Singapore Premier League: Hougang slump to 5th straight loss
Reigning Singapore Cup champs struggling mightily as they lose to Tanjong Pagar via a Khairul Amri wonder goal
SINGAPORE — They were one of the most heartwarming success stories in Singapore football last year, winning their first-ever trophy since being founded in 1998.
But it has been a struggle for reigning Singapore Cup champions Hougang United this season, after they slumped to their fifth straight defeat in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Thursday (6 April), crashing 1-2 to Tanjong Pagar United.
Touted as a possible title contender before the start of the season, the Cheetahs are mired at second from bottom of the SPL table, above the Young Lions only on goal difference, and the pressure is on for young head coach Firdaus Kassim, 35, to stop the rot as quickly as possible.
Hougang had taken the lead against Tanjong Pagar at Jalan Besar Stadium, when midfielder Hazzuwan Halim latched onto a through ball from Brian Ferreira to slot home in the 42nd minute.
However, their porous defence cost them dearly. First, veteran fullback Irwan Shah inexplicably handled in the box in the 65th minute, and Tanjong Pagar's Croatian forward Marin Mudrazija made no mistake with his spot-kick equaliser.
Ten minutes later, former national forward Khairul Amri - the oldest outfield player in the SPL at age 38 - eluded the Hougang defence just enough to launch a spectacular scissors-kick volley to sweep the ball home.
While the Hougang players hanged their heads in despair, Tanjong Pagar could celebrate their second straight win as they climbed up to fifth in the table.
Albirex Niigata enjoy second 6-1 rout in four days
Defending champions Albirex Niigata (Singapore) pulled to within one point of league leaders Tampines Rovers on Wednesday, notching their second straight 6-1 victory as they swept past Balestier Khalsa at Bishan Stadium.
Just four days after their 6-1 rout of Geylang International, the White Swans engineered another big win, racking up a 4-0 lead in the first half with two goals each from Seia Kunori (18th and 45th minutes) and Riku Fukashiro (30th and 33rd).
Kunori completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute, capitalising on a poor back-pass by Balestier forward Masahiro Sugita. The Tigers pulled a goal back via Ignatius Ang in the 86th minute, but Albirex sealed the rout in stoppage time through Keito Komatsu.
Balestier barely had time to recover from the heavy loss, before they had to play another league match on Saturday against the Young Lions. This time though, they came out 3-1 winners against the bottom-placed side.
The Tigers went behind first, through a 10th-minute diving header by Kan Kobayashi. However, they responded quickly with an equaliser six minutes later, as their top scorer Ryoya Taniguchi curled in a superb free kick.
Taniguchi turned provider for Balestier's second goal in the 23rd minute, splitting the defence with an inch-perfect pass for Daniel Goh, who rounded a defender before slamming the ball home.
Taniguchi completed his Man-of-the-Match performance with another brilliant goal in the 86th minute, fending off his defender and then hitting a first-time shot from just outside the box for his second goal of the match.
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