Zulkifli, Hafid Rifa’i Sohan
