SINGAPORE - Albirex Niigata were pegged back in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title race after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Hougang United at the Hougang Stadium on Friday (Aug 5).
Albirex, who were without in-form Ilhan Fandi due to illness, took a 12th-minute lead after Masahiro Sugita pounced on a mistake by Cheetahs goalkeeper Aizil Yazid, who was making only his second SPL appearance.
Hougang had several decent chances to equalise in the first half but failed to make them count.
Brazilian forward Pedro Bortoluzo then netted twice in the second period to give his side the lead.
But just three minutes later in the 77th minute, Albirex substitute Tadanari Lee made it 2-2 after Kodai Tanaka had headed a corner kick into his path.
With five minutes left, Shawal Anuar thought he had scored the winner for Hougang as Albirex goalkeeper Takahiro Koga rushed off his line and left his goal unguarded.
But it was not to be for the Cheetahs as four minutes later, Masaya Idetsu curled a free kick into the top corner past Aizil, 17, for a share of the spoils.
Albirex coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga was disappointed with the result but admitted: “We made this game more difficult for ourselves.
“It isn’t the easy way to go (on top) but the most important thing is that we will be at the top after the last match.
“This is one we didn’t lose so we will utilise this one point and move on to the next match.”
The White Swans trail leaders Lion City Sailors by a point, which will increase to four if the Sailors beat Balestier Khalsa on Saturday.
Hougang remain fifth, level on points with Tampines Rovers.
Cheetahs coach Clement Teo was happy with his charges’ performance but also disappointed the result did not go their way, rueing the two set-piece goals they conceded.
“We are very pleased with how the boys have played, how determined and disciplined they were. There’s a lot of belief in how the team is going to move...
“(But) we keep emphasising to try not to give free kicks outside the box.”
When asked if he was disappointed with his team’s missed chances in the first half, he said: “The ball is round. You can do whatever you want but the ball just does not want to go in.
“(At half-time, I told them) to go, continue what they were doing. We were confident that they would be able to score.”
He added that the team would be working on defending set pieces.
ANALYSIS
This is only the second time in 11 games that Albirex have dropped points.
While the draw might be seen as a setback, they should not be counted out just yet, especially with Ilhan set to return soon.
Hougang have shown that they can match the title challengers on their day with Bortoluzo’s attacking prowess, but they need to make their chances count and avoid conceding from set pieces if they are to achieve their target of qualifying for the AFC Cup again.
