SPL Team Of The Week (Matchweek 13)

Haimie Nyaring (Brunei DPMM)

His team may have played the majority of the game with 10 men, but Haimie stood strong in goal to ensure Tampines Rovers could not find the back of the net more than once. The 24-year-old was alert to save the shots that came his way, including efforts from Kyoga Nakamura and Glenn Kweh, when they looked more likely to score than not. On a night where the result did not go their way, DPMM’s goalkeeper was certainly in fine form.

Irfan Najeeb (Tampines Rovers)

His teammates are often on the receiving end of praise for his team’s performance at the back, but the Tampines right back has quietly gone about his business this season. Another reliable performance from him helped his team to get the win against DPMM. He plays a key part in a Stags team that often requires him to drop into the backline in the build up, and against DPMM, he performed his defensive duties when needed to ensure another clean sheet.

Shuya Yamashita (Tampines)

Into his second season at the Stags, the Japanese centre back has settled in well and in this instance, he dealt well with DPMM’s striker Andrey Voronkov, winning his battles physically and on the ground. Yamashita was dependable and even contributed game-winning interceptions, including his block on Voronkov’s effort early on, and several more sliding challenges in the second half, which secured his side’s third consecutive clean sheet.

Amirul Adli (Geylang International)

Amirul has been a crucial addition to the Eagles’ backline since he joined at the start of this season, and he proved it again as another solid performance at the back helps his team to just their second clean sheet of the season. Although Young Lions offered little threat, the centre-back was commanding, especially in the second half. He capped off his night with a wonderful finish after hitting the post with a header, to bring home the three points for his side.

Sho Fuwa (Albirex Niigata)

The left-back scored his first goal in professional football, but it was his performance throughout the game going forward that deserves the plaudits. His overlapping runs down the left flank caused massive headaches for Balestier Khalsa’s defence, with the Tigers struggling to close down the space he had to send balls into the box. He eventually forced Balestier to make a tactical switch to drop winger Daniel Goh deeper to track the Japanese defender’s runs, which handicapped the Tigers’ ability to go forward on the counter.

Yasir Hanapi (Tampines)

The Tampines skipper delivered a line-breaking pass that lead to the only goal of the game for the Stags, and he was part of a midfield trio which dominated that part of the pitch against Brunei DPMM. His signature runs into the box created opportunities for the team going forward as he provided another option in the penalty area, while also leaving space for the midfielders to occupy and push higher up the field against a stubborn DPMM defence.

Vincent Bezecourt (Geylang)

The 29-year-old French midfielder was once again the catalyst for the Eagles’ attacking plays, pulling the strings in the centre of the park and releasing his teammates with his forward passes. His long ball over the top for the first goal was scrumptious, and helped to open the scoring for his team, who had struggled to convert chances against the Young Lions. His delivery from a free-kick was also crucial in the second goal.

Kristijan Krajcek (Hougang United)

Krajcek has been hampered by his side’s poor form this season, but his performance against Tanjong Pagar showed glimpses of the damage he could cause, as he constantly terrorised the Jaguars’ defence. A sweet strike from the edge of the box was the cherry on top for the Croatian, who was lively throughout and whose runs created chaos for Tanjong Pagar’s backline.

Iqbal Hussain (Geylang)

Iqbal scored his third goal of the season to open the scoring for his side, and it was a peach of a goal as his superb first touch took the ball past the goalkeeper and his second was to hit the ball into the bottom corner. The winger was let down by poor finishing at times, but he almost had another when his strike crashed off the bar. His work rate for the team was evident throughout his time on the pitch and given the opportunities he creates for himself, the goals will likely follow.

Seia Kunori (Albirex)

The striker made it nine goals for the campaign in an inspiring first-half performance against Balestier Khalsa, where he scored two and assisted one. This included starting and ending a brilliant move for the second goal. A hat-trick against the same opponents was the last time he scored before going on a four game goal drought. What made it more impressive was the awareness Kunori possessed, as he dropped deep often to link up the play for his side in an all-round performance.

Shuto Komaki (Albirex)

In what was a stirring performance on the left-hand side of the pitch for the White Swans, Komaki and Fuwa ran the show as their deadly combination overloaded the wing and created openings for their team. Komaki was energetic and caused many problems for Balestier’s defence. His shot played a part in the second goal, while his own clever finish helped to extend Albirex’s lead going into the break.