Super Mario helps Balestier Khalsa end losing skid with 3-1 win over Young Lions in SPL
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Balestier Khalsa goalkeeper Mario Mustapic pulls off a near-post save to deny Harith Danish in their 3-1 Singapore Premier League win over the Young Lions at Bishan Stadium on Feb 13.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
- Balestier Khalsa ended a six-match losing streak with a 3-1 win over Young Lions, largely due to goalkeeper Mario Mustapic's sterling performance.
- Mustapic's heroics included a third penalty save this season and continued play despite injury, before being substituted.
- Young Lions remained bottom, experiencing another loss despite creating 15 chances. Coach Firdaus Kassim praised their effort but lamented their continued inability to convert opportunities into goals.
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SINGAPORE – Goalkeeper Mario Mustapic pulled off another penalty save, as he put up his best performance in a Balestier Khalsa shirt to help his team beat the Young Lions 3-1 at the Bishan Stadium on Feb 13.
The three points are a welcome boost for the Tigers, having lost their last six matches, including four in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
With 11 points from 10 games, Balestier leapfrog Hougang United, who trail by two points but have a game in hand, into fifth place in the eight-team SPL. The Young Lions remain bottom with one point in 10 games.
Mustapic, a 1.87m Croat who switched from striker to goalkeeper at age seven at the suggestion of his coach-turned-godfather “because I was a fatty who couldn’t run a lot”, told The Straits Times: “There’s no secret to saving penalties, I just go with my feeling.
“Saving penalties don’t really show a goalkeeper’s quality because it’s just one moment, and I rather be consistent in claiming balls from set pieces because these are things I work on.
“This was a good game for me, but there are still things I can do better like my positioning, reading of the game, and commitment in my decision-making. I’m happy to contribute and finally we win.
“We have been unlucky with red cards and injuries, but when we have a complete team, we can string wins in a row and move up the table.”
The visiting Young Lions made a bright start, with 17-year-olds Nathan Mao, Harith Danish, Luth Fathi and Andy Reefqy looking lively. Mustapic was called into action as early as the 12th minute when he bravely foiled the onrushing Abner Vinicius, who had made a great solo run from inside his own half.
After stopping spot kicks in the Singapore Cup against Geylang International and Lion City Sailors, Mustapic pulled off his third penalty save this season when he denied Sergio Mendonca in the 27th minute.
The kick was awarded after Tajeli Salamat had needlessly held back the Brazilian following a good switch of play by Harith.
Incidentally, Mendonca is the only player to have successfully scored from the spot against Mustapic in Balestier’s 2-1 win in September 2025, but this time, the stuttering run-up failed to fool the 26-year-old goalkeeper, who dived to his right and blocked the ball at a comfortable height.
Bogdan Mandic then showed how it is done when he slotted in his 37th-minute penalty low to Izwan Mahbud’s right, after Masahiro Sugita was felled by Enrico Silveira.
In the second half, Mustapic hurt himself while stopping Luth’s shot in the 54th minute, but pressed on, charging off his line to bravely block Mendonca seven minutes later, before Jakov Katusa volleyed in Ignatius Ang’s cross in the 64th minute.
The leg injury forced the goalkeeper to go off and be replaced by Hafiz Ahmad four minutes, but not before making a spectacular double save from Vinicius and Mendonca.
Hafiz’s first task was to pick the ball out of the net after Mendonca got his goal in the 70th minute, but Balestier were otherwise not troubled, with Katusa sealing the win with an effort from the edge of the box in the 73rd minute.
Balestier coach Marko Kraljevic hailed Mustapic’s contributions and said: “When you lose a few games in a row, it’s very difficult when negativity creeps in.
“Our defending should be better to prevent the penalty, but the save turns things around. It is also good to see Bogdan and Jakov score and we look more dangerous with two strikers up front.”
Young Lions coach Firdaus Kassim said: “Today, we created enough but if you don’t score enough, you don’t get anything. In terms of our conversation rate, I don’t think we deserved to get anything but performance and effort-wise, I’m very happy.”
He added: “Hopefully, we can maintain the consistency in creating chances and the confidence comes when the first goals start going in.”
Analysis
As the hosts found their scoring boots, the Young Lions once again rued their profligacy as they had 15 attempts on goal, compared to Balestier’s nine, and still could not find their first win of the season.
With all the goals scored by imports in this match, and the local Young Lions yet to get on the score sheet this season, it is a worrying sign as strong competition for national senior strikers such as Shawal Anuar, Ikhsan and Ilhan Fandi are sorely lacking.
