Singapore Premier League: Lion City Sailors move up to 2nd spot with 3-0 win
Despite head coach's depature, the 2021 champions beat Hougang United on a great performance by Adam Swandi
SINGAPORE — With Tampines Rovers not in action, the Lion City Sailors climbed up to second place in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) with a sparkling 3-0 victory over Hougang United at Bishan Stadium on Sunday (25 June).
And, for once, it was the local players who shone brighter than the Sailors' in-form imports Maxime Lestienne and Diego Lopes, with Abdul Rasaq and Adam Swandi seizing the goals that set the Sailors' rise up the SPL table.
The Sailors, who are without a permanent head coach after the departure of Risto Vidakovic on 19 June, were facing a potentially tricky hurdle in Hougang, who had won four out of their past five league matches coming into Sunday's clash.
With former first-team coaches Daan van Oudheusden and Pablo Muniz in interim charge, the Sailors looked tentative as they began the match, rarely troubling the much-improved Hougang defence.
But in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Adam threaded a pin-point pass into Abdul Rasaq's path, and the national Under-23 forward fended off a defender before launching a stinging shot into the top right corner of the net.
That goal settled the home side, and the second half turned into the Adam Swandi show, as the Singapore international midfielder slammed home two superb long-range efforts in the 48th and 75th minutes to seal the Sailors' victory.
With the win, the Sailors have 33 points from 15 matches, level on points with third-placed Tampines, who have a game in hand.
Albirex stay three points clear at the top with 4-0 win
Defending champions Albirex Niigata (Singapore) remain top of the SPL table with 36 points from 14 matches, after a comfortable 4-0 romp past Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium on Saturday.
The White Swans raced into 2-0 lead by benefitting from goalmouth melees during corners, as Koki Kawachi (10th minute) and Shodai Yokoyama (45th) managed to toe-poke in their goals through the crowds of bodies.
Albirex's top scorer Seia Kunori added sheen to the scoreline with two well-taken strikes (45th and 88th minutes) as the hosts registered their fourth win on the trot.
On Friday, Geylang International climbed up to fifth spot, following a 3-2 win over fourth-placed Balestier Khalsa despite going down to 10 men at Bishan Stadium.
Ho Wai Loon had put Balestier in front in the 36th minute, but Geylang responded by taking the lead through Yushi Yamaya (47th) and Vincent Bezecourt (53rd) early in the second half.
Despite the Eagles being reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Danish Irfan for a second yellow card, they made it 3-1 in the 79th minute with a close-range header by Shahfiq Ghani. Balestier pulled a goal back with a fine shot by Masahiro Sugita (82nd), but were unable to prevent the defeat.
Brunei's DPMM FC ended a four-match losing streak with a 6-0 rout over bottom-placed Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Azwan Ali Rahman (2nd), Andrey Voronkov (6th, 51st), Josip Balic (39th), Hanif Farhan (48th) and Hakeme Yazid (66th) gave the second-from-bottom side their fourth win of the season.
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