Singapore Premier League: Albirex Niigata in comeback win over Lion City Sailors
Defending champions show powers of recovery to see off title challengers, as Tampines stay just behind with win over Young Lions
SINGAPORE — Has a three-horse race for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) become a duel between two sides?
It certainly seemed that way after defending champions Albirex Niigata (Singapore) defeated the Lion City Sailors 3-1 at Jurong East Stadium on Sunday (16 July) to consolidate their league-leading position and, more importantly, deal a major blow to their rivals' title hopes.
With Tampines Rovers pulling out a 3-2 win over the Young Lions on Saturday to stay second in the table - level on points with Albirex but having played one more game - the stage is set for a title duel between the top two teams with five matches left to go in the season. All eyes will be on the top-of-the-table clash between Albirex and Tampines on 28 July.
Recovery from a goal down and a keeper down
Against the Sailors, Albirex showed their powers of recovery, coming from a goal down - and a goalkeeper down - to grab late winning goals and condemn the high-spending Sailors to their second straight loss.
They lost Singapore international goalkeeper Hassan Sunny after a scary collision with defender Shunsaku Kishimoto in the 41st minute. The club said the 39-year-old was sent to Ng Teng Fong Hospital for a CT scan, and was later cleared and discharged.
The Sailors went ahead in the 73rd minute through a contentious penalty after Albirex captain Asahi Yokokawa was deemed to have handled in the box. New signing Richairo Zivkovic made no mistake from the spot kick.
That sparked a furious comeback from Albirex, and the Sailors defence - shaky all season long - cracked when Shodai Yokoyama sneaked in unmarked in the far post to equalise in the 80th minute.
Two minutes later, Albirex took the lead when veteran striker Tadanari Lee flicked on Seia Kunori's shot into the net. And in stoppage time, the hosts completed their stirring comeback when Riku Fukashiro finished off a counter attack with a stinging shot.
With the win, Albirex stayed top of the table on 44 points from 18 matches. The Sailors are five points behind and have played one more match.
Withstanding fightback for precious win
On Saturday at Jalan Besar Stadium, 10-man Tampines withstood a spirited performance from bottom-placed Young Lions to register their third win on the trot, and briefly took over Albirex at the top of the table.
Captain Yasir Hanapi gave the Stags the lead in the 18th minute with a superb long-range goal, but Syahadat Masnawi equalised for the Young Lions after being put through in the 42nd minute.
Tampines goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari was given a straight red card three minutes after the restart, after he barged into Syahadat outside the penalty area. However, Tampines shrugged off the sending-off with goals from Yasir (59th minute) and Faris Ramli (62nd), and held off the Young Lions despite Fairuz Fazli (71st) reducing the deficit to 2-3.
Fourth-placed Balestier Khalsa earned their fourth straight win with a 3-2 victory over Brunei's DPMM FC at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday. Goals from Japanese imports Shuhei Hoshino (2nd) and Ryoya Taniguchi (32nd and 88th) gave the Tigers their 11th win of the season, as DPMM replied through Azwan Ali Rahman (7th) and Hakeme Yazid (16th).
At Jurong East Stadium on Saturday, Tanjong Pagar United drew 2-2 with Geylang International, with goals from Akram Azman (11th) and Naqiuddin Eunos (90th). Geylang scored through Yushi Yamaya (35th) and Takahiro Tezuka (59th).
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