BG Tampines’s Glenn Kweh in action against Balestier’s Darren Teh, 24 May 2024.
SINGAPORE, 27 MAY 2024 – With the Lion City Sailors not in action this week, BG Tampines Rovers took full advantage as they dispatched Balestier Khalsa to go one point clear at the top while Brunei DPMM took apart defending champions Albirex Niigata (S) to pull level with the Sailors on six points. Elsewhere, Geylang International walloped Young Lions to continue their unbeaten start while Tanjong Pagar United and Hougang United played out a draw to collect their first points of the campaign. We recap all the action here…
Stags go top
Balestier 2-4 BG Tampines | Bishan | 24 May
Kodai Tanaka 30’, 48’ | Boris Kopitović 3’, Seia Kunori 11’, Miloš Zlatković 63’, Faris Ramli 89’
Tampines raced into a two-goal lead, with Kunori teeing up Kopitović for a close-range finish before going on to net himself via Faris’s pinpoint cross. Balestier rallied, with the on-form Tanaka nodding home Tajeli Salamat’s free-kick before tapping in Riku Fukashiro’s cross to pull them level. However, the visitors retook the lead through a stunning Zlatković piledriver from range before Faris sealed the points with a header off Taufik Suparno’s cross.
Facts
- Tampines led by two goals inside the first 11 minutes for a second successive match.
- Tampines are unbeaten for the opening three matches for a second straight season.
- Tanaka has now scored braces in three straight matches – he, along with Kopitović and Geylang’s Tomoyuki Doi, are the only players to have netted in all three matchweeks this season.
- Zlatković scored in back-to-back SPL matches for the first time – he has already doubled his 2023 tally of one goal.
Balestier: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Tajeli Salamat, Madhu Mohana, Jordan Emaviwe, Darren Teh (Fudhil I’yadh 81’), Harith Kanadi, Alen Kozar (C), Ismail Sassi, Masahiro Sugita, Riku Fukashiro, Kodai Tanaka.
Unused subs: Martyn Mun (GK), Wayne Chew (GK), Emmeric Ong, Amer Hakeem, Elijah Lim, Amiruldin Asraf, Ignatius Ang, Merrick Tan.
BG Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK) (C), Jared Gallagher (Irfan Najeeb 57’), Shuya Yamashita, Amirul Adli (Amirul Haikal 73’), Miloš Zlatković, Shah Shahiran, Kyoga Nakamura, Glenn Kweh (Taufik Suparno 73’), Faris Ramli (Caelan Cheong 90’), Seia Kunori (Yasir Hanapi 90’), Boris Kopitović.
Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Syahrul Sazali, Taras Goh, Thitipat Ekarunpong.
BG Tampines’s Miloš Zlatković in action against Balestier Khalsa, 24 May 2024.
DPMM show title credentials
Albirex 1-4 DPMM | Jurong East | 25 May
Yohei Otake 56’ | Julio Cruz 12’, Gabriel Gama 18’, Miguel Oliveira 21’, 60’
There was no way back for Albirex after debutant Cruz clinically finished off Hakeme Yazid’s cross early on, with DPMM netting another two by the 21st minute with Gama and Oliveira producing stunning left-footed finishes. The home side pulled one back through Otake’s deflected free-kick, but Rui Capela’s side sealed the points with Oliveira lashing a sizzling grounder in off the post.
Facts
- Albirex lost for the first time in 10 home matches at Jurong East – their last defeat there prior to this was to Tampines in March 2023.
- Albirex’s tally of three points from their opening three matches is their worst since 2019 when they started the season with two draws and one loss.
- DPMM won their first two matches of the season since 2019, when they defeated Home United 1-0 and Geylang International 3-0 respectively.
Albirex: Kai Yamamoto (GK), Syed Firdaus Hassan, Koki Kawachi, Stevia Egbus Mikuni, Gareth Low (Arshad Shamim 77’), Arya Igami Tarhani, Yohei Otake, Ho Wai Loon (C), Daniel Goh (Syukri Bashir 87’), Amy Recha, Shuhei Hoshino.
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Syafi’ie Redzuan, Jarrel Ong, Daniel Martens, Haziq Kamarudin, Junki Yoshimura, Hilman Norhisam.
DPMM: Kristijan Naumovski (GK), Syafiq Safiuddin (Hanif Hamir 78’), Yura Indera Putera, Patrick Flottmann, Najib Tarif, Farshad Noor, Gabriel Gama, Azwan Ali Rahman (C) (Nurikhwan Othman 85’), Miguel Oliveira (Hanif Farhan 82’), Hakeme Yazid, Julio Cruz (Nazirrudin Ismail 85’).
Unused subs: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Abdul Mu’iz Sisa, Faturrahman Embran, Abdul Hariz Herman, Nazry Aiman.
Brunei DPMM celebrating as goal against Albirex Niigata (S), 25 May 2024.
Eagles pick up first win
Geylang 7-1 Young Lions | Jalan Besar | 25 May
Ryoya Taniguchi 12’, Sora Tanaka 18’, Vincent Bezecourt 79’, Takahiro Tezuka 82’, Tomoyuki Doi 54’, 66’, 89’ | Itsuki Enomoto pen. 58’
Taniguchi curled home a neat effort from the edge of the box to open the floodgates, before Japanese compatriots Tanaka and Doi converted clinical finishes to make it 3-0. Enomoto pulled one back from the spot for Young Lions, but Doi poked home from close range before Bezecourt finished off a devastating team move to extend the lead to 5-1. Tezuka then got onto the scoresheet, before Doi completed his hat-trick with a stunning free-kick to seal a handsome win for the Eagles.
Facts
- Young Lions have now lost their last 18 SPL matches – a run that stretches back to April 2023.
- Seven out of the eight goals of this match were scored by Japanese players.
- Doi scored the first hat-trick of the 2024/25 SPL season – that was also his first hat-trick since September 2021 in Hougang’s 7-3 win over Tampines.
- Geylang’s Nur Ikhsanuddin made his SPL debut.
Geylang: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Naqiuddin Eunos (Akmal Azman 88’), Keito Hariya, Joshua Pereira (C), Shakir Hamzah (Ahmad Syahir 41’), Takahiro Tezuka, Sora Tanaka (Zikos Chua 88’), Iqbal Hussain (Naufal Azman 74’), Vincent Bezecourt (Nur Ikhsanuddin 88’), Ryoya Taniguchi, Tomoyuki Doi.
Unused subs: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Faisal Shahril, Syafi Suhaimi, Shafrel Ariel.
Young Lions: Travis Ang (GK), Raoul Suhaimi (Khairin Nadim 64’), Jun Kobayashi, Rashid Hayek, Nur Adam Abdullah, Kan Kobayashi (Amir Syafiz 90’), Kaisei Ogawa, Fathullah Rahmat (Jonan Tan 71’), Fairuz Fazli (Andrew Aw 90’), Itsuki Enomoto, Farhan Zulkifli (C) (Danish Haqimi 90’).
Unused subs: Umayr Sujuandy (GK), Ikram Mikhail, Kieran Teo, Febryan Putra.
Geylang International’s Tomoyuki Doi celebrating a goal against Young Lions, 25 May 2024.
Strugglers share the points
Tanjong Pagar 1-1 Hougang | Jurong East | 26 May
Stefan Paunovic 87’ | Jordan Vestering 90’+6
The goals came late in this one, with Paunovic coming up with a wonderful long-range effort that left Zaiful Nizam all hands down and it looked like Tanjong Pagar had stolen the win late on. However, Hougang snatched a point at the death with Vestering’s shot ricocheting off Syed Akmal before beating Fashah Iskandar in the Tanjong Pagar goal.
Facts
- Tanjong Pagar and Hougang are the only sides, along with Young Lions, yet to win a game this season.
- Tanjong Pagar have received a red card in each of their two matches this campaign.
- Jordan Vestering scored just his fourth-ever SPL goal.
Tanjong Pagar: Fashah Iskandar (GK), Rezza Rezky, Syed Akmal, Pathy Malumandsoko (Shahrin Saberin 72’), Akram Azman (C) (Daniel Elfian 87’), Zenivio Mota, Tomoki Wada, Timur Talipov (Syed Akmal 46’), Stefan Paunovic (Rezza Rezky 68’), Anaqi Ismit (Shodai Nishikawa 46’), Syahadat Masnawi (Zahil Abdul Rahman 90’+3).
Unused subs: Prahtip Ekamparam (GK), Riki Kimura (GK), Azim Akbar, Daniel Elfian, Aiqel Aliman, Risvi Aaqil.
Hougang: Zaiful Nizam (GK) (C), Nazhiim Harman, Faris Hasić (Adam Reefdy 85’), Ensar Brunčević, Danish Irfan (Louka Vaissierre-Tan 75’), Jordan Vestering, Hazzuwan Halim (Zamani Zamri 75’), Justin Hui (Ajay Robson 67’), Shahdan Sulaiman, Shodai Yokoyama, Gabriel Quak (Puttipat Kaewsawad 67’).
Unused subs: Isaac Jonathan (GK), Rauf Sanizal, Danie Hafiy.
Red Card – Rezza Rezky (Tanjong Pagar) 90’+2
Hougang United’s Shodai Yokoyama in action against Tanjong Pagar United, 26 May 2024.
