SINGAPORE - Neither a 90-minute delay nor dogged defending from the Young Lions could stop Sime Zuzul as he extended his scoring streak in the Singapore Premier League, netting in his ninth consecutive match to help Geylang International beat Young Lions 3-0 on Saturday (Aug 27).

The Eagles made the most of rivals Tanjong Pagar United and Hougang United dropping points to leapfrog them to fourth with 30 points in the race for potential AFC Cup qualification.

Third-place Tampines Rovers, who are a point ahead, play Balestier Khalsa on Sunday.

After a delay caused by the lightning warning system at Our Tampines Hub, both teams had decent chances but could not find the breakthrough.

Geylang broke the deadlock after 30 minutes when Joshua Pereira header from Ilhan Noor's cross looped in at the back post.

The Eagles carried their momentum into the second half with Zuzul curling his strike past Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri just a minute after the restart.

In the 61st minute, Zuzul netted his 11th goal in nine games after Frenchman Vincent Bezecourt's long ball found him in the penalty area and he slotted home to seal the three points for Geylang.

The Croat was denied his hat-trick after a smart save from Ridhwan.

In Saturday's other game, Albirex Niigata beat Tanjong Pagar 2-1 to keep pace with league leaders Lion City Sailors who thumped Hougang 9-4 on Friday.

Second-half goals from Kumpei Kakuta and Ilhan Fandi gave Albirex a 2-0 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining before Blake Ricciuto grabbed a consolation in the 86th minute.

The Japanese side have 48 points, three behind the Sailors.