SINGAPORE – Kristijan Krajcek was Hougang United’s hero on Saturday night as he fired a hat-trick to help them beat Tampines Rovers 3-2 to claim the Singapore Cup, their first piece of silverware.
Asked about the turning point at the Jalan Besar Stadium, the Croatian midfielder said it was when he put on a shirt with his late brother’s image at half-time, with the score at 1-1.
“Dario died 10 years ago when he was 15,” said Krajcek, who also has a tattoo of the name on his left bicep.
“This was a shirt I brought with me from Croatia when I came to Singapore in 2019. I was waiting for a big moment to wear this shirt. I was looking at it the whole day before the final, and in the second half, I decided to wear it.
“He is my guardian angel and he was also a footballer, as was my father and two other brothers. But only I am lucky enough to turn pro, so I am playing for all of them.”
And play he did, as the 29-year-old produced the match of his life to score his first career treble.
That helped the first-time finalists end 41 years of hurt with their first trophy, which came with a $50,000 cheque and AFC Cup qualification.
In a free-flowing final that had the 2,983 fans on the edge of their seats, Hougang had a dream start.
The Cheetahs took the lead in the 17th minute when Krajcek pickpocketed Yasir Hanapi and latched on to a Pedro Bortoluzo backheel to fire past Syazwan Buhari.
But, with their previous five meetings this season producing 26 goals, it was clear that would not be the end of the scoring.
Sure enough, defensive lapses allowed Tampines, who won the tournament in 2019 before it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to go ahead.
After winning the ball off Bortoluzo, Taufik Suparno ran unchallenged from his own half and fired the equaliser in the 38th minute.
Two minutes after the restart, Yasir’s deep corner eluded everyone but Irfan Najeeb at the backpost and the defender made it 2-1.
Naturally, Hougang heads started to droop, and Krajcek could be seen bellowing at teammate Farhan Zulkifli after possession was lost.
Krajcek then sparked the comeback with a beautiful curler into the top-right corner in the 57th minute, courtesy of a pass from Farhan.
He then settled the tie when he swept in a loose ball inside the box in the 78th minute to become the first player to record a hat-trick in a Singapore Cup final.
Hougang then held on resolutely, giving Tampines top scorer Boris Kopitovic no clear sniff at goal.
Self-deprecatingly, the Hougang Hools fan group sang lustily: “Silverware, we don’t care!”
But it was clear that the victory did matter to everyone associated with the club, as players and staff sank to their knees and several supporters sneaked onto the pitch before they were tackled by security personnel.
The fairy-tale finish had looked unlikely as they struggled with injuries and internal unrest during the Singapore Premier League season, finishing fifth in the eight-team competition.
First-choice goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin was ruled out mid-season owing to medical reasons, while Japanese defender Kaishu Yamazaki was banished to the youth team because of disciplinary issues.
Head coach Clement Teo also stepped down because of health issues, with his assistant Firdaus Kassim, 35, stepping up admirably to mastermind the historic triumph.
Hougang had also lost their first group match in the Singapore Cup to Tanjong Pagar United, but rebounded to go all the way.
Firdaus said: “Straight after our loss to Tanjong Pagar, our players said Spain also lost the first match at the 2010 World Cup but won the tournament.
“With the quality we have – I’m not sure if any other team in local football history have had five players scoring at least 10 goals in a season.
“This club should exist to win trophies, and they delivered.”
Tampines coach Gavin Lee admitted that Krajcek’s shots were unstoppable, but added that they should have stopped the moves.
“But we will not allow one game to define our season,” said Lee, who led his side to third place in the SPL. “We will use this loss to kickstart our 2023 campaign.”
