SINGAPORE – With the gift of the gab, he may excel in closing deals as a part-time property agent, but Gabriel Quak has continued to prove he is just as capable of finishing off scoring opportunities to kill off games on the pitch in his day job.

On Saturday, the Hougang United winger scored for the third time in as many games, as his side cruised to a 3-0 win against the Young Lions in their Singapore Premier League match at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

All three of Quak’s goals have come off the bench and his recent uptick in form has coincided with the team’s run of positive results.

The Cheetahs have now won three on the bounce and moved up to sixth in the nine-team table, while national developmental side Young Lions are rooted at the bottom.

Despite enduring a dismal start to the season, where he failed to score in eight league appearances, Quak said he “always knew what I could do and I have faith in my ability”.

“In football, there’s always ups and downs. It was important for me not to crack under pressure,” he added.

“I’m happy to repay the faith the fans and the club have in me.”

Flying out of the blocks on Saturday night, Hougang scored twice in the first 15 minutes.

The first came seven minutes in as a long ball over the top found Anders Aplin on the right.

He laid it off for Sahil Suhaimi, who took a touch before volleying into the top corner for his second goal of the season.

The home team extended their lead five minutes later when Kristijan Krajcek’s pass picked out Nazrul Nazari – the 32-year-old’s strike deflected off Kieran Teo to roll past custodian Aizil Yazid.

However, Nazrul’s night ended after he was stretchered off in the 33rd minute following a clash with Raoul Suhaimi.

Quak came on and made it 3-0 three minutes into first-half stoppage time, after his first touch took the ball away from Teo before he coolly slotted it into the bottom corner.

Hougang squandered golden opportunities to extend their lead in the second half, with their best attempt coming from Kazuma Takayama, whose header was cleared off the line by Jared Gallagher in the 68th minute.

While delighted with the win, coach Marko Kraljevic was more pleased with their first clean sheet of the season.

They have conceded 27 goals so far, the third most in the league.

He said: “Everything was right because everyone was behind the ball. Whenever we lose possession, everyone was running back very quickly. We knew this was an area we needed to improve on.”

Goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam added: “If everyone keeps up the same desire and attitude like we had from the start today, and bring it into the next game, our confidence will build.”

Young Lions coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi was disappointed with his team’s defending, saying: “The boys have to be more resilient. It is a long process and a learning curve for them.”

Analysis

Hougang’s quick and aggressive start proved too much for the Young Lions, with their direct passing exposing gaps left by the latter’s defence.

Ultimately, the Young Lions failed to match their opponents’ intensity and paid the price.

Despite working their way back into the game, they were unable to create clear-cut chances to trouble Zaiful.

This remains a problem for the developmental side, and they will need to find a solution quickly if they are to start picking up points.