BG Tampines Rovers end SPL leaders Lion City Sailors’ perfect record with 1-1 draw
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Kyoga Nakamura of the Lion City Sailors appears to elbow BG Tampines Rovers' Takeshi Yoshimoto (No. 26) in the face while challenging for a high ball.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
- BG Tampines Rovers drew 1-1 with Lion City Sailors, keeping their Singapore Premier League title hopes alive as they ended the Sailors' perfect start.
- The draw followed Tampines' AFC Champions League Two quarter-final qualification, boosting team confidence in challenging the league-leading Sailors.
- The Sailors scored first, but Tampines equalised via a stunning free kick. The result signals a potential genuine title race in the Singapore Premier League.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – After holding Singapore Premier League (SPL) leaders Lion City Sailors to a 1-1 draw in a plum tie on Feb 22, the second-placed Stags sounded their war cry and pledged to take the fight to the leaders till the end of the season.
The stalemate at the Jalan Besar Stadium ended the defending champions’ 100 per cent record, as they had come into the top-of-the-table clash with 10 wins in as many matches.
The Stags, who have seven wins and three draws from 10 SPL matches, remain seven points behind the Sailors and have a game in hand.
But Tampines defender Jacob Mahler was bullish about his side’s title chances and talked up his side’s ability after a potentially pivotal week – they had claimed a momentous 3-1 second-leg win over Vietnam’s Cong An Ha Noi at the same venue four days earlier to book an AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) quarter-final berth.
When asked if there was still belief in the team that they can challenge the Sailors for the title, the 25-year-old said: “Of course, I think we have proven it. I think not only in the league, where we’re unbeaten as well… we went to the quarter-finals of the ACL2 too. This is not by luck.
“I believe that the boys have worked hard. We’re not here by chance. We deserve it. We work hard every game, and we have the quality. We believe in that, and we go into every game wanting to get the three points.”
The fact that Mahler was disappointed with the result tells the story of the Stags’ ambitions.
“We made them drop points, but we also dropped points,” said the Lions defender, a crucial cog at the back for the Stags.
“It’s on to the next one and we know we have to be better. We know we are in maybe a three-horse race with Albirex (Niigata) as well. We just need to be consistent and try and get three points every week from now on.”
Tampines’ interim coach Robert Eziakor, whose side have 11 SPL games left, echoed his charge’s sentiment, saying they had shown that they can match the league’s only privatised side.
“We have shown that we can compete with them,” he said. “In the Singapore Cup (final), they won in the last minute when there were tired legs. I don’t see any difference between us. We have the firepower to compete with them. We are aiming to get a title.”
The build-up to the match centred on the fact that it was an “interim derby” with both sides being led by caretaker coaches. Varo Moreno has stood in as the Sailors’ interim coach after the club sacked Aleksandar Rankovic Noh Rahman’s departure
With both clubs navigating similar managerial upheavals off the pitch, there was little to separate them on it. That parity was reflected in a subdued contest, which unfolded in tepid fashion from start to finish.
The Sailors opened the scoring in the 21st minute after some lackadaisical defending from the visitors.
Dutch attacking midfielder Bart Ramselaar was afforded time and space to whip in a cross and German forward Lennart Thy headed into goal under little pressure.
While Tampines struggled to create many clear-cut chances, they clinched an equaliser in stunning fashion from a set piece just before half-time, when Koya Kazama stepped up to drill in an unstoppable long-range free kick past Ivan Susak.
The Sailors will rue the fact that their expensively assembled squad could not seriously test 16-year-old American goalkeeper Kasey Rogers who was making his SPL debut, as No. 1 custodian Syazwan Buhari was still out with a head injury.
The teenager had to be alert to prevent Thy from doubling the lead shortly after the opening goal.
The Sailors were also fortunate to not be reduced to 10 men in the 37th minute, when Kyoga Nakamura appeared to hit Takeshi Yoshimoto in the face with his elbow while jumping to challenge for a high ball.
Referee Jansen Foo brandished only a yellow card, while Yoshimoto had to be replaced.
Sailors coach Moreno, however, described it as a “good result” for his team.
He added: “We tried. We created a lot, but, yeah, sometimes we cannot win. But I have to say that our players did an amazing job today.”
Analysis
The SPL could certainly benefit from a genuine title race, and Tampines are just about giving fans reason to believe that there may be one.
Between the latest draw and their emphatic 4-1 victory in the curtain-raising Community Shield, the Stags have demonstrated that they can go toe-to-toe with the league’s most well-resourced outfit.
The question, however, is whether they can sustain that challenge over the course of the season, especially with the added demands of their ongoing continental campaign.
