Late Drama Sees Stags Share the Spoils in Kuching

The humidity hung heavy over Stadium Negeri Sarawak as anticipation built ahead of Tampines Rovers' opening fixture of the 2026/27 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup.

Last season's campaign slipped away at the Group Stage, but Our Stags arrived in Kuching determined to make amends and to give the travelling Tampines faithful something to celebrate away from home.

Speaking at the pre-match interview, Head Coach Nazri Nasir underlined the importance of every fixture, whether on the regional stage or back home in the Singapore Premier League. With a demanding schedule ahead, he also highlighted the opportunity for different players to step up, while crediting the medical team for their work in getting the squad ready for action.

The mission was clear: start this year's ACC Shopee Cup campaign on the right foot.

Fresh Faces in Kuching

Coach Nazri shuffled his pack for the contest, with two highly anticipated names making their Tampines Rovers debuts.

Singapore international Irfan Fandi came into the side alongside our newest recruit, Naberu Yoshitaka Furusawa, who recently arrived from the J1 League.

Takeshi Yoshimoto and Ong Yu En also made their first appearances of the season, with the latter earning his first start for Our Stags since June 2023.

It was a refreshed Tampines side - and it would not take long for one of the new faces to make his mark.

Naberu Strikes on Debut

Kuching City enjoyed their fair share of opportunities in the opening 10 minutes, looking dangerous as they pushed forward in search of an early breakthrough. But it was Our Stags who drew first blood.

In the 13th minute, a cross appeared to have evaded everyone inside the area.

Everyone, that was, except Naberu.

Alert to the second ball, the debutant pounced and tucked it home from close range.

1-0 to Tampines, and a maiden goal in Stags colours for Naberu Yoshitaka Furusawa.

Kuching looked for a response and nearly found one in the 28th minute, only for Dylan Fox to produce a crucial last-ditch challenge to snuff out a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Six minutes later, Tampines almost doubled the advantage. Kenshin Yamazaki produced a brilliant piece of individual play, dribbling his way into space before cutting onto his left foot and curling an effort towards the top corner. Kuching custodian Haziq Nadzli was equal to it, producing a fine save to keep his side within touching distance.

The hosts continued to threaten, but another snapshot sailed harmlessly over Zharfan Rohaizad's goal.

It had been a finely balanced first half, but one moment of sharp instinct from Naberu separated the sides at the break.

Kuching Turn Up the Pressure

Both sides emerged from the interval with attacking intent. The first opportunity fell to Kuching in the 51st minute, but Ramadhan Saifullah skewed his effort wide.

Tampines responded with two promising openings of their own, both orchestrated by Naberu. First, a clever lay-off found Koya Kazama inside the area, but the midfielder dragged a golden opportunity wide. Naberu then threaded another wonderful ball behind the Kuching defence for Hide Higashikawa, only for Gabriel Peres to intervene at the final moment before Hide could pull the trigger.

The match was beginning to open up. In the 57th minute, Kuching broke quickly on the counter, with Ramadhan finding space to shoot once again. This time his effort was on target, forcing Zharfan into a strong save before Irfan cleared the danger behind for a corner.

The hosts made a triple substitution as they went in search of an equaliser, and the pressure began to mount.

Zharfan was called upon again in the 64th minute, producing an excellent stop to deny a powerful Gabriel Peres header.

A minute later, Jerome Etame tried his luck but sent his effort wide.

Then, in the 72nd minute, another Kuching strike from distance came flying towards goal. Once again, Zharfan stood firm. Save after save, Our Stags continued to protect their slender advantage.

Chaos in the Closing Minutes

For 85 minutes, the Tampines backline had refused to buckle. Then came the breakthrough for Kuching City.

In the 86th minute, Peres took aim from distance. His strike took a deflection on its way through, leaving Zharfan with little chance as the ball found the back of the net. After holding firm for so long, Our Stags had finally been breached.

But barely a minute later, Tampines responded.

You could hardly script it. Koya pounced on a mistake from Kuching City custodian Haziq and, reacting quickest to the opportunity, fired the ball into the roof of the net.

For a moment, it looked as though Our Stags had snatched all three points in dramatic fashion.

Kuching City, however, had one final response. A cross was sent into the Tampines penalty area and Peres rose highest, powering his header home for his second of the evening.

A frantic finale followed as both sides searched for one final decisive moment, but neither could find it. The final whistle sounded in Kuching with the spoils shared.

Kuching City 2 - 0 Tampines Rovers.

Reflections

Kuching City showed plenty of quality going forward, repeatedly testing the Tampines defence with deliveries from both flanks and sustained pressure in the second half.

But Our Stags proved equally stubborn. The backline battled throughout the contest, while Zharfan produced a commanding performance between the posts with a string of important saves to keep Tampines ahead for much of the evening.

There were opportunities at the other end too, with Our Stags showing that they could hurt the hosts whenever space opened up.

After 90 minutes of chances, saves, defensive interventions and a breathless four-goal finish, a draw perhaps summed up an evenly contested night in Sarawak.

Quick Turnaround

There will be little time to recover. Our Stags return to Singapore for another quick turnaround as attention shifts back to the Singapore Premier League.

Next up is a trip to Jurong East Stadium on 11 October, where Tampines Rovers will face Tanjong Pagar United in their second league fixture of the season.

After beginning the SPL campaign with three points against Balestier Khalsa, Our Stags will look to recover quickly and continue asserting themselves as contenders in the title race.

And finally, to the Tampines faithful who made the journey to Kuching and backed the team from the stands - thank you.

Safe travels home, and we'll see you back in Singapore.