SINGAPORE, 20 JANUARY 2025 – The Singapore Premier League (SPL) returned with aplomb as the Lion City Sailors thrashed defending champions Albirex Niigata (S) to go three points clear at the top, while Geylang International swept aside Brunei DPMM to consolidate third spot. Elsewhere, Hougang United swept aside Balestier Khalsa to climb to sixth, while Tanjong Pagar United claimed a much-needed point against Young Lions in a bottom-of-the-table clash. We recap all the action here…
Smooth sailing for Sailors
Sailors 6-0 Albirex | Bishan | 17 January
Shawal Anuar 15’, Lennart Thy 31’, 52′, Bart Ramselaar 35’, Song Uiyoung 45’+1, Sergio Carmona Perez 66′
Shawal’s early looping header opened the floodgates, as Thy then nodded home Toni Datković’s cross before Ramselaar powered home a piledriver to make it three. Song added a fourth on the stroke of half-time, before Thy pounced on a rebound for a fifth. Carmona Pérez then produced a cool first-time finish off Christopher van Huizen’s cross to round off an emphatic victory for the Sailors.
Facts
- Sailors have now defeated Albirex by a six-goal margin in successive home encounters.
- Back-to-back SPL braces meant Thy has now notched up 15 goals in 16 league appearances for the Sailors.
- Sailors’ Anumanthan Kumar completed the full 90 minutes in the SPL for the first time since August 2023 in the Sailors’ 5-2 win over BG Tampines Rovers.
Sailors: Izwan Mahbud (GK), Christopher van Huizen (Hafiz Nor 71’), Hariss Harun (C), Bailey Wright (Lionel Tan 62’), Toni Datković, Sergio Carmona Pérez, Anumanthan Kumar, Song Uiyoung, Shawal Anuar (Abdul Rasaq Akeem 46’), Bart Ramselaar (Maxime Lestienne 62’), Lennart Thy (Haiqal Pashia 71’).
Unused subs: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Bill Mamadou, Hami Syahin, Akram Azman.
Albirex: Hassan Sunny (GK), Ryhan Stewart (C), Koki Kawachi, Stevia Egbus Mikuni, Junki Yoshimura, Yohei Otake, Syed Firdaus Hassan, Haziq Kamarudin (Daniel Goh 46’), Shuhei Hoshino, Taiki Maeda (Arshad Shamim 74’), Shingo Nakano.
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Zainol Gulam (GK), Amy Recha, Syukri Bashir, Syahrul Sazali, Gareth Low, Kenji Austin.
Jaguars find some hope
Young Lions 1-1 Tanjong Pagar | Jalan Besar | 18 January
Kaisei Ogawa pen. 53′ | Sahil Suhaimi 75’
Ogawa produced a cheeky Panenka effort from the spot to put Young Lions ahead early in the second half, but the visitors rescued a point with Sahil benefitting from fellow substitute Raihan Rahman’s floating outswinging corner to nod a firm header past Aizil Yazid.
Facts
- Tanjong Pagar ended a six-game losing streak.
- This is just the fourth time in 20 matches this season that Tanjong Pagar has conceded less than two goals.
- Eight-placed Young Lions maintained the 10-point gap between them and Tanjong Pagar.
Young Lions: Aizil Yazid (GK), Fairuz Fazli, Aqil Yazid (Jun Kobayashi 74’), Ryaan Sanizal (C), Raoul Suhaimi, Kan Kobayashi, Kaisei Ogawa, Jonan Tan (Fathullah Rahmat 64’), Ethan Pinto, Andrew Aw (Danish Qayyum 74’), Amir Syafiz (Nyqil Iyyan 81’).
Unused subs: Rauf Erwan (GK), Ikram Mikhail, Syafi Nur Hilman, Ryan Vishal, Danial Crichton.
Tanjong Pagar: Matthew Silva (GK) (C), Zenivio Mota, Shahrin Saberin (Syed Akmal 55’), Timur Talipov, Faizal Roslan, Rezza Rezky (Sahil Suhaimi 59’), Azim Akbar (Raihan Rahman 59’), Shodai Nishikawa, Tomoki Wada, Syahadat Masnawi, Salif Cissé.
Unused subs: Prathip Ekamparam (GK), Farid Jafiri, Umar Akhbar.
Doi and Eagles back at it
DPMM 0-2 Geylang | Bandar Seri Begawan | 18 January
Tomoyuki Doi 39′, Ryoya Taniguchi 77′
In a match in which they struck the woodwork three times, Geylang are deserved winners as they opened the scoring through a rasping long-range drive from Doi late in the first half before sealing the win late on with Taniguchi prodding past Kristijan Naumovski from close range.
Facts
- DPMM have now lost their last three matches at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, after going their first five games of the season there unbeaten.
- Geylang are now 12 points clear of fourth-placed Albirex.
- Doi took his goal tally up to 34 for the season – which is double those of his nearest challengers Dejan Račić, Kodai Tanaka and Shingo Nakano with all three players on 17.
- Geylang’s Huzaifah Aziz made his first SPL appearance since May 2024.
DPMM: Kristijan Naumovski (GK), Syafiq Safiuddin (Nazry Aiman 51’), Yura Indera Putera (Nurikhwan Othman 51’), Damir Muminović, Najib Tarif (Hariz Danial Khallidden 89’), Azwan Saleh (Abdul Hariz Harman 51’), Miguel Oliveira, Farshad Noor, Azwan Ali Rahman (C), Gabriel Gama (Naziruddin Ismail 64’), Dāvis Ikaunieks.
Unused subs: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Faturrahman Embran, Hanif Hamir, Wafi Aminuddin.
Geylang: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Akmal Azman (Ahmad Syahir 81’), Rio Sakuma, Keito Hariya, Huzaifah Aziz (Iqbal Hussain 75’), Joshua Pereira (C), Takahiro Tezuka, Naqiuddin Eunos, Saifullah Akbar (Naufal Azman 89’), Ryoya Taniguchi, Tomoyuki Doi.
Unused subs: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Faisal Shahril, Syafi Suhaimi, Raiyan Noor, Hud Ismail, Prince Rio Rifae’i.
Rejigged Cheetahs grab fine win
Hougang 3-1 Balestier | Jalan Besar | 19 January
Jovan Mugoša 1’, Dejan Račić 32’, Stjepan Plazonja 75’ | Madhu Mohana 45’+4
Debutant Mugoša nodded home Shahdan Sulaiman’s inswinging corner with his first touch in Singapore football to put Hougang ahead, before Račić somehow squeezed a low effort beyond Hafiz Ahmad from a tight angle to double their lead. Madhu did pull one back through a brilliant header off Alen Kozar’s free-kick, but Račić then teed up Plazonja to restore the Cheetahs’ two-goal lead and complete their victory.
Facts
- Hougang got off to a winning start under interim Head Coach Robert Eziakor.
- Balestier has now won just one out of their last seven league outings.
- Račić has now scored 17 goals in as many SPL appearances.
Hougang: Zaiful Nizam (GK), Tajeli Salamat, Jovan Mugoša, Daniel Henrique, Jordan Vestering, Zulfahmi Arifin, Shahdan Sulaiman (Ismail Salihović 83’), Nazrul Nazari (C) (Farhan Zulkifli 76’), Shodai Yokoyama, Stjepan Plazonja (Hazzuwan Halim 90’), Dejan Račić.
Unused subs: Kenji Rusydi (GK), Danish Irfan, Justin Hui, Nazhiim Harman, Gabriel Quak, Tan-Vaissierre Louka.
Balestier: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Darren Teh, Abdil Qaiyyim (Amiruldin Asraf 76’), Madhu Mohana, Harith Kanadi, Anton Fase, Alen Kozar (C), Masahiro Sugita, Ignatius Ang, Riku Fukashiro, Kodai Tanaka.
Unused subs: Wayne Chew (GK), Emmeric Ong, Elijah Lim, Fudhil I’yadh, N Sakthivelchezhian, Reycredo Bukit, Sheikh Faris, Merrick Tan.
