Albirex Niigata stage late comeback to sink Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – Having lost veteran goalkeeper Hassan Sunny to concussion in the first half, Albirex Niigata were pegged further back when the Lion City Sailors opened accounts through a 73rd-minute penalty via Richairo Zivkovic.

But the White Swans did not surrender. Instead, they mounted a courageous comeback, scoring thrice in the last 15 minutes through Shodai Yokoyama (80), Tadanari Lee (82) and Riku Fukashiro (90+5) to condemn the Sailors to a second straight 3-1 defeat that all but killed their hopes of reclaiming the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title.

Albirex’s victory at the Jurong East Stadium on Sunday meant that they leapfrogged Tampines Rovers into top spot, level on 44 points but with a game in hand. The Sailors trail them by five points.

Their victory was overshadowed by Hassan’s injury, after he collided with his defender Shunsaku Kishimoto. The club confirmed later that the 39-year-old was cleared and discharged from Ng Teng Fong General Hospital after a CT scan.

Speaking through a translator, Albirex forward Seia Kunori said: “At the time we conceded a goal, no one was down and no one gave up. Hassan needed to stop because of concussion, and everybody thought about him and tried to win the game for him.”

The team’s desire was epitomised by coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga’s uncharacteristically wild celebration after their second goal. The 55-year-old jumped into the crowd of players as they celebrated on the pitch.

He said: “We are not a club who can spend a lot of money to bring good players from outside, but we have good young players who work hard to improve. I felt that those players improved during the game and I couldn’t contain my joy.”

Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic, whose side also lost to Brunei DPMM last week, said: “Every defeat is difficult, but this one is a little bit more so. We have to be very realistic and fight for second spot so that (we can qualify for) the Asian Champions League.”

The first half proved to be an end-to-end affair. Zivkovic, who was making his first start, thought he scored his first goal for the Sailors in the 10th minute, only to be denied by the offside flag. Three minutes later, Kunori saw his snapshot tipped away by Zharfan Rohaizad.

In the 26th minute, Maxime Lestienne saw his effort blocked on the line by Kishimoto, who unintentionally kicked Hassan as a result. The custodian was forced off 10 minutes later and subsequently taken to hospital.

The game was brought to life in the 69th minute after Albirex captain Asahi Yokokawa was adjudged to have handled the ball in his penalty area. Zivkovic sent substitute goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma’at the wrong way from the spot.

But the visitors could not hold on to their lead, as Yokoyama sneaked the ball into the near post and just two minutes later, Kunori’s shot was flicked on by Lee into the back of the net. Three minutes into stoppage time, Abdul Rasaq had a golden chance to restore parity, only to see his effort crash off the crossbar.

There was still time for Albirex to add a third, with Fukashiro finishing off a counter-attack in the 95th minute.

After his exertion, Yoshinaga will be thinking twice before running on the touchline again. The Japanese tactician, who brought up Jose Mourinho’s infamous run down the touchline, said: “I ran and got tired today. I think I won’t do that any more, otherwise I’ll get injured.”

At Jalan Besar Stadium, Ryoya Taniguchi’s brace was enough to seal Balestier Khalsa’s 3-2 win over 10-man Brunei DPMM.

Taniguchi’s goals took his tally to a league-high 20 this season as the Tigers go nine points clear of fifth-placed Geylang International following their fourth straight win.

Analysis

Swopping Shuto Komaki from his usual position on the left flank, Albirex found joy down the right as he linked up well with skipper Yokokawa, with most of their chances coming down that wing. This culminated in their first goal.

The White Swans turned up the intensity in the second half and exposed the spaces left by the Sailors, capitalising on poor defending to seal all three points. The Sailors would be left to rue their missed chances, with another mid-season managerial switch failing to pay dividends.