Matchweek 14 of the Singapore Premier League saw every victorious side keep a clean sheet, underlining the importance of defensive discipline across a tightly contested round of fixtures. Here are five key talking points from the weekend:
Cheetahs bounce back from recent slump
Young Lions 0-2 Hougang United | Jalan Besar Stadium | 14 March
(Nabilai Kibunguchy 54’, Victor Blasco Llorens 56’)
Hougang United returned to winning ways after recent troubles, with stand-in goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin keeping a clean sheet in the process. Young Lions were in the contest throughout the first half, but lost both of their starting centrebacks to injury by the break.
Nabilai Kibunguchy – deployed again in an advanced position – eventually broke the deadlock, showcasing his attacking instincts by taking the ball past Izwan Mahbud and finishing into an empty net. The advantage was doubled two minutes later, an unmarked Victor Blasco heading in from a Farhan Zulkifli freekick delivery.
The Cheetahs will be satisfied with the win heading into the international break, regrouping before a clash with Geylang International – who are only two points ahead in the table. Young Lions will also look forward to their six-pointer against Tanjong Pagar, relying on the experience of Abdil Qayyim, who made his first appearance of the season in this match.
Young Lions: Izwan Mahbud, Joshua Little (Abner Vinicius 59’), Joilson Lucas Souza (Enrico Silveira 8’), Ajay Robson, Amir Syafiz (C), Henry Spence, Fairuz Fazli, Kieran Teo (Abdil Qaiyyim 46’), Nathan Mao (Sergio Mendonca 59’), Luth Harith, Andy Reefqy (Danial Ukail 46’)
Unused subs: Ashman Saravanan, Andrew Aw Yong, Marcus Mosses, Iryan Fandi, Garv Sahoo, Nicholas Beninger
Hougang United: Ridhuan Barudin (C), Jordan Vestering, Chonlawit Kanuengkid, Kanok Kongsimma (Rauf Sanizal 74’), Saifullah Akbar, Farhan Zulkifli (Algirdas Karlonas 90’), Washington Ayovi, Nabilai Kibunguchy, Yuma Suwa, Victor Blasco, Jaushua Sotirio (Saharat Panmarchya 82’)
Unused subs: Aizil Yazid, Rauf Erwan, Anders Aplin, Parinya Nusong, Aryan Boon Ying An, Callanta Neil, Syady Sufwan, Ganesan Silloren
Eagles soar with statement win over White Swans
Geylang International 1-0 Albirex Niigata (S) | Our Tampines Hub | 15 March
(Shodai Yokoyama 72’)
With both sides in contrasting form prior to kickoff, Geylang International produced a statement win thanks to Shodai Yokoyama’s solo effort in the second half. The former Albirex Niigata (S) player carried the ball from his own half – ghosting past three defenders – before producing a near-post finish that rewarded the Eagles’ performance on the night.
The win halts a run of three consecutive losses, bringing fresh hope to Geylang fans. They might have more reason to cheer in their next game, coming up against Hougang United who are in a similar plight.
Albirex lose ground in title race
Albirex Niigata (S) will rue their missed chances, as they lost more ground in the title race after their competitive rivals picked up wins over the weekend. Led by the in-form duo of Yang Hyeonju and Shingo Nakano, the Albirex attack huffed and puffed but drew a blank despite their best efforts.
Their upcoming clash against BG Tampines Rovers now takes on added significance, with a positive result crucial to keeping their title ambitions alive.
Geylang International: Rudy Khairullah, Kim Tae Ho (Ko Jaehyun 86’), Shuhei Hoshino, Joshua Pereira (C), Ryoya Taniguchi, Vincent Bezecourt (Riku Fukashiro 70’), Shakir Hamzah, Nikola Ignjatovic, Shodai Yokoyama, Kaisei Ogawa (Gareth Low 46’), Nazrul Nazari
Unused subs: Yu Kanoshima, Iqram Rifqi, Amy Recha, Shahdan Sulaiman, Raiyan Noor, Ryu Hardy, Faisal Shahril, Timothy Cheng, Abuduryim Abdushukur
Albirex Niigata (S): Hassan Sunny, Kim Taeuk, Nozomi Ozawa, Komei Iida, Zulqarnaen Suzliman (Shakthi Vinayagavijayan 78’), Katsuyuki Ishibashi (Naoki Yoshioka 78’), Cho Eunsu, Sim Jun Yen (Nicky Melvin Singh 63’), Abdul Rasaq (Jaden Heng 78’), Yang Hyeonju, Shingo Nakano (C)
Unused subs: Takahiro Koga, Dylan Pereira, Ren Nishimura, Syukri Bashir, Delwinder Singh, Aneeq Fairus, Arsyad Azrain, Sachin Kabilan
Diogo Costa experiment pays dividends for the Sailors
Balestier Khalsa 0-3 Lion City Sailors | Bishan Stadium | 15 March
(Diogo Costa 33’, Lennart Thy 40’, Anderson Lopes 85’ (P))
Marauding leftback Diogo Costa lined up in an unfamiliar role on the right wing, in a tactical switch that paid off with a goal and penalty for the Lion City Sailors. Despite an inspired performance from Hafiz Ahmad – producing multiple saves that kept the scoreline low – the Sailors were convincing throughout the night and deservedly secured three points.
Having won their previous four matches, the Tigers will view upcoming fixtures against Albirex Niigata (S) and BG Tampines Rovers as key tests of their progress.
Balestier Khalsa: Hafiz Ahmad, Darren Teh, Mario Subaric, Madhu Mohana (C), Bogdan Mandic (Fudhil I’Yadh 86’), Harith Kanadi, Elijah Lim, Tin Matic, Masahiro Sugita, Jakov Katusa, Ignatius Ang (Daniel Goh 67’)
Unused subs: Martyn Mun, Dany Irfan, Tajeli Salamat, Aniq Raushan, Ilyasin Zayan, Yanir Ben Eliezer, Syafi Nur Hilman, Ifat Sha’aban
Lion City Sailors: Ivan Susak, Toni Datkovic (Lionel Tan 86’), Tsiy Ndenge (Lucas Agueiro 68’), Shawal Anuar (Hariss Harun 68’), Lennart Thy (Anderson Lopes 61’), Bart Ramselaar, Nur Adam Abdullah, Bailey Wright (C), Diogo Costa (Hafiz Nor 86’), Akram Azman, Kyoga Nakamura
Unused subs: Benjamin Zerak, Adib Nur Hakim, Christopher Van Huizen
Red Card – Harith Kanadi (Balestier Khalsa 84’)
Stags stay firmly in the title hunt
Tanjong Pagar United 0-3 BG Tampines Rovers | Jurong East Stadium | 16 March
(Hide Higashikawa 20’, 76’, Shah Shahiran 90’)
BG Tampines Rovers responded strongly to their AFC Champions League Two exit with a clinical 3-0 victory, maintaining pressure in the title race.
A brace from Hide Higashikawa not only helped the Stags on their way to three points, but also stretched his lead as the league’s top scorer. Shah Shahiran then scored at the end of regulation time to match the Lion City Sailors’ prior result.
With momentum building, the Stags remain firmly in contention alongside the Lion City Sailors as the season heads into a crucial stretch.
Tanjong Pagar United: Matthew Silva (C), Azim Akbar, Kim Li Kwan, Zenivio Mota, Faizal Roslan, Raihan Rahman, Emilio Estevez (Naqiuddin Eunos 83’), Shodai Nishikawa (Fathullah Rahmat 83’), Lee Chanwoo (Anaqi Ismit 69’), Lougah Junior Djile
Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi, Zaiful Nizam, Syed Muhammad Akmal, Syahadat Masnawi, Vabio Canavaro, Aloysius Pang, Samuel Pillai, Haziq Zulkifli, Izrafil Yusof
BG Tampines Rovers: Syazwan Buhari (C), Raoul Suhaimi (Kegan Phang 90+1’), Shuya Yamashita, Seiga Sumi (Joel Chew 75’), Shah Shahiran, Glenn Kueh (Trent Buhagiar 66’), Dylan Fox, Amirul Haikal (Takeshi Yoshimoto 75’), Hide Higashikawa, Yuki Kobayashi (Jacob Mahler 86’), Kohya Kazama
Unused subs: Kasey Rogers, Ong Yu En, Zikos Chua, Iman Hakim, Irfan Najeeb, Tara Ndao
