SINGAPORE - They were just moments away from holding Singapore Premier League (SPL) defending champions Albirex Niigata to what would have been a richly-deserved 1-1 draw.
But, despite the valiant effort from the Young Lions, they were dealt a sucker punch in the 96th minute after goalkeeper Kenji Rusydi fumbled Hiroyoshi Kamata's strike to concede an own goal at the Jurong East Stadium on Sunday (April 21).
While Young Lions coach Fandi Ahmad was disappointed with the 2-1 loss, he praised his team's effort and refused to pin the blame on Kenji, highlighting the custodian's crucial saves in the second half.
"The boys did very well holding Albirex till the end and I thought the goalkeeper did very well until that slip off his palm," said Fandi.
"I thought we deserved at least a point, but this is just our luck. Football is about scoring goals. We need to improve on that because we're not scoring enough now."
After a slow start from both sides, Albirex broke the deadlock after 14 minutes when Naruki Takahashi headed home from Kyoga Nakamura's corner.
The Young Lions went in search of the equaliser, but long-range strikes from Syahrul Sazali and Sharul Nizam Anwar went wide.
In the 32nd minute, they pulled level through a Haiqal Pashia penalty after Albirex goalkeeper Kengo Fukudome brought Sharul down.
The match was then delayed for about an hour at half-time due to the lightning warning system being activated.
When play resumed, the Young Lions came close to taking the lead with narrow misses from captain Joshua Pereira and Nur Luqman Rahman.
The Albirex duo of Nakamura and Daizo Horikoshi were a constant threat to the Young Lions' defence, but crucial saves by Kenji kept the score level.
The away side looked to have done enough to secure a precious point until the 96th minute when Nakamura dribbled past three Young Lions players and passed to Kamata, whose strike slipped through Kenji's fingers to hand Albirex their third straight win.
Fandi said: "It happens when a cross comes and someone is free and you just take the shot. One shot, one goal and he (Kamata) took a really good shot there."
Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi was delighted with the result.
He said: "Today was a very difficult game for us. Although we scored the first goal and tried to get a second in the first half, they scored a penalty instead.
"After the long delay, I thought it'll get more difficult, but our players kept up their aggression. They fought for every ball and didn't give up all the way until the winning goal."
Ahead of their next match against Hougang United on Wednesday, Shigetomi said: "Until now, all the goals we've conceded have been from set pieces so we will look at them and try to defend the set pieces better."
Albirex moved up one spot to fourth on 11 points after the win, while the Young Lions, who will face league leaders Brunei DPMM on Wednesday, remain eighth in the nine-team SPL. In Sunday's other match, Balestier Khalsa drew 1-1 with Tampines Rovers at Bishan Stadium.
Newcastle United beat Blackburn Rovers 4-2 after extra time while Championship side Stoke City threw away a two-goal lead as they suffered a shock 3-2 home defeat by third-tier Shrewsbury Town in
Blackburn Rovers vs. Newcastle United - Football Match Report
Way more truTV! Watch clips, sneak peeks and exclusives from original shows like Comedy Knockout, Those Who Can't and more - plus fresh video from hit shows
Brawn | Definition of Brawn by Merriam-Webster
AC Milan risk being excluded from European competition next season after UEFA on Thursday ordered another probe be carried out into the Italian club for breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations. European football's governing body said in a statement that UEFA's Club Financial Control Body investigatory chamber had decided "to refer the
AC Milan face long European ban after UEFA opens second
Emery urges fired-up Gunners to keep cool heads
Guardiola isn't thinking that far ahead just yet and he urged his players to take it one game at a time. "Liverpool and Man City have done incredible so far so deserve the credit. We will have 80 points with six games to play if we win next week," he said. "We are going to do everything to win. No matter the next competition, we will win the game."
Guardiola salutes 'incredible' Manchester City
pembrokeexpress.com/2019/04/02/guardiola-salutes-incredible-manchester-city/
Guardiola salutes 'incredible' Manchester City Posted April 02, 2019 "I just think that whereas City when they are one up can get the football, pop it about and keep it for fun if you want, I don't think Liverpool with the trio of midfield players that they have can do that as well".
Pep Guardiola salutes gritty Manchester City | Football News
Mauricio Pochettino: Spurs manager charged with improper
Chelsea vs. Eintracht Frankfurt: Europa League live stream, watch online, TV channel, prediction, pick, start time The Blues return home with the slight advantage thanks to an away goal in Germany
Premier League weekend: Five things we learned Anthony Kelly 22/04/2019 Premier League , Weekly features 0 An extra long sunny weekend was made all the better by a bumper package of Premier League football this Easter.
5 things we learnt from this weekend's Premier League action
Football: Hougang United lose two-goal lead twice to draw 3-3 with 10-man Tampines Rovers SINGAPORE - Two months ago, Tampines Rovers had beaten Hougang United 5-1 at Jalan Besar Stadium on March 3 when Hougang midfielder Justin Hui was sent off in the 50th minute.
Heartbreak for Hougang again, Football News & Top Stories
Everton's Richarlison shoots before Burnley's Ben Mee scores Everton's first with an own goal. (Reuters pic) Everton bolstered their chances of qualifying for next season's Europa League
Everton ease past Burnley to keep Europa League dream alive
Eden Hazard could be a Real Madrid player as early as Monday with reports in Spain saying that the club will hold an unveiling for the Chelsea forward at the beginning of next week.
Real Madrid Kit 2019/20: First Images of Los Blancos' Classy
0 comments:
Post a Comment