Credit: Playmaker
SINGAPORE, 10 FEBRUARY 2025 – The Lion City Sailors made light work of Tanjong Pagar United to remain six points clear at the top of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) table, while nearest challengers BG Tampines Rovers thrashed Young Lions to remain in the hunt. Elsewhere, Balestier Khalsa edged Brunei DPMM in a thriller to climb to fourth, while Albirex Niigata (S) rescued a last-gasp draw against third-placed Geylang International. We recap all the action here…
Tigers edge thriller
DPMM 2-3 Balestier | Bandar Seri Begawan | 7 February
Dāvis Ikaunieks 29’, Hakeme Yazid 89′ | Kodai Tanaka 48′, Anton Fase 68′, Riku Fukashiro 90’+6
Ikaunieks lashed home a thumping volley to put DPMM ahead, but Balestier turned things around in the second half with Tanaka tapping home a rebound to equalise before turning provider for Fase to net a well-worked second goal. The home side levelled it up with Hakeme nodding home Miguel Oliveira’s teasing cross, but there was to be another twist in the tale with Fukashiro netting late into injury time to steal all three points for the Tigers.
Facts
- Balestier ended a three-game losing streak in the league.
- Fase has scored three goals in 4 appearances for Balestier in all competitions since joining in the mid-season transfer window.
- Ikaunieks netted his first-ever SPL goal.
DPMM: Kristijan Naumovski (GK), Syafiq Safiuddin (Nazry Aiman 28’), Yura Indera Putera, Damir Muminović, Najib Tarif, Abdul Hariz Herman (Azwan Saleh 78’), Miguel Oliveira, Farshad Noor (Hakeme Yazid 52’), Azwan Ali Rahman (C) (Hanif Farhan 78’), Nazirrudin Ismail (Abdul Mu’iz Sisa 78’), Dāvis Ikaunieks.
Unused subs: Haimie Nyaring (GK), Faturrahman Embran, Hariz Danial Khallidden, Wafi Aminuddin.
Balestier: Hafiz Ahmad (GK), Darren Teh (Reycredo Bukit 87’), Abdil Qaiyyim (Elijah Lim 87’), Madhu Mohana, Fudhil I’yadh (Harith Kanadi 80’), Alen Kozar (C), Jared Gallagher, Riku Fukashiro, Ignatius Ang (Amiruldin Asraf 77’), Anton Fase, Kodai Tanaka.
Unused subs: Martyn Mun (GK), Ho Tung Han (GK), Emmeric Ong, Elijah Lim, Amiruldin Asraf, N Sakthivelchezhian, Reycredo Bukit.
Stags stay in the hunt
Young Lions 1-5 BG Tampines | Jalan Besar | 8 February
Amir Syafiz 52′ | Miloš Zlatković 21’, Glenn Kweh 36′, Itsuki Enomoto 59’, Ethan Pinto O.G. 68’, Amirul Adli 71’
Zlatković curled home a brilliant free-kick before Kweh netted a fine solo effort as BG Tampines led by two at the break. Young Lions pulled one back with Amir converting Kan Kobayashi’s low cross, but Enomoto was at the right place at the right time to restore the Stags’ two-goal lead thereafter. Kunori’s volley then took a deflection off Ethan to make it 4-1, before Adli nodded in Kweh’s corner to complete the rout.
Facts
- BG Tampines won their first match of 2025 after three attempts.
- Zlatković took his tally to five goals for the 2024/25 season.
- Amir scored in back-to-back matches for the first time in his career.
- Young Lions’ Ryan Vishal made his professional debut.
Young Lions: Aizil Yazid (GK), Fairuz Fazli (Nur Adam Abdullah 64’), Jun Kobayashi, Ryaan Sanizal (C), Raoul Suhaimi (Aqil Yazid 80’), Fathullah Rahmat (Danish Qayyum 71’), Kaisei Ogawa, Ethan Pinto, Kan Kobayashi, Andrew Aw (Ryan Vishal 80’), Amir Syafiz.
Unused subs: Rauf Erwan (GK), Syafi Nur Hilman, Rasul Ramli, Ikmal Hazlan, Danial Crichton.
BG Tampines: Syazwan Buhari (GK) (C), Irfan Najeeb, Amirul Adli, Dylan Fox, Miloš Zlatković, Shah Shahiran, Kyoga Nakamura (Kieran Tan 87’), Joel Chew (Taufik Suparno 57’), Glenn Kweh (Nanthiphat Chaiman 78’), Itsuki Enomoto (Yasir Hanapi 87’), Seia Kunori (Arya Igami Tarhani 78’).
Unused subs: Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Amirul Haikal, Kegan Phang, Rae Peh.
Sailors remain in cruise control
Sailors 4-1 Tanjong Pagar | Bishan | 9 February
Lennart Thy 12′, 60′, 69′, Bailey Wright 24′ | Tomoki Wada 89′
There was no way for Tanjong Pagar after Thy produced a superb shot on the turn to put the Sailors ahead. Wright then nodded in Song Uiyoung’s inswinging corner, before Thy applied the finishing touch to precise crosses from Shawal Anuar and Diogo Costa to complete his first-ever SPL hat-trick. Wada pulled one back for the Jaguars through a fine free-kick, but that proved to be a mere consolation.
Facts
- Sailors picked up five straight league wins in a season for the first time since September 2023.
- Thy has now netted 18 goals in as many SPL appearances for the Sailors – he is now the league’s joint-second highest scorer alongside Dejan Račić (Hougang) and Kodai Tanaka (Balestier).
- Wright has now scored six goals in all competitions for the Sailors this season.
Sailors: Izwan Mahbud (GK), Hami Syahin, Lionel Tan, Bailey Wright (C), Toni Datković, Diogo Costa (Christopher van Huizen 84’), Song Uiyoung (Hariss Harun 75’), Bart Ramselaar (Hafiz Nor 84’), Maxime Lestienne, Shawal Anuar (Akram Azman 75’), Lennart Thy (Abdul Rasaq Akeem 84’).
Unused subs: Zharfan Rohaizad (GK), Bill Mamadou, Anumanthan Kumar, Haiqal Pashia.
Tanjong Pagar: Matthew Silva (GK) (C), Syed Akmal, Timur Talipov, Faizal Roslan, Zenivio Mota (Saiful Azhar 88’), Raihan Rahman, Azim Akbar (Izrafil Yusof 90+1), Shodai Nishikawa, Rezza Rezky, Tomoki Wada, Syahadat Masnawi (Sahil Suhaimi 74’).
Unused subs: Prathip Ekamparam (GK), Riki Kimura (GK), Farid Jafiri, Salif Cissé, Umar Akhbar, Marcus Mosses.
Red Card – Faizal Roslan (Tanjong Pagar) 74’
Geylang denied by last-gasp equaliser
Albirex 1-1 Geylang | Jurong East | 9 February
Ryhan Stewart 90+4′ | Tomoyuki Doi 23′
Geylang led for large periods of the game after Doi fired home a fine individual effort midway through the first half, but Albirex grabbed an equaliser deep into injury time with Ryhan nodding home Arshad Shamim’s deep cross.
Facts
- Geylang are now winless in their last three games in all competitions.
- Three out of Ryhan’s six SPL goals so far have come against Geylang.
- Doi has now scored 38 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season.
Albirex: Hassan Sunny (GK), Ryhan Stewart, Koki Kawachi, Stevia Egbus Mikuni, Junki Yoshimura, Naoki Yoshioka, Syed Firdaus Hassan, Haziq Kamarudin (Arshad Shamim 62’), Shuhei Hoshino (Daniel Goh 76’), Yohei Otake (C), Shingo Nakano.
Unused subs: Dylan Pereira (GK), Amy Recha, Syahrul Sazali, Gareth Low, Daniel Martens, Kenji Austin, Helmi Shahrol.
Geylang: Rudy Khairullah (GK), Akmal Azman, Rio Sakuma (C) (Ahmad Syahir 78’), Keito Hariya, Shakir Hamzah, Huzaifah Aziz, Takahiro Tezuka, Naqiuddin Eunos, Ryoya Taniguchi (Prince Rio Rifae’i 90’+4), Saifullah Akbar (Iqbal Hussain 62’), Tomoyuki Doi.
Unused subs: Hairul Syirhan (GK), Naufal Azman, Nizwan Izzairie, Jake Ellenberger, Syafi Suhaimi, Nur Ikhsanuddin.
Red Card – Stevia Egbus Mikuni (Albirex) 66’
