SINGAPORE- He was on the pitch for only six minutes as a substitute, but that was all Albirex Niigata midfielder Makoto Ito needed to show his clinical edge and help the defending Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions to an emphatic 3-0 win over the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday (March 17) evening.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who is one of Albirex's host of new faces this season, finished coolly from a Kiyoshiro Tsuboi through ball for the Japanese side's second goal in the 51st minute of the game.

The Japanese side had opened the scoring in fortuitous circumstances in the 18th minute, as Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri slipped while attempting to clear, allowing Tsuboi to pass the ball to Ryoya Taniguchi to tap into an empty net.

The away side then added gloss to the scoreline in the 79th minute, with Tsuboi finishing in the box for his third goal of the season.

Albirex first-team coach Jaswinder Singh praised Ito, who was also a substitute in their 3-1 win over Hougang United on the opening day of the season, for his contribution.

He said: "Ito is a different type of player to what we have because he is a natural winger who looks to get behind the opponents.

"He took his chance well today and he is pushing very hard to be in the starting 11.

"We were telling him to get wide and create more chances in the final third when we spoke to him at half-time and we are very happy with what he did."

It may be early days, but Albirex are already looking in imperious form with four different scorers from their first two games, scoring six goals and conceding only one.

They are the SPL's only remaining side with a 100 per cent record, after Geylang International went down 4-1 to Hougang United on Wednesday.

On Albirex's perfect start to the season, Jaswinder added: "As defending champions, it is a perfect way to start but we need to go into every game wanting to keep winning."

The last six editions of the SPL have been won by a foreign side, with Albirex claiming four titles and judging from their start to the season, they will take some unseating.

Faultless on the night, Albirex were barely troubled at the back and created numerous chances with their poor finishing proving to be their only drawback.

Tsuboi is already looking to be more than an able replacement for last season's top scorer Tomoyuki Doi while in goalkeeper Takahiro Koga, they also seem to have found a commanding presence at the other end of the pitch.

In Wednesday's other fixtures, Singapore football's first multi-million dollar signing Diego Lopes made his debut as a second-half substitute for the Lion City Sailors in their 5-0 thumping of Tanjong Pagar United. Tampines Rovers edged out Balestier Khalsa 2-1.

Analysis

Before the game, Young Lions coach Philippe Aw had said that he wanted the Young Lions to be brave against the defending champions. While his charges showed heart here, their lack of quality was telling especially against a side as strong as Albirex.

To their credit, the Young Lions were brave in possession, opting for short passes despite the high press employed by Albirex but far too often they failed to hold onto the ball for too long and turned the ball over to the Japanese side in dangerous positions.

In fact, Albirex's first goal came after one such play where goalkeeper Ridhwan slipped when in possession in his own box.

Coach Aw will now look to fix a porous defence that has conceded six goals from their opening two matches. For all their heart, the Young Lions will need to be stronger at the back to give themselves any chance to having a good campaign this year.

Said Aw: "We felt that we didn't do badly. Our opponents are a good team and we still tried to play our football. I felt we were in the game and we managed the game well before the first goal. But the first goal did affect the players but what was good to see that we still played the way we wanted to play.

"Yes, we can make a mistake but we must learn from it. From the way we want to play, you must expect that such goals will be conceded... It is a learning lesson for the whole back four. It is painful, yes, but we have to learn from it. We need to persevere and believe in this way of playing."