Debutant Izwan Mahbud sent off as BG Tampines Rovers spank Young Lions 7-1

SINGAPORE – As the skies opened at Our Tampines Hub on Jan 16, it rained goals and woes on the Young Lions, who suffered a 7-1 spanking by BG Tampines Rovers and also lost

newly acquired custodian Izwan Mahbud

following his contentious 22nd-minute dismissal.

Young Lions coach Firdaus Kassim, who started the Singapore Premier League (SPL) game with three 17-year-old locals, said after their sixth consecutive defeat: “We want to win games, but I also need to be in line with our project to produce players for the future (for the 2027 and 2029 SEA Games).

“I really don’t agree with the red card decision, and it changed completely the complexion of the game. Up to that point in time, we were competing well. I have no problems with the players’ reactions, especially in the second half, to play 70 minutes against a quality team like this.

“We have to put this aside, bring the positives forward, and hopefully next game we can play with 11 men the entire game.”

Both sides had gone into the encounter with a point to prove. Tampines were playing their first game after a substitution blunder cost a 3-0 forfeiture in the Singapore Cup final, while several Young Lions players were hoping to rebound from another meek SEA Games exit.

Tampines’ Hide Higashikawa swept home the first of his four goals in the ninth minute, before Abner Vinicius seized on an underhit pass by Joel Chew to play a one-two with Sergio Mendonca and equalise just a minute later.

Then came the red card for Izwan, who was making his Young Lions debut in his second stint with them, following a loan move from Lion City Sailors to get more game time.

Latching on to a through ball from Koya Kazama, Higashikawa pushed the ball past Izwan and tumbled.

Referee Clarence Leow, who sent him off immediately for denying a goalscoring opportunity, upheld the decision after reviewing the incident at the pitch-side monitor.

Video replays appeared inconclusive if there was indeed a foul.

Izwan, 35, told The Straits Times goalkeepers “have to go 100 per cent” for every challenge, adding he did his best to avoid contact.

He noted: “I think this is the first red card of my career, so what a way to mark my debut.

“I gave my 100 per cent and I take accountability for this. These things happen in football, but I didn’t feel I touched him.

“Of course, I feel bad that my team had to play with 10 men for 70 minutes, it was very hard for the boys.

“But we will come back stronger from this. They may be young, but from what I see of them in training, they give 100 per cent, so it’s about confidence and character. The only way from here is up.”

Firdaus replaced forward Amir Syafiz with goalkeeper Aizil Yazid, who took over his captain’s armband.

But his first task was to pick the ball out of the net after Kazama arrowed the resulting free kick into the top corner in the 29th minute.

Two minutes later, Aizil played a careless pass intended for Luth Fathi, only to see Kazama pounce and make it 3-1.

Takeshi Yoshimoto then set up Higashikawa for a fourth in the 38th minute, before crossing for Glenn Kweh to head in his team’s fifth in first-half added time.

Higashikawa then grabbed the remaining goals, with the 23-year-old heading in Kazama’s cross and converting Kweh’s pass in the 72nd and 76th minutes respectively to send his team second with 11 points from five games.

They are four points behind leaders and defending champions Sailors, while the Young Lions remain last out of eight teams with zero points from six games.

Higashikawa, who took his season’s tally to 16 goals – including five in the SPL – in 17 games, said: “I’m very happy. I try my best to score in every match and I always trust my teammates.”

Tampines coach Noh Rahman was pleased with his team’s response after the Singapore Cup disappointment on Jan 10, when they breached the rules by fielding fewer than the minimum of four locals – for a few minutes.

He said: “You cannot imagine how difficult it was. After Saturday, everyone’s morale was deflated and it was very difficult to pick ourselves up. We took a little bit of time to kick-start things again, but one important thing I mentioned was that we cannot let one game define our season.

“Just like how starting the season winning the Community Shield is not the end of the journey, Saturday was a big setback, but we got to move on, and this is how we respond.”

Analysis

While Tampines showed that the Singapore Cup final farce was merely a blip, there are more worrying issues at the Young Lions as they look like facing an identity crisis.

Are they developing the younger players?

If so, why sign foreigners and now senior local players, including a goalkeeper, and further deprive the younger ones of playing time?

These are questions the Football Association of Singapore has to address, as results like this vindicate critics who feel that the Young Lions project has run its course.