On-loan striker Abdul Rasaq ends drought to help Albirex Niigata beat Tanjong Pagar United 2-0

SINGAPORE – With 10 goals in 18 games for Lion City Sailors, he enjoyed a breakthrough 2023 season and has earned six caps with the Lions since 2024.

However, with goals and game time drying up – he played just 97 minutes across 10 games this season – Abdul Rasaq was omitted from the national team for their last four Asian Cup qualifiers.

In a bid to rediscover what he has lost, the 24-year-old striker decided to go on loan to Albirex Niigata.

After a barren run of six Singapore Premier League games, he finally repaid the White Swans’ faith with a delightful 22nd-minute opener in their 2-0 win over bottom side Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium on March 6.

While they remain third in the eight-team SPL with 26 points from 12 games, they closed the gap on leaders Sailors to six points and are one point adrift of BG Tampines Rovers, who have a game in hand.

Picking up a left-wing cross from fellow Sailors loanee and left wing-back Zulqarnaen Suzliman – who is also looking to rebuild his career following a major knee injury – Rasaq skilfully spun round a defender before firing past Matthew Silva to provide a reminder of his striking abilities.

Post-match, he told The Straits Times: “It is such a relief to finally get my goal after a long time.

“The main reason for coming here was to get more game time as it is not good for me to not be playing much at this age. I want to be involved with the national team as much as possible.

“So, I’m very grateful to both clubs to make this happen, and coach (Keiji Shigetomi) for the support and faith to play me. It’s very important for me to repay that trust. 

“I’m also learning from my fellow attackers (like Shingo Nakano and Yang Hyeon-ju) how hard they work and push themselves in training to be better.

“I hope, from today, I can continue to score goals and help this ambitious club compete for the league title.”

While Nakano could not add to his 10 league goals, blond-haired former North Korea youth international Yang impressed with his direct runs and shots from range.

There was no apparent danger when the 27-year-old winger picked up a pass from Naoki Yoshioka in the 35th minute.

But, after taking one touch, Yang bent a classy shot past Silva for his third goal in his eighth Albirex game since joining in January.

Rain in the second half made passing and ball control a challenge, but that did not stop the trigger-happy Yang, who could have scored more if not for three fine stops by Silva, who also denied 17-year-old substitute Jaden Heng twice later.

However, in a sign of the high standards he set himself which Rasaq can learn from, Yang said: “My performances were not enough because I had many chances which I should have scored from.”

Meanwhile, Tanjong Pagar resorted to hopeful long punts that lacked quality, after holding the ball decently in the opening exchanges. 

Italian striker Junior Djile enthusiastically challenged for headers but mostly fed on scraps and, even with first-choice Albirex goalkeeper Hassan Sunny sidelined with a back injury, his deputy Takahiro Koga was untroubled.

With their next two matches against Tampines and the Sailors, Tanjong Pagar coach Noh Alam Shah said: “Of course, we can do much better, but at least we showed discipline and defensive structure in the second half.

“We still need more belief going forward, and I have to find a way to help us think that we are capable of scoring and competing, even against the top teams.”

Analysis

In a match between two teams who share the Jurong East Stadium, the result highlights the difference between the haves and have-nots.

With top scorer Nakano misfiring, Albirex can still rely on the likes of Rasaq and Yang to stay in title contention. But, without the departed Youssef Ezzejjari and Bruno Dybal, Tanjong Pagar simply lack the goals to haul themselves off the foot of the table.