BG Tampines Rovers earn Singapore Cup semi-final spot with 5-1 rout of Hougang

SINGAPORE – Patience proved to be key for BG Tampines Rovers on March 29, as the Stags chipped away at the Hougang United defence to eventually rout their rivals 5-1 in their Singapore Cup group-stage clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Tampines’ victory put them top of Group A on 10 points, with Brunei DPMM (seven) also qualifying for the semi-finals – the Cheetahs were eliminated from the competition after placing fourth on six points.

Stags’ coach Gavin Lee said: “We’ve experienced this kind of situation many times (before), where teams are waiting for us and are close to their goal. All we have to do is just to be patient and most of the time they will probably wear out.

“For us, it doesn’t really matter who we play (next). Ultimately, we just want to arrive at Game 7 (final) to have a chance at the cup. But that’s still quite far away, we’ve got quite a few league games in between.”

Tampines had the lion’s share of possession from the get-go, while Hougang were happy to sit deep and play on the counter.

The first chance came on the break in the 13th minute, as Cheetahs captain Nazrul Nazari found an unmarked Stjepan Plazonja on the left, but the Croat fired his shot just wide of Syazwan Buhari’s post.

The visitors responded quickly, but Itsuki Enomoto, Seia Kunori and Dylan Fox missed opportunities to give Tampines the lead.

The Stags’ doggedness paid off just four minutes after the restart, as Milos Zlatkovic’s low cross found Enomoto and the forward tumbled the ball home.

In the 66th minute, a cross from Kunori was met by Tajeli Salamat’s arm and referee Muhammad Taqi promptly pointed to the spot. Shah Shahiran then sent Kenji Rusydi the wrong way to make it 2-0.

Hougang almost pulled one back when Syazwan pushed Plazonja’s shot into the path of Farhan Zulkifli, but his snapshot was saved by the Tampines custodian.

A late goal frenzy was then sparked by Hougang substitute Tan-Vaissierre Louka in the 79th minute, after the midfielder received a reverse pass from Shodai Yokoyama and calmly slotted the ball home.

Just two minutes later, Fox restored Tampines’ two-goal cushion via Arya Igami’s corner.

Faris Ramli came off the bench to score, as Enomoto turned provider, to make it 4-1, before the former capped off a five-star performance by smashing the ball into the roof of the net in stoppage time.

Faris said: “I’m glad tonight was a good night. I’ve been waiting for this moment, coming back from a long injury, and coming on from the bench and then to be able to give my 120 per cent. It was a good performance from the boys, but we can do better with the goal that we conceded.”

Hougang coach Robert Eziakor said: “There was a bit of a lack of concentration and an individual error here and there, so it made the game very tough for us. We created slim chances, but I can take a positive from our solid defence in the first half.”

In the evening’s Group B match, Balestier Khalsa beat Tanjong Pagar United 3-0, thanks to a brace from Kodai Tanaka and a goal from Masahiro Sugita. Thailand’s BG Pathum United and Lion City Sailors are in the last four and will battle for the group’s top spot on March 30.

Analysis

An industrious Tampines were dominant throughout as they pressed the Cheetahs in the first half and were rewarded after breaking the deadlock. Hougang, who came to Jalan Besar needing a draw to qualify, will feel let down by their defence.