Hat-trick hero Mika Baihakki inspires ACS (Barker Road) to maiden B Div boys’ football title

SINGAPORE – Leading up to the final, Mika Bazil Baihakki had scored just twice throughout the 2025 National School Games season.

However, the defender-turned-attacker popped up with three goals in the gold-medal match on May 16, as he led Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) to their first title triumph in the B Division boys’ football competition with a 3-2 victory over defending champions Meridian Secondary School at Jalan Besar Stadium.

“I’ve been dreaming of this (winning the title) since the start of the year. To score a hat-trick in the final is crazy. I just can’t believe it,” said Mika, 16.

Like his father, retired national footballer Baihakki Khaizan, Mika is a defender by trade. Naturally, questions and doubts arose when he made the switch further up front.

“When I changed from defender to attacker, my teammates were confused. They were laughing a bit. They were like ‘Eh, Mika can play attacker?’ And then now I proved them wrong, but (honestly) they’ve always been supporting me from the start,” said Mika.

ACS (BR) coach Edward Tan, whose team had lost 2-1 to Meridian in the first-round pool stage on Feb 10, said he had deployed Mika as an attacker since the second round.

“I changed his position because he has the attributes and he can suit my game model as a winger, so that’s why I put him there,” added the 40-year-old, after guiding the school to glory in his first full season in charge.

Mika took to the transition like a fish to water, saying: “I like it. I just love the dribbling, the attacking, scoring goals. It’s the best feeling ever when you score. But it’s not just a single effort. It’s a team effort, and I love this team.”

It was Meridian who scored first, however. Wayne Cheong rose highest in the eighth minute to head home Rayyan Razali’s corner and give Meridian a lead against the run of play. But ACS (BR) bounced back, with Mika bagging a brace in a three-minute spell to turn the game on its head, slotting the ball into the bottom corner in the 17th and 20th minutes.

After the break, ACS (BR) continued to dominate possession and seemed to be in control until Meridian captain Zamir Nasri was brought down unfairly in the box after latching on to a searching long ball. Substitute Garvit Gill dispatched the ensuing penalty to equalise in the 67th minute.

As tension in the stadium built, both sets of supporters started to chant, “We want goal”. Mika duly obliged in the third minute of stoppage time, when he delicately chipped the ball over goalkeeper Aniq Shayden to complete his hat-trick in dramatic fashion.

Despite some late Meridian pressure, ACS (BR) managed to close out the match. Upon hearing the final whistle, a horde of ACS (BR) students ran onto the pitch in delirious celebration.

Captain Adwyn Halish said he feels proud to be leading ACS (BR), who had bounced back from their earlier loss to Meridian by going on a five-game unbeaten run that saw them top their second-round group en route to their maiden final.

“When we beat St Joseph’s Institution (SJI, 1-0 in the second-round group stage), we thought we could go all the way and I feel that our hard work (has) all paid off,” he said.

“Of course we were a bit nervous at first, but I told them (my team) to have trust in ourselves and believe that we’re going to win. This run is for everyone in this team, the coaches and the school.”

After their own maiden title in 2024, Meridian captain Zamir was disappointed they could not retain it, admitting that it just was not meant to be.

“It hurts. But I am proud that we have come this far, even though it was not our best game. They played better than us, and I have nothing (else) to say. I’m happy for them,” said the 16-year-old.

In the third-place play-off, SJI beat St Gabriel’s Secondary School 3-1 at the Jurong East Stadium on May 15.