Football: Hougang United shock league champions Albirex to reach their first Singapore Cup final

SINGAPORE – Hougang United took a major step towards their maiden piece of silverware, seeing off 2022 Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions Albirex Niigata 4-2 in the second leg of their Singapore Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

The result at Hougang Stadium meant that the Cheetahs won the tie 7-5 on aggregate and are in their first Singapore Cup final.

They will meet Tampines Rovers in Saturday’s final at Jalan Besar Stadium, after the Stags beat Balestier Khalsa 1-0 in their semi-final, second leg at Toa Payoh Stadium to progress 9-1 on aggregate.

Hougang assistant coach Firdaus Kassim could not be prouder of his charges and urged them to repeat their heroics.

”It’s now up to them to write themselves into the history books on Saturday,” said Firdaus, who has taken over the reins while head coach Clement Teo steps back due to medical issues.

“We will be in it not to just compete but to win the Cup. The intensity at which the boys played throughout the game is... why we have this result.”

Albirex were without their 39-goal scorer and SPL Player of the Year Kodai Tanaka, who suffered a toe fracture in the first leg, but their coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga admitted that the better team won.

He said: “In the first leg and today, we made too many mistakes and that cost us. We must learn from that. The players worked really hard this season but we are all so disappointed not to make the final.”

In their first-leg clash last Friday, Hougang showed a never-say-die attitude, coming back from 3-1 down to force a 3-3 draw at the Jurong East Stadium.

On Tuesday, they showed their resoluteness and quality.

The hosts signalled their intentions from the get go, with Sahil Suhaimi forcing a crucial intervention from Albirex captain Jun Kobayashi in the first minute.

And they kept at it, specifically targeting Albirex’s left back Daichi Omori. This approach paid dividends in the 26th minute, when Amy Recha’s perfectly timed ball released national winger Shawal Anuar down the right and he applied the finish past goalkeeper Takahiro Koga.

The second goal arrived in the 57th minute when Albirex failed to clear from a corner and Brazilian forward Pedro Bortoluzo tucked it away from close range.

Hougang then made it 3-0 in the 74th minute when Bortoluzo’s shot from outside the box took a deflection off Farhan Zulkifli before finding the back of the net.

But headers from Ilhan Fandi in the 77th minute and Tadanari Lee in added time meant there was palpable tension in the air.

Kristijan Krajcek and Hougang had the last say, though, with the Croat going on a mazy run before unleashing a shot past Koga to make it 4-2.

It was a well-deserved win for Hougang, with several of their players in top form. Zulfahmi Arifin, their captain on the night, dominated the midfield and rounded off the outing with an assist for Hougang’s second goal, his fourth of the tournament.

The pacey Shawal caused problems for Albirex all evening while Farhan was a menace from left-back. In goal, teenage custodian Aizil Yazid showed maturity beyond his years. The 17-year-old had saved a penalty in the first leg when Albirex were leading 3-2.

Since being founded as Marine Castle United in 1981, the club have competed under four other names – Sengkang Marine, Paya Lebar Punggol, Sengkang Punggol and Hougang United. Their last appearance in a final had been in the 2011 League Cup where they lost to Albirex on penalties.

While they have finished third in the league twice in the last four seasons, silverware has been elusive. But they are just one win away from ending the drought.

Hougang and their Hools – the club’s diehard fans who were in full voice in the stands all evening– can start to dream.