Shingo Nakano hat-trick as Albirex Niigata ease past 10-man Geylang Int’l in S’pore Cup

SINGAPORE – Capitalising on their numerical advantage, Albirex Niigata clinched a 3-0 win over 10-man Geylang International in their Singapore Cup opener on Nov 1, with captain Shingo Nakano notching a hat-trick.

Shakir Hamzah’s 23rd-minute sending off changed the complexion of the game at Our Tampines Hub, as Nakano took his tally to seven goals in five matches in both the Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup this season.

Nakano, who had urged his team to bounce back from their

3-0 SPL loss

to the Sailors on Oct 27, said: “As the captain, I feel responsible for leading the team to victory, so getting the win today was a big takeaway.

“There’s still plenty of room for improvement both for the team and for me personally.

“We can’t be satisfied here; we need to keep pushing and make sure we win the next one too.”

Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi was pleased not only with the 20-year-old’s prolific form, but also his other contributions.

Shigetomi said: “He’s not only scoring, but also working very hard for the team. I’m really happy to see his progress this season – he deserves this success.”

Admitting that Shakir’s red card was the turning point, Shigetomi added: “Geylang started very well and put us under pressure, but once they went down to 10 men, we managed to take control.

“However, I think we also showed good patience and composure even before the red card, we didn’t panic and trusted our plan.”

The Eagles, who dominated possession earlier in the game, could have taken the lead in the eighth minute.

A short back pass by White Swans defender Sim Jun Yen to goalkeeper Hassan Sunny was intercepted by Riku Fukashiro, who passed to Ryoya Taniguchi with an empty goal in front of him.

But the Japanese forward saw his shot blocked off the line by Albirex defender Nozomi Ozawa.

The match quickly turned on its head after an Albirex corner in the 23rd minute.

Referee Jansen Foo deemed that Shakir landed a punch on Naoki Yoshioka, and brandished a straight red card to the Eagles defender.

Nakano stepped up to take the resulting penalty, sending Rudy Khairullah the wrong way for a 1-0 lead.

The red card was Shakir’s second of the season, with his first coming in an SPL match on Sept 12 – also against Albirex.

Asked about the 33-year-old’s transgressions, Geylang coach Noor Ali said: “He’s not a young boy playing in his debut season. He’s a former national player and I think he knows whether these kinds of things are acceptable or not.

“We started well in the first 20 minutes until the red card, that was the turning point of the whole game. We were caught with injuries, like Riku (Fukashiro) and Vincent (Bezecourt) and it was not easy for the boys coming in because they’ve got to defend the whole time.

“I think it’s very hard to play against this Albirex team, they are a good high pressing team and also they hit these long balls very directly behind you.

“Losing a player like Shakir at the back, it’s not easy getting a replacement...

“We don’t have any defenders on the bench to come in, having to switch (midfielder) Shodai Yokoyama to left back and trying to accommodate things.”

Katsuyuki Ishibashi could have doubled the lead for the White Swans in the 44th minute, but was denied twice by Rudy at point-blank range.

Both teams seemed happy to sit back in the second half as chances were few and far between.

Shigetomi said: “After the red card we didn’t want to rush. We focused on maintaining our structure and waiting for the right moments. Sometimes, when you face 10 men, it’s easy to lose shape and become careless. I wanted the players to stay disciplined and make sure we attacked with quality, not just quantity.”

It was not till the 83rd minute that Albirex doubled their advantage.

Receiving a pass from Ishibashi, Nakano saw his initial effort saved by Rudy. But the rebound fell kindly back to the 20-year-old, who duly headed home for his second.

Nakano then claimed his hat-trick nine minutes into stoppage time, after Rudy spilled Danish Qayyum’s shot into the Japanese forward’s path for an easy tap in.

This season’s Singapore Cup will see seven of the eight SPL teams compete for the title, omitting the Young Lions, whose local players will be involved in the Dec 3-18 SEA Games football tournament.

Seeded based on their positions in the previous SPL season, champions and Cup winners Lion City Sailors and runners-up BG Tampines Rovers received byes into the semi-finals.

The remaining five clubs – Geylang, Albirex, Hougang United, Balestier Khalsa and Tanjong Pagar United – will compete in a single round-robin group stage, with each club playing four matches.

The top two teams will progress to the two-legged semi-finals and take on either the Sailors or the Stags on Dec 14 and 20.

On Nov 2, Balestier Khalsa will face Tanjong Pagar United at Bishan Stadium, four days before the Tigers meet Albirex at Jurong East Stadium.

Geylang’s next outing is against Hougang United at OTH on Nov 22.

Shigetomi said: “Balestier are a strong side with good attacking players, so we need to be ready defensively and continue our attacking rhythm.”

Analysis

A silly foul by Shakir led to an early shower and that proved a self-inflicted blow for Geylang just as they were getting things going.

With three more games in the group stage, the Eagles have little margin for error if they are to keep alive their semi-final hopes.