BG Tampines Rovers concede last-minute equaliser to Brunei DPMM in Singapore Cup opener

SINGAPORE – As Coldplay’s Yellow blared over the loudspeakers at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Feb 1, BG Tampines Rovers head coach Gavin Lee was clearly feeling the blues, head bowed in frustration as he stood alone in the middle of the field.

Just minutes earlier, he watched his team concede in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Group A opponents Brunei DPMM salvaged a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the Singapore Cup.

The result meant that Tampines have started 2025 with no wins in two matches – they were beaten 4-2 by Hougang United on Jan 25 in the Singapore Premier League (SPL). In contrast, the Stags started 2024 with a 13-match unbeaten run that saw them lead the way in the SPL table.

Now, Lee’s side are second in the nine-team SPL, six points behind leaders Lion City Sailors despite having played a game more, with the Singapore Cup a more realistic chance of ending the season with silverware.

Insisting that he was not concerned by the team’s start to 2025, Lee said: “Performance wise, over the two games, we created enough chances in those games. Yes, we made mistakes but we’ll continue to take the next steps and improve.

“I am happy and also not happy because yes, we were calm enough to keep playing even when they (DPMM) were frustrating us. But shame on us for not killing off the game when we had the chances.”

The Stags looked off-colour in the opening match of their Cup campaign, which was delayed by 40 minutes due to a heavy downpour that left the pitch waterlogged. Debutant Itsuki Enomoto looked like he was still trying to gel with his new teammates and was substituted after 85 ineffective minutes.

DPMM meanwhile were robust at the back, as they looked to stop the rot after losing all three SPL matches in 2025 and conceding nine goals before the Feb 1 game.

It took them 80 minutes but Tampines – who squandered several chances earlier in the game – finally got on the scoreboard when a Seia Kunori free kick was diverted into his own goal by DPMM captain Azwan Ali. Tampines have now found the back of the net in all 22 of their domestic matches, scoring a total of 63 goals.

And just as victory looked certain, DPMM goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski was given the licence to go up and cause chaos in the opposition box, and he did just that as a corner was swung in. The Stags failed to clear their lines and defender Nazry Aiman unleashed a volley from outside the box to score in stunning fashion.

Despite the late disappointment, Lee remained positive.

“There are still a lot of points to play for in the league and regardless of whether it is the Cup or the SPL, we will always look to play to our best and we will always aim for the stars, because nothing else will satisfy our desire,” said Lee.

DPMM coach Jamie McAllister could not contain his delight at the end of the match as he hugged his charges.

The Scottish tactician said: “We worked unbelievably hard as a team. Everyone from back to front worked their socks off. We wanted to get a clean sheet today and we were unfortunate to concede from a deflection. But when you defend like that, you just need to have a little bit of luck at the other end.

“The boys deserved that point and I’m so delighted for them.”

In the evening’s other Group A encounter, Hougang United clinched their third victory in as many matches under interim coach Robert Eziakor with a 2-1 win victory over Albirex Niigata at the Jurong East Stadium.

Hougang scored through Zulfahmi Arifin and Dejan Racic in the 18th and 25th minutes respectively, while the hosts netted via Shingo Nakano in the 63rd minute.

Analysis

These are early days into the post-Boris Kopitovic era but the Stags need to find a way to get the best out of their attacking duo of new signing Enomoto and his Japanese compatriot Kunori.

Kopitovic – who had 16 goals in 20 SPL games – is gone

so the Stags must find a cutting edge up front if they want to end their season with silverware and win their first Singapore Cup since 2019.