Zuzul's hot scoring streak up to nine games

Neither a 90-minute delay nor dogged defending from the Young Lions could stop Sime Zuzul as he extended his scoring streak in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), netting in his ninth straight match to help Geylang International beat Young Lions 3-0 yesterday.

The Eagles made the most of rivals Tanjong Pagar United and Hougang United dropping points to leapfrog them into fourth place on 30 points in the race for potential AFC Cup qualification.

Third-placed Tampines Rovers, who are a point ahead, play Balestier Khalsa today.

Man of the Match Zuzul, 26, said: "I never go into games expecting to score two or three goals. I just focus on my chances and when the chance comes, I must be focused.

"It was a good feeling to score two goals. But I couldn't (get the hat-trick) and I'm not happy but the next game is going to be better."

After a delay caused by the lightning warning system at Our Tampines Hub, both teams had decent chances but could not find the breakthrough.

Geylang broke the deadlock after 32 minutes when Joshua Pereira's header from Ilhan Noor's cross looped in at the back post.

The Eagles carried their momentum into the second half, with Zuzul curling his strike past Young Lions goalkeeper Ridhwan Fikri just a minute after the restart.

In the 61st minute, Zuzul netted his 11th goal in nine games after Frenchman Vincent Bezecourt's long ball found him in the penalty area and he slotted home to seal the three points for Geylang. The Croat was denied his hat-trick after a smart save from Ridhwan.

Geylang coach Noor Ali was pleased with his team's performance and hopes they can continue their form for the rest of the season.

"When (the job is) done, then I'll be proud. We still have six games to go. At this point, I'm happy with the boys. They put up a very good performance (with) good fighting spirit...

"We have to be consistent in our performances and the winning mentality must be there. They've shown character throughout the hard times we went through and they have been fantastic.

"(There's definitely) confidence going forward in the team. Hopefully, they can keep that up till the last game."

Young Lions coach Nazri Nasir called for his charges to learn from their errors quickly.

He said: "Mistakes always happen, so what to do? That's football. You need to learn and adapt quickly. At this level, you make a mistake and you get punished."

In yesterday's other game, Albirex Niigata beat Tanjong Pagar 2-1 to keep pace with league leaders Lion City Sailors, who thumped Hougang 9-4 on Friday.

Second-half goals from Kumpei Kakuta and Ilhan Fandi gave Albirex a 2-0 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining, before Blake Ricciuto grabbed a consolation in the 86th minute.

The Japanese side have 48 points, three behind the Sailors.

After overcoming a shaky start to the campaign, the Eagles have done well to soar up the table, picking up 23 points from their last 10 SPL games.

Their rise has coincided with Zuzul's hot streak. He has 16 goals this term.

Geylang's real test however, comes next month when they face the high-scoring Sailors and title chasers Albirex, as well as Hougang. Positive results from those three games will be pivotal to making this a memorable season.