Albirex gain point as Sailors slump after leading 2-0

As the Lion City Sailors' implosion continued with a third straight defeat, Albirex Niigata's 1-1 draw against Hougang United represented a point gained instead of two dropped for the Japanese side in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title race.

On a wet Sunday when both SPL matches were interrupted by inclement-weather suspensions, the Sailors threw away a 2-0 lead and lost 5-3 to Balestier at the Toa Payoh Stadium, where Ryoya Taniguchi scored a hat-trick for the Tigers.

This is the first time the defending champions had lost to the Tigers since their 2020 debut.

They now trail leaders Albirex by four points with just three games to go. This could prove to be a useful buffer for the Japanese side ahead of the top-two showdown on Friday.

Albirex forward Ilhan Fandi said: "Credit to Hougang, they came here with a game plan to frustrate us, but we tried our best and did well to get a point. Most importantly, we did not lose and our advantage has grown."

At the Jurong East Stadium, it looked as though a resolute Hougang had done the Sailors a huge favour when they took the lead in the 29th minute.

A fluid passing move involving a one-two between Kristijan Krajcek and Pedro Bortoluzo ended with the former providing his 14th assist of the season for Andre Moritz to slot in.

As it started to rain, the White Swans' tails were up and they equalised when former Japan international Tadanari Lee found a yard of space before spinning and firing home in the 73rd minute.

Four minutes later, the game was suspended for about 40 minutes due to activation of the Lightning Warning System.

Hougang emerged from the break with more attacking purpose, however, and Albirex had to survive a late onslaught. With the draw, Hougang remain sixth in the eight-team SPL, but coach Clement Teo was heartened by one of their best displays this term."

With some luck and composure, we would have won. But with this kind of performance, we can still end the season on a high," he said.

The same cannot be said for the Sailors. Even a win on Friday against Albirex will not be enough to topple their rivals, as they need Tampines or Geylang to also take points off the Japanese team in the final two games.

The Sailors will also be without their first-choice centre-backs against Albirex. Pedro Henrique's season had ended due to injury and Hariss Harun will be suspended after his red card against Balestier.

Star attackers Kim Shin-wook and Diego Lopes are also battling niggling injuries. Based on the circumstances and their recent displays, the ship has likely sailed.