SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE
Albirex Niigata 2
Young Lions 1
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 yesterday.
While Young Lions coach Fandi Ahmad was disappointed with the result, 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 evening match was then delayed for about an hour at half-time owing 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 yesterday's other match, Balestier Khalsa drew 1-1 with Tampines Rovers at Bishan Stadium.
Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his "confident" side could stage a Champions League fightback at Paris Saint-Germain this week after a dramatic 3-2 victory over
Solskjaer 'confident' of Man United miracle in Paris | The
Football: Rashford, Martial give lacklustre Man United win over Watford The Norwegian said his team had been unable to bring Paul Pogba into the game enough with the Frenchman having a below-par
Willian gem sinks Newcastle as Chelsea cement fourth place League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on January 12, 2019. Willian cut back
Willian gem sinks Newcastle as Chelsea cement fourth place
Thierry Henry is on the verge of getting sacked as Monaco manager. (Source: AP) Thierry Henry was suspended by Monaco on Thursday and looked set to lose his job as coach after only three months in charge at the Ligue 1 club, with former manager Leonardo Jardim expected to take control from Friday.
Football: Suspended Thierry Henry set to lose Monaco job
English Premier League Watford's Andre Gray strikes to sink Everton, pile pressure on Marco Silva. Everton`s day got worse when Kurt Zouma was sent off for confronting the referee after the final whistle and the French defender will miss their next match at Cardiff City.
Watford's Gray strikes to sink Everton, pile pressure on Silva
Mauricio Pochettino feels his two-match touchline ban for confronting referee Mike Dean is "completely unfair". Tottenham boss Pochettino was seen arguing at length with Dean following a 2-1
Mauricio Pochettino labels two-game touchline ban 'completely
"Kepa should be sacked, not Sarri": Pundits split on Chelsea
Top 5 Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammo for Concealed Carry Reviews 1 Magtech Ammunition 9 mm 115GR FMJ Ammo. This ammo's main objective is to make sure that people can access the best and cheap ammo for the 9mm concealed carry. The company has been making the best ammo for years now, so you can be sure that this one will be great.
Lpc Printing
HANOI (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Two die-hard Malaysian fans sold their prized Ultras Malaya memorabilia to fund their trip to Hanoi to watch the return leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final between
Football: Diehard Malaysian fans sell prized memorabilia to
Reds will 'attack as a team', Football News & Top Stories
First Cheetahs eyes aren't black they are brown. Now if you are talking about it's tear marks then they are black. The tear marks help keep the sun's glare out of the cheetah's eye's.
A post on the FA Cup's official Twitter account read: "Newport County goalkeeper Joe Day's wife has been close to giving birth to twins for days. "Tonight, she went into labour during The Exiles
Newport County keeper Joe Day attends birth of twins after FA
Report Ad
Check Out Solskjaer on eBay. Fill Your Cart With Color Today!
Thierry Henry was suspended by Monaco on Thursday and looked set to lose his job as coach after only three months in charge at the Ligue 1 club, with former manager Leonardo Jardim expected to
Suspended Thierry Henry Set to Lose Monaco Job - News18
LONDON: England captain Harry Kane has his heart set on ending his playing career in the United States kicking field goals for a team in the National Football League (NFL). Kane, the top scorer at last year's FIFA World Cup, has long been an admirer of American football and believes successfully switching sports late in his career will help
Harry Kane wants to end career as NFL kicker - dailyvoice.co.za
0 comments:
Post a Comment