Singapore Premier League Puns

I support Liverpool and have noticed there’s a lot of supporters from these countries

I get the feeling big English clubs like Liverpool and Man U have more fans in those countries than the respective big Indonesian football teams although there are no Indonesian players in England as far as I’m aware

I just wonder, is this not harming the development of football in Indonesia? If so many people are interested in football but only support European teams like Madrid Liverpool etc whilst ignoring Indonesian teams surely this will harm the growth and development of Indonesian football.

South Korea and Japan have had admiral world cup campaigns in the past. Saudi Arabia, China and Iran have featured in world cups too but Indonesia has never managed this despite so many Indonesians being interested in football and having a bigger population than Korea, Saudi, Iran and Japan.

Is there any hope in Indonesia that there will be an Indonesian national team in the near future qualifying for the World Cup and Indonesian players playing in the premier league?

On the back of an exit of Malaysian football competitions, the S.League (re-branded as the Singapore Premier League in 2018) was created in 1996. In its heyday, the professional league drew large crowds, at times attracting in excess of 20,000 fans. 25 years on, the league has gone through numerous changes to its roster. We look at all the clubs that ever participated in the competition:

25. Clementi Khalsa (4 seasons from 1999 to 2002)

Created to represent Singapore's Sikh community (hence the name Khalsa), Clementi Khalsa spent four seasons from 1999 to 2002 floating between mid to near bottom of the league. A merger with founding S.League member Balestier Central birthed the current SPL side Balestier Khalsa FC.

24. Sinchi FC (3 seasons from 2003 to 2005)

Portmanteau for "Singapore" and "China", Sinchi were the OG foreign import team, formed to shore up waning interest in the league. Consisting entirely of players from China but fully based in Singapore, Sinchi's debut season in 2003 placed them in mid-table. Things took a downturn as they finished 9th out of 10 consecutively for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, and subsequently disbanded. Sinchi didn't quite set Singapore football alight, but gave us cult legends Qiu Li (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4nmUlosyVw) and Shi Jiayi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT-l3swScSk).

23. Paya-Lebar Punggol (1 season in 2005)

Finished bottom for the 2005 season, the only season they participated in before a merger with Sengkang Marine Football Club in 2006 to create Sengkang Punggol Football Club. Eventually, Sengkang Punggol Football Club gets renamed in 2011 to Hougang United.

22. Sporting Afrique (1 season in 2006)

The one that got the S.League international news coverage. Founded by Collin Chee (yes, the former actor Collin Chee), Sporting Afrique consisted of an entire squad of African players from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. They finished the 2006 season with a disappointing 9th out of 11 clubs, but on-field problems paled in comparison with off-field ones. An exposé regarding the players' pay and living conditions (https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/today20-s-league-football-stars-who-take-home-less-maids-june-7-2006) raised an uproar, eventually culminating in coverage of the

Inspired by the Winners and Losers column on Football365, I have written the following piece covering the first 3 rounds of matches in the SPL. Trying this out to see the interest level, and if it garners enough interest, maybe start a subreddit for our local league.

Winners:

Tampines Rovers - Trust in the process. The much touted mantra by Gavin Lee was put to the test this season as Jordan Webb bowed out of Singapore football to pave the way for Armin Bosnjak. Three games in, the Montenegrin has proven the process works as he slotted into the Tampines side seamlessly. After a rocky start conceding 2 goals against Lion City Sailors just 6 minutes into the 2021 season, the Stags have collected 7 points out of a possible 9, placing them behind Albirex only on goal difference, playing some fantastic possession based football. Could this finally be the year Tampines bucks the trend of foreign teams winning the title?

Yasir Hanapi - While all the media spotlight was on the new influx of Brazilians, the name that has shone the brightest so far has been Yasir Hanapi. 3 goals in 3 games, with one for the highlights reel against Tanjong Pagar in round 3. All these makes for an intriguing encounter against...

Hougang United - The Cheetahs. After a disappointing 2020 season, Hougang were not off to a good start, losing 3-1 against Albirex and threatening more of the same from the previous season. Clement Teoh and his team deserves full credit snagging Tomoyuki Doi, whose four goals in two big, statement wins against Geylang International and Lion City Sailors put the opening day loss into distant memory. Without distraction from regional competitions, Hougang may prove to be a dark horse this season.

Albirex Niigata - Year after year, the Swans rotating roster of players and coaching staff just keep maintaining the same standards of the predecessors. If the Tampines mantra is trusting the process, surely Albirex's is trusting the system. The Japanese feeder club's ability to churn out quality players year after year has to be something FAS needs to study, seeing that one of the national teams most pressing need is also to ensure a strong pipeline of footballing talent to draw from.

Young Lions - Speaking of things FAS needs to look at, the Young Lions system continues to be controversial, but that's a whole can of worms for another day. At this juncture last season, Young Lions lost all three games, conceding 9 goals and scoring 1. Th

Geylang International 2-5 Hougang United

https://youtu.be/xajRINa-sZc

Lion City Sailors 3-1 Tanjong Pagar United

https://youtu.be/DOEwBXOG-Xo

Tampines Rovers 5-1 Balestier Khalsa

https://youtu.be/Tn8qN8oti88

Albirex Niigata 2-1 Young Lions

https://youtu.be/pmTjN5KOMas

Winners:

Unbeaten White Swans - 10 games played, 7 wins, 3 draws and zero losses. Not many would have given Young Lions too much of a chance to take points off the league leaders, but the youngsters came closer than most. With the narrow 2-1 win, Albirex Niigata maintain the pole position they have been in since opening weekend. Is an invincible season on the cards for Albirex?

Lion City Sailors array of weaponry - Despite trailing by a superb team goal from Tanjong Pagar United, an LCS victory never felt in doubt. The Sailors have showcased the many ways they can hurt teams, and it was on full display over the weekend. First goal was a set-piece nodded home by Jorge Fellipe, second was a superb first time finish from Gabriel Quak from the edge of the box and third was a smart header from Diego Lopes. With goals from LCS almost a guarantee and a gradually improving defence, Albirex will have to constantly look over their shoulder.

Robin Chitrakar - Two wins out of two. With the deep pockets LCS have to hire a prominent head-coach with international credentials, Robin Chitrakar's time in the hot-seat was always going to be limited. This will likely not be an audition for the permanent head-coach role at LCS, but will turn the heads of other clubs in the region if he leads LCS to the title.

Hougang United and Doi back to their best - The last time the Cheetahs played Geylang International, they won 4-1 on the back of an opening day defeat against Albirex. They then went on a 6 game unbeaten run, which saw Tomoyuki Doi hit the net 11 times. Such is his conversion rate that two games without scoring has been described as a drought.

This time, Hougang has beaten the Eagles by a 3 goal margin again, and Doi is back to his best, providing a masterclass number 9 display. His first finish was much more difficult than it looked, with the ball bobbling up at the last moment while running across him, necessitating an improvised half sliding finish to guide it to the far post. His back-heeled assist showed such awareness of space and intelligence inside the box to lay it on a plate for Idraki Adnan. The Japanese then capped off a vintage performance with a fine second go

Lion City Sailors 1-0 Young Lions

https://youtu.be/oPAGZZXIsxE

Tampines Rovers 2-3 Hougang United

https://youtu.be/F5IoEp_wduo

Geylang International 1-2 Albirex Niigata

https://youtu.be/0nJW_4DJU6s

Tanjong Pagar United 2-2 Balestier Khalsa

https://youtu.be/E6kZAdQoepE

Winners:

Albirex Niigata perched on the summit - With more or less half the season completed, Albirex maintain their pole position at the top of the league table. Their game against Geylang International sums up the season so far: their results seem only marginally better than everyone else, but on the pitch they have not been threatened much. This is the perfect scenario for Albirex while we head into a 5 week break for international and regional competition: none of Albirex's players will be involved with internationals and will return fresh in early July.

Lion City Sailors keeping pace - Like Albirex, LCS won by a narrow 1 goal margin. Like Albirex, LCS's winning goal came from a sublime free kick. But unlike Albirex, the Sailors had to win ugly against Young Lions. And unlike Albirex, Lion City Sailors have 7 players called up for international duty for Singapore in addition to AFC cup games, and so all the more important that LCS keep pace with the league leaders while the workload is equal amongst all teams.

Free kick ASMR - There is something just so satisfying seeing a player run up to a dead ball, strike it pure and hit top bin beyond the reach of the keeper. It happened twice over the weekend, and the debate about whether Shahdan Sulaiman's strike or Takahiro Tezuka's was better will never be settled.

Nurshafiq - Nothing much the Young Lions keeper could do about Shahdan's free kick masterclass, but the youngster was called upon a handful of times to thwart the likes of Song Ui Young and Faris Ramli from adding to the scoreline.

Singapore has always been blessed with great goalkeepers, but it remains to be seen who in the next generation will make the step up to be a worthy first choice custodian. The potential shown by Nurshafiq shows he might stand an outside chance of making the future number 1 shirt his, provided his development continues upward.

Hougang United - It's a vintage high intensity Hougang performance that provided a perfect anti-thesis to the measured, possession-based but slow approach adopted by Tampines Rovers. The pace with which Tomoyuki Doi, Idraki Adnan and Shawal Anuar attacked was frightening, and proved to be particul

Tanjong Pagar United 2-2 Tampines Rovers

https://youtu.be/FrS4V1m8u18

Hougang United 0-1 Lion City Sailors

https://youtu.be/sbT4o2fjJ20

Balestier Khalsa 1-4 Albirex Niigata

https://youtu.be/KnpyvYn1axo

Young Lions 2-4 Geylang International

https://youtu.be/uhzZagTvhrE

Winners:

Lion City Sailors - After a few days of heavy rain, the natural grass pitch at Hougang stadium seemed much softer and stickier than the articifial pitches at Jalan Besar, and might have been less than ideal for the Sailors' sleek passing. Lion City Sailors dispelled any notions that the pitch will affect them by overcoming a stubborn, physical Hougang United. With Tampines Rovers faltering against Tanjong Pagar United, Lion City Sailors have fully emerged as the biggest challengers to Albirex's title defence.

Diego Lopes - Ah, so this is what 3 million gets you. Diego Lopes not only raises the ability of LCS to retain possession in their attacking third, his threat further forward also unlocks Shahdan Sulaiman's distribution by affording the Singapore International more time and space. Diego Lopes isn't a Bruno Fernandes type that takes the game by the scruff of the neck, but raises the performance of the players around him a few notches higher. In this case, he made the step up to make the difference with a volley that oozed technique and class.

Glenn Ong and Aniq Raushan - A second consecutive start for the pair of 18 year olds, both have again put in a performance that belies their relative inexperience. With a total of around 11 million invested in the Lion City Sailors youth academy and training centre, we might see the Sailors churn out young footballing talent year after year. Glenn and Aniq are a sign of great things to come.

Albirex Niigata - the last time Albirex faced Balestier Khalsa in March, the Tigers battled valiantly for a point in a goalless draw. This time, Albirex came out 4-1 winners comfortably, showing how far they have come since then. Its easy to forget every season the bulk of the squad for Albirex gets reset, and players need the time to settle in playing and living in a different country. Albirex look very much a settled side now, and will take some stopping.

Blake Ricciuto - the Aussie battler signed from DPMM FC has added much quality in the Tanjong Pagar United midfield. His assist for Reo Nishiguchi summed up perfectly what Blake Ricciuto was all about: immaculate anticipation to intercept the ball, bringing

I hope this will help raise interest for people who are interested in local football! Currently, 3 teams done. More will follow. Works for PS4 and PC. Should work for PS5!

Tampines Rovers, Lion City Sailors and Geylang International are done so far. More to follow!

https://www.pesfutebol.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=606&p=1267#p1267

Balestier Khalsa 0-1 Hougang United

https://youtu.be/muZVW3QOo3Q

Young Lions 0-4 Tanjong Pagar United

https://youtu.be/1DHprbDQcnM

Geylang International 0-8 Lion City Sailors

https://youtu.be/-ElvDDXAwXQ

Albirex Niigata 2-1 Tampines Rovers

https://youtu.be/IEAubMBh9SA

Winners:

Albirex Niigata - The only side still unbeaten after 6 games, the defending champions dispatched one of the biggest threats to their title defence with relative ease. After an early scare with Boris Kopitovic giving Tampines Rovers the lead after just 9 minutes, the Swans came from behind and capitalised on a shakey Tampines Central defence to come away 2-1 winners.

Truth to be told, Albirex hasn't been miles ahead of the rest of the chasing pack, but they have been consistently that little bit better. Time will tell if that is going to be good enough.

Ong Yu En - The Singapore Sports School graduate has recently been surviving the routine removal of Singaporean players at half time by Albirex Niigata, and for good reason. It was the 17 year old's threaded pass that sent Yu Tokiwa down the left flank to square it for Ryoya Taniguchi to equalise against Tampines Rovers. Kept on the pitch for about 1 hour, his increasing maturity will surely earn him even more playing time.

Tanjong Pagar United - And finally the monkey is off their backs. They last won in 2014 but the 7 year wait has always been a little bit of an exaggeration given that the Jaguars had been sitting out of the league between 2015 and 2019. Still, for one of the oldest clubs in Singapore and one that once only missed out on a league title by goal difference (back in 1998), nobody would've predicted Tanjong Pagar United to go the whole 2020 season without a single win.

This season, for the opening 4 games, there didn't seem to be light at the end of the tunnel as the Jaguars lost four on the trot. In Game Week 5, a vastly improved Tanjong Pagar were minutes away from pulling off the greatest upset so far this season but came away with 1 point against title dark horse Hougang United.

This time, they duly dispatched Young Lions for their long awaited win, and did so in style. Young Lions have played all but Hougang so far this season, and only Tampines Rovers have beaten them by a better scoreline than Tanjong Pagar United. It truly looks like a corner turned.

Reo Nishiguchi - One assist and one goal. His driving runs are a nightmare for any defender and his thumping shots a nightm

Fri 16 April, 8:30pm:

Tampines Rovers vs Geylang International, Our Tampines Hub

https://youtu.be/Vtw7QVY1LB0

Sat 17 April, 8:30pm:

Hougang United vs Young Lions, Hougang Stadium

https://youtu.be/DWywFgN1qwI

Tanjong Pagar United vs Albirex Niigata, Jurong East stadium

https://youtu.be/wV8lKCEq2jw

Sun 18 April, 8:30pm:

Lions City Sailors vs Balestier Khalsa, Jalan Besar

https://youtu.be/Xz7zuMOAiHA

Live telecast:

https://youtube.com/c/SingaporePremierLeagueOfficial

https://youtube.com/c/1PlaySports

1. Another week of goal glut?

After Game Week 5's flurry of 20 goals across four games, Game Week 6 returned to slight normalcy with 16 goals in total. What is remarkable are the two big scoring games: Tanjong Pagar United spanking Young Lions with a long awaited win by 4 goals, while Geylang suffered a stinker getting thrashed 8-0 against LCS.

The potential for a couple more high scoring games this weekend is evident. Tampines has shown the ability to take apart their opposition, and Geylang is definitely there for the taking in the Eastern derby. Hougang has also shown their lethal attacking ability with a few big wins this season, spearheaded by top scorer Tomoyuki Doi, and will fancy their chances against a downtrodden Young Lions.

2. Which Japanese will make the biggest impact?

One of the stories of the season so far has been the difference Tomoyuki Doi has made for Hougang United. He is on a 5 game scoring streak and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The form of the Japanese striker will be key to Hougang United's legitimacy as title contenders.

Doi isn't the only former Albirex player loving life at a new club. At the other end of the table, Reo Nishiguchi is also starting to make an impact with Tanjong Pagar United, contributing 3 goals in two games to earn the Jaguars' first points of the season, and lifting Tanjong Pagar from bottom spot to third from bottom.

3. Are we due for a shock result?

Reo Nishiguchi has an added incentive this week, coming up against his former employers Albirex Niigata. The Swans are currently the only team yet to be beaten this season and have so far been defensively solid while keeping possession well. After 6 games, Albirex have only conceded 4 goals and have played every team once except Tanjong Pagar. If Tanjong Pagar's high press works, they will need some way to shore up their leaky defence in order to get something from this game. If they do, we may just well

Hougang United 5-1 Tampines Rovers

https://youtu.be/LEjQW2QscUA

Young Lions 1-3 Lion City Sailors

https://youtu.be/pGWN5O0u8FU

Albirex Niigata 1-0 Geylang International

https://youtu.be/tSmP9JQeFgU

Balestier Khalsa 4-0 Tanjong Pagar

https://youtu.be/-omC_txwTps

Winners:

Hougang - No doubt the Cheetahs led the table just for 24 hours or so before Albirex dispatched Geylang International, Hougang United's performance suggests there will be more to come. Perhaps owing to the downpour prior to kickoff, Tampines Rovers seemed a little bogged down by the rain sodden pitch, while Hougang did their part by pressing high and fast to not let Tampines get into any rhythm at all. With Tomoyuki Doi in scintillating form, the Cheetahs attack proved to be hyper-efficient - out of 15 shots on goal, 10 were on target, 5 hit the back of the net and 3 came from the Japanese striker. Contrast that with Tampines' 18 shots, 6 on target and 1 goal. Suddenly, Lion City Sailors need not feel that bad about their 3-1 loss to Hougang in week 3.

Smooth sailing - In fact, there is much to feel good about for the Sailors for game week 4. On paper, their quality is almost a guarantee for 3 points against Young Lions, and LCS didn't quite have to get into second gear on Saturday for a 3-1 win. Perhaps more importantly, it was an assured performance for the Sailors' Brazilian duo. Diego Lopes clocked his first assist in SPL with an Iniesta-esque floated pass to Stipe Plazibat, while Jorge Fellipe showcased his immense aerial attacking threat along with a calm defensive display.

Fearless cubs - It's been just four games in but Pilippe Aw has already repeated it to death: focus on performance regardless of result. By that measure, Young Lions can give themselves a pat on the back for a good first half against LCS, often using the ball better than their far more illustrious opponents.

The raw power of Ilhan Fandi - In the seventh minute against LCS, Harhys Stewart lofted a pass forward, which an under pressure Ilhan Fandi controlled well with his chest but overhit his half volley. The imagination is there but the execution isn't (yet). With his second half goal, Ilhan has gotten 2 goals for the third season running. The difference this time is it's only taken 4 games for the 18 year old, and time is on his side to add to that tally and also to develop into a more polished finisher. If there is anyone he could learn from, it has to be...

Tomoyuki Doi -

Sat 3 April, 5:30pm:

Hougang United vs Tampines Rovers, Hougang Stadium

https://youtu.be/ppW3KxM-6rw

https://youtu.be/n1urgVxVJEk

Young Lions vs Lion City Sailors, Jalan Besar Stadium

https://youtu.be/fqp5XFWXChQ

https://youtu.be/2lz-OXu66NI

Sun 4 April, 5:30pm:

Balestier Khalsa vs Tanjong Pagar United, Toa Payoh Stadium

https://youtu.be/Kjn8Z_I22-Y

https://youtu.be/bJ701Agix_U

Albirex Niigata (S) vs Geylang International, Jurong East Stadium

https://youtu.be/qvbvQDOOE5w

https://youtu.be/678W6Zq4ADY

Live telecast:

https://youtube.com/c/SingaporePremierLeagueOfficial

https://youtube.com/c/1PlaySports

1. Will Diego Lopes finally arrive?

While LCS headcoach Aurelio Vidmar has been easing his big money signing into life in the SPL with substitute appearances, the inexperienced Young Lions might be the perfect opponents for Diego Lopes' first start. Geylang International's Sylvano Comvalius, Balestier's Shuhei Hoshino and Albirex pair Ryoya Taniguchi and Makoto Ito all got their first goals of the 2021 season against Young Lions. Diego Lopes will be hoping to join that list of names, or at least get a few assists to get his season up and running.

2. Is this Fandi like the other Fandis?

Arguably our most celebrated Singapore International of all-time, Fandi Ahmad's footballing legacy continues with third son Ilhan getting a national call-up last week. Granted, there were no international matches due to the pandemic and the Lions reported just for training, such an endorsement from Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida will no doubt be an injection of confidence for the 18 year old. The Young Lions striker scored twice in 2020, on the first and last day of the season. Scoring again on opening day of the 2021 season, the youngster will want his second goal in 2021 to come much sooner than it did last year. Against an out-of-form Hassan Sunny, that might well happen. Time will tell if Ilhan will follow in the footsteps of elder brothers Irfan and Ikhsan in becoming Lions mainstays.

3. Can Tampines Rovers and Albirex Niigata continue their unbeaten run?

At this juncture last season, both teams were unbeaten, with Tampines winning all 3 opening games while Albirex won once and drew twice. It is starting to look like a two-horse race to the title again with another 3 game unbeaten start for the Stags and the Swans. Tampines Rovers face a tricky Hougang side, who are riding high after an impressive 3-1 win over LCS in w

Wed 7 April, 7:45pm:

Lion City Sailors vs Albirex Niigata, Jalan Besar

https://youtu.be/BaoYEHeLqmU

Tampines Rovers vs Young Lions, Our Tampines Hub

https://youtu.be/0XMLlwvCn_U

Balestier Khalsa vs Geylang International, Toa Payoh stadium

https://youtu.be/WXocrs3kAHQ

Tanjong Pagar vs Hougang United, Jurong East stadium

https://youtu.be/kQcjP0-yhpQ

Live telecast:

https://youtube.com/c/SingaporePremierLeagueOfficial

https://youtube.com/c/1PlaySports

1. Will Lopes and Fellipe sink or swim against league leaders Albirex?

Lion City Sailors has had a patchy start to the season, and after a comfortable win against Young Lions in week 4, the Sailors seem on the up again. Diego Lopes and Jorge Fellipe showed their class but detractors will say it was only against the Young Lions. The Brazilians will have the chance to silence them with the ultimate test this mid-week against the high-flying Albirex Niigata. LCS started slow against Young Lions in week 4, ceding control in the middle of the park but made up for it with their quality in the final third. Unbeaten league leaders Albirex will be much less forgiving opponents.

2. Can wounded Stags come good or will Young Lions exploit their leaky defence?

Saturday's 5-1 mauling by Hougang is the Stags heaviest defeat since August 2017 when they lost 4-0 against Albirex. Against the Young Lions, Tampines Rovers can restore some confidence by being on the right side of a large scoreline this time. The Young Lions are prone to defensive blunders, so Yasir Hanapi, Zehrudin Mehmedovic and Boris Kopitovic all look like good value to exploit that. The opposite also rings true. The leaky, less-than-mobile Tampines defence may find it tricky dealing with the physicality of Ilhan Fandi, the ghosting runs from deep from Harhys Stewart and the trickery of Khairin Nadim. This one promises goals.

3. Rising Tiger, sliding Eagles?

Geylang International pipped Balestier Khalsa to AFC Cup qualification by 1 point last season. A 1 point gap again separates the two, but the Tigers are now sitting above the Eagles. More importantly, Balestier look increasingly convincing while Geylang look worse with each passing week. Both teams have played Tanjong Pagar, Albirex and Young Lions: Balestier's results were 4-0 win, 0-0 and 3-3 draws, while for Geylang it's 2-1 win, 0-1 loss and 1-1 draw. By that admittedly unscientific measure, Geylang go into this game as underdogs. This is fast becoming the biggest ch

Lion City Sailors 2-2 Albirex Niigata

https://youtu.be/TXBRkXrh9hU

Tampines Rovers 7-0 Young Lions

https://youtu.be/t3JCeGFLZ_w

Balestier Khalsa 2-1 Geylang International

https://youtu.be/TFfb_Fw1mOA

Tanjong Pagar 3-3 Hougang United

https://youtu.be/9jnfw7XYabQ

Winners:

SPL fans

For the first time this season, all 4 games were played simultaneously. It was a real competition for eye-balls amongst the match-ups: a total of 20 goals were scored. Are you not entertained?!

Better yet, conditional entry for fans will start this weekend: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/250-fans-spl-singapore-football-covid-19-14574024

Tanjong Pagar United

In the post-match interview after the 4-0 mauling by Balestier on Saturday, an exasperated Hasrin Jailani could only lament a lack of motivation from his players. Whatever Hasrin Jailani has done since then has absolutely drawn a reaction from his team. A free scoring Hougang vs a freely conceding Tanjong Pagar was supposed to have been a one-sided affair, but not many would have taken into account the pockets of individual brilliance Tanjong Pagar possess. At the same time, Hougang were given a taste of their own medicine as the Jaguars pressed and hassled the Cheetahs into mistakes from start to finish.

The stunning first goal was equal parts complacency and brilliance: lackadaisical defending from Faiz Salleh and Maksat Dzhakybaliev, coupled with the strength of Shodei Nishikawa to hold off the challenge, carry the ball into the box and hit it with venom from a tight-angle. The second was a result of persistent pressing that forced Mukundan Maran into making a mistake. The third from Reo Nishiguchi was just as pure a strike as the first, and the ensuing scenes of jubilation was indication of how badly everyone at the club wanted to win.

There would not be a repeat of the scenes of jubilation in the end as Hougang United equalized late on, but the Jaguars go away with hope in their hearts: repeat this same performance against Young Lions on Saturday and they will finally get their long-awaited first win in 7 years.

Tomoyuki Doi

Spoiled the party for Tanjong Pagar with another 2 goals. If he keeps this up, his dream J-league move might just happen.

Tampines Rovers

The humbling defeat b

Tampines Rovers 2-2 Albirex Niigata

https://youtu.be/IO3h8IreEHE

Hougang United 4-3 Balestier Khalsa

https://youtu.be/D1oJmDqFZME

Lion City Sailors 2-1 Geylang International

https://youtu.be/gA3lqt8zrW0

Tanjong Pagar United 1-1 Young Lions *(match suspended due to lightning risk)

Winners:

Lion City Sailors rising - What a week it has been for the Sailors. The shock departure of Aurelio Vidmar threatened to throw a spanner in the works but interim head coach Robin Chitrakar provided a steady enough hand to ensure LCS gained ground. While two of their closest rivals duked it out to a 2-2 draw, LCS saw off a plucky Geylang International side, getting within 1 point of league leaders Albirex. On a day when Shahdan Sulaiman, Diego Lopes and Gabriel Quak were largely kept quiet, they still had Saifullah Akbar to fall back on for the winner. And as if their squad wasn't packed enough with talent, LCS has announced the signing of Hariss Harun. With regional success the ultimate aim of club owner Forrest Li, the experience Hariss brings from JDT will be invaluable.

Saifullah Akbar - Recognized as a creative threat, last years young player of the year is proving to be a credible goal threat: his laser guided, bottom corner finish is his third goal of the campaign, one better than he managed the whole of last season. Its no wonder Faris Ramli and Adam Swandi are hardly having a look in on the LCS left flank.

Never-say-die Hougang United - It happened in the 97th minute to draw 3-3 with Tanjong Pagar in week 5, and in the 91st minute to draw 1-1 with Young Lions in week 7. In the words of Lenny Kravitz, it ain't over till its over. This time, the late goal was scored in the 88th minute to earn all 3 points against Balestier Khalsa, credit to whom clawed back a 2 goal deficit. On a day when Tampines and Albirex shared a point each, this win had added significance: the Cheetahs are now behind 3rd placed Tampines by only a point, but with 1 game in hand.

Prime Eagles threat Matheus Moresche - After exploding off the blocks on opening day with a brace, the Brazilians form tapered off along with that of Geylang International. In recent weeks, Moresche has enjoyed a resurgence: his goal against LCS was his fifth in the last 3 games. Moresche has proven to be a bit of a goal poacher. Clear cut chances have been few and far between for Geylang, yet Moresche has been able to score against the run of play, this time forcing an error from Hass

Tampines Rovers 3-2 Geylang International

https://youtu.be/inUMr863Fcs

Tanjong Pagar United 0-6 Albirex Niigata

https://youtu.be/-0mHQuuy600

Hougang United 1-1 Young Lions

https://youtu.be/1EBZKxT0QEc

Lion City Sailors 4-1 Balestier Khalsa

https://youtu.be/zeBnGS1j2tU

Winners:

Albirex Niigata - Played all other teams once and lost none, conceding only 4 goals. Prior to week 7, the consensus was that the Swans have looked less than invincible compared with other seasons. With this huge 6-0 win against a Tanjong Pagar side that has been on a two game unbeaten run, the big worry for the rest of the chasing pack now is that Albirex has now found their second gear. As we head into the first set of return fixtures, Albirex's 3 point cushion looks set to widen unless any of the chasing pack shows some consistency.

Kiyoshiro Tsuboi - Two superb solo goals and one textbook header. Been quiet for a few games but showed what he is capable of again.

Lion City Sailors - Starting to look even more like legit title contenders. Some of their attacking play is just top draw. The ease with which they go from metronomic passing to quick attacking interplay is a sight to behold. Beyond their starting line up, the quality in the squad is frightening: without Nur Adam as their marauding left back and with Faris Ramli and Song Ui Yong to call upon from the bench, they dispatched a tricky Balestier Khalsa side with ease.

Gabriel Quak - Since his return from his Thai stint, Gabriel Quak has really been a different class. Last year's player of the year has scored his 7th goal this season with a superb first time volley, the kind kids want to replicate in the playground. With the passing ability of Shahdan Sulaiman, Saifullah Akbar and Diego Lopes, Gabriel's runs down the right will get picked out more often than not. Looks good to contend for player of the season again.

Saifullah Akbar - That run from the left, that cut in and low finish into the far bottom corner. What a player we have for the future.

Tampines Rovers - As it has been this season, made it difficult for themselves at times but duly finished off their Eastern rivals in the end. Still looks defensively fragile and will need Boris Kopitovic to keep up his goal scoring form to keep up with league leaders Albirex.

Young Lions - At the back, Syahrul Sazali, Syed Akmal and Zulqarnaen Suzliman showed superb discipline and positioning to keep Hougang United quiet. In midf

Sat 10 April, 5:30pm:

Balestier Khalsa vs Hougang United, Toa Payoh Stadium

https://youtu.be/VtO4TaDN4cY

Young Lions vs Tanjong Pagar United, Jalan Besar

https://youtu.be/y6-0DaxJsU8

Sun 11 April, 5:30pm

Albirex Niigata vs Tampines Rovers, Jurong East stadium

https://youtu.be/1ESSg1SGqlI

Geylang International vs Lion City Sailors, Our Tampines Hub

https://youtu.be/-tDyYOmxqiI

Live telecast:

https://youtube.com/c/SingaporePremierLeagueOfficial

https://youtube.com/c/1PlaySports

1. Which oldie is a goldie for Tampines?

37 year old Baihakki Khaizan has started all of Tampines' games up until his suspension against Young Lions due to his prior sending off. In his place, Gavin Lee went for a slightly more experienced replacement in the form of 43 year old Daniel Bennett. Bennett's first start of the season has coincided with the Stags' first clean sheet of the season as well. Though it might come with the caveat that Young Lions typically present a much weaker threat, it is worth bearing in mind the Young Lions have scored against Balestier Khalsa, Geylang International and Lion City Sailors. The clean sheet was not exactly a given.

With Baihakki's return this week, who to start along side Madhu Mohana will be a conundrum. Does Gavin go for youth or experience? In all seriousness, the Stags will need the more mobile option to deal with Albirex's quick movement and interchange of play.

2. Is wooden spoon avoidance providing enough motivation?

The Netflix series Sunderland Til I Die provided a riveting, voyeuristic look at the goings-on at a former Premier League club trying to get back to top flight. If you haven't watched it, there might be some spoilers to follow.

Beneath the shiny veneer of top flight football, with its marketing, superstars and corporate machinery, football fans can sometimes be blind to the realities of a club's survival. For Sunderland, what relegation meant for everyone working at the club from top to bottom was laid bare to see on-screen, with even cafeteria ladies fearing for their jobs after Sunderland got relegated again.

Are we shortchanging ourselves by not having a promotion or relegation system? For two years in a row, Young Lions and Tanjong Pagar are competing to avoid last spot. With no real consequence tied to the wooden spoon award except a bruised ego and lost face, these two clubs might see themselves going at the same thing year after year.

This is especially problematic when on