Double Delight As Stags Cap Off A Memorable Undefeated Campaign

On paper, it may not have been the most critical match for BG Tampines Rovers in Thursday evening’s AFC Champions League (ACL) Two matchup in Pathum Thani, but if you know football, you know that dead-rubber matches can come alive in certain match-ups. 

Case in point, the Stags’ partner club, Thai heavyweights BG Pathum United, had yet to notch a victory in 4 attempts against their Singaporean counterparts this season, having come oh-so-close in the previous Shopee Cup fixture. 

For Tampines, though their Round of 16 qualification has already been secured, defending their unbeaten ACL Two campaign was a matter of principle. The club had built their campaign this season on the backs of hunger, intensity, and discipline. Keeping this streak also helps morale and belief ahead of fixtures in the domestic Singapore Cup.

Needless to say, as both sets of players stepped on the Thai pitch, there was no lack of motivation and reasons to give it their all.

Weathering The Storm

With maintaining squad freshness and giving worthy recognition in mind, Head Coach Noh Rahman was eager to give starting opportunities to his charges, with Amirul Haikal and Faris Ramli getting their first starts of the campaign. Joel Chew, Taufik Suparno and Tara Ndao also got the starting nod for the away side.

Thai goalkeeper Nalawich Intacharoen, on loan from BG Pathum, and who got the start ahead of Club Captain Syazwan, was put to work early, having to calm some nerves from a wayward pass by the armband-wearing Shah Shahiran. It was to be a sign of things to come, as the Stags’ defence began a testy spell ahead.

Seven minutes in, the Thai side got a glorious chance to take the lead as they did in the previous matchup - a wonderful cross from Joel López found 2.03m tall Brazilian Matheus Fornazari in space, whose header went wide. Five minutes later, another attempt came from a Rabbits corner kick, where Amirul Adli’s clearance deflected back towards goal, and the resulting header from Nuttawut Suksum glancing wide again.

Another barrage of attacks from the hosts followed, with Sanchai Nontasila’s shot deflected well by Adli. A testing long ball into the Stags’ box got a touch off of Siwakorn Ponsan into the path of Chatmongkol Thongkiri, but it was smartly collected by goalkeeper Nalawich, who was having himself a standout game.

Nalawich’s Heroics

And he would find himself pivotal again in the 28th minute, after a long ball was eventually won by BG Pathum’s Siwakorn, who ran ahead into a 2-on-1 situation. His wicked shot was parried away by the sterling gloves of Nalawich to preserve the deadlock.

A timely defensive run back by Taufik showcased the team effort that comes into defending the result, before Tampines’ Thai custodian nullified BG Pathum’s fifth corner by claiming a 50-50 against the towering Fornazari. Moments later, Nalawich was brought into action once again, having to claim an awkwardly bending knuckleball shot from Warinthon Jamnongwat outside the box, away from the dangers of the Rabbits players running late into the box.

As the half-time whistle drew the first half to a close, the stats told the story - 7 shots from the home side to none from the Stags. Kept in the game partly due to heroics from Tampines Thai custodian Nalawich, who seemingly was looking to prove himself against his home club, the Stags entered the dressing room knowing there was work to do, and all to play for in the next 45 minutes.

The Stags’ Second Wind

As the second half kicked off, the Stags seemed to find their second wind - a smartly placed Joel Chew dink pass found the marauding Tara Ndao, who unfortunately guided the Stags’ first attempt straight into the hands of BG Pathum’s Pisan Dokmaikeaw. Minutes later, it was Joel again who distributed to Shah, and a flashy trick from the midfielder won a free kick on the edge of the box.

Tampines was nearly rewarded for their energetic start to the second half, with Joel’s beautiful right-footed free kick attempt rattling against the crossbar. Nevertheless, it was a much better showing from the away side to restart the contest.

Finding their rhythm, the Stags that we had become familiar with started to show their offensive steel again, with Faris playing a neat one-two with Shah, who found the overlapping Amirul, whose snapshot attempt was desperately deflected by Nathan James. 

That proved to be the last action for the wingback, as he was replaced at the 62nd minute by the in-form Takeshi Yoshimoto. Glenn Kweh also came on for Taufik Suparno for the away side, while the home side brought reinforcements of their own with Sarach Yooyen and Ekanit Panya looking to augment the Rabbits’ attack.

Another pair of substitutions from both sides followed as the game entered its closing stages - Thai star Chanathip Songkrasin replaced Joel López, with Takaki Ose replacing Nuttawut, who came off because of an injury. For Tampines, the pair of Trent Buhagiar and Koya Kazama replaced Faris and Seiga. 

In the 77th minute, these changes from The Stags proved pivotal as the floodgates opened up.

Double Delight

In a marvelously worked passage of play, Takeshi Yoshimoto curled a powerful cross into the box, ghosting the run of Trent, before finding Koya Kazama, who produced a beautiful curling finish to give the Stags a deserving goal and the lead for the game.

Moments later, Tampines doubled their joy. Tara found a beautiful pass to Trent, whose direct run found him one-on-one with the keeper. The Malta International skipped past the BG Pathum goalie and buried his effort into the empty net. 

In a night of celebrations, Young Buck Kegan Phang earned a well-deserved first appearance this season, as he replaced Joel Chew. As the game wound down, the Stags almost tripled their advantage, with Tara’s brilliant curling volley hitting the woodwork, the second time this half. 

As the final whistle came in a tale of two halves, it was the Singaporean side that came away with a clean sheet and a big victory, fully displaying their belief, grit, and teamwork. 

Reflections 

Undaunted in defence. Unleashed in attack. Unbeaten in the campaign. Tampines Rovers ended their AFC Champions League Two group stage campaign with an impressive 5 victories in 6 games, with the 3rd highest goal difference amongst group stage teams (only Al-Nassr and Gamba Osaka had more as of the posting of this article).

These results took a team working together at full capacity, and today, it was some important players who stepped up to deliver when it mattered. 

Our Thai custodian, Nalawich, who produced some crucial stops and a composed performance, reflected on his needing to step up against big opponents on home soil, “I'm very happy to have kept a clean sheet and credit goes to all my teammates who have worked so hard in training.”

“We trust Nalawich's ability just like the rest of the boys who started today,” said Head Coach Noh Rahman. “They didn’t disappoint us, and we are very pleased with that. This clearly shows the strength of the squad, especially heading into our (Singapore) Cup Semi-Finals over the weekend.”

“It felt so good to have started the game,” commented Amirul Haikal, who made his first start of the season. “It’s been a while, but I was just happy that I could contribute to the rotations made to maintain freshness in the team for the Singapore Cup semi-final this Sunday.”

Kegan Phang, who was rewarded for his good performances in the SPL2 with his season debut, also shared Amirul’s joy for seeing gametime, “Honestly, it was nerve-wrecking, but it was also a relief for me. Making my season debut tonight in that manner, and seeing the team fight for each other, really reminded me what it means to be in this club. I couldn’t be prouder to be able to play a small part in the game today.”

And about this team, I only have good things to say. The way this team works and fights for each other in the good and bad times, it’s amazing.” Kegan continued.

“This team is special.” Amirul resounded, “We help and support one another, and that’s what got us this far into the competition." 

Head Coach Noh Rahman also echoed this sentiment, giving props to the team culture that was built over the last few years. 

“Credit to the team - we not only showed that we can compete at this level, but we can also get points off the ‘big teams’ in this competition. Credit should also be given to Gavin Lee and Fahrudin Mustafić. They were the ones who started building this team all those years ago, and we are just beneficiaries of the outcome.”

Looking ahead, the Stags look to make their mark on yet another competition - the domestic Singapore Cup, as they travel back home to begin the first leg of the Semi-Finals of the tournament. With this victory in the bag, spirits will be high in the Tampines camp, and all eyes will be on the team to make another charge for silverware, with The Stand’s support in tow.

“I hope the fans know that this team will give nothing but 100% in every single game. Please continue to support us as you have so brilliantly been doing!” said Kegan.

And as Man Of The Match Shah Shahiran wrapped up succinctly, "Hopefully we can keep this momentum going into the Singapore Cup this weekend."