Stags Score The First Fall With An ‘Off-The-Top-Rope’ Victory

BG Tampines Rovers scored the first fall of two Singapore Cup Semi-Final legs with an avalanche 4–0 victory over Albirex Niigata (S) on a night where the Stags controlled proceedings from start to finish.

Wearing the club’s striking all-black 80th anniversary Singapore Cup kit, Tampines never looked like relinquishing their grip on the semi-final first leg, producing a dominant display to dismantle the White Swans. Goals from Hide Higashikawa, Joel Chew, Trent Buhagiar, and Tara Ndao sealed an emphatic win ahead of next week’s second leg at Our Tampines Hub.

It promised to be an enticing fixture, at least for the neutrals. Albirex Niigata (S) entered the fixture topping their group with 3 wins and a draw, and boasting hotshot striker Shingo Nakano, who’s already notched 8 goals across all competitions, with 4 in the Singapore Cup.

However, BG Tampines Rovers, themselves on a fine run of form with 5 wins in their last 6 games, including impressive wins against BG Pathum United on the continental level, showed no signs of slowing down.

Strong Selection, Clear Intent

Head coach Noh Rahman made several notable changes to his starting XI, welcoming back the likes of Trent Buhagiar, Glenn Kweh, Koya Kazama, Takeshi Yoshimoto, and club stalwart and skipper Syazwan Buhari. Shah Shahiran, a mainstay in the Tampines midfield, was a notable absentee as he served one of multiple match suspensions following his red card in last season’s Singapore Cup final against Lion City Sailors.

Despite the quick turnaround since the last game in the AFC Champions League Two, which was just days earlier, Tampines wasted no time asserting themselves. A cagey opening five minutes soon gave way to the Stags taking control, with the visitors probing patiently against an Albirex backline happy to sit deep and look for counter-attacking opportunities.

First-Half Pressure Without Reward

Tampines thought they had an early breakthrough in the 10th minute when Hide rose to meet a close-range header under heavy pressure from Jared Gallagher, only for the effort to be squandered amid appeals for a penalty. Two minutes later, Trent Buhagiar was inches away from capitalising on a parried rebound but could not quite get the decisive touch.

Trent was a constant threat down the left flank, repeatedly using his pace to get in behind his marker and stretch the Albirex defence. The pressure continued to mount, and in the 20th minute, Hide was again on the end of an inviting Irfan Najeeb cross, but his unmarked header drifted over the bar.

Albirex goalkeeper Hassan Sunny then produced a moment of brilliance in the 35th minute, denying Hide with a superb save after the forward had been expertly picked out by Koya Kazama. The former then headed the rebound wide when it appeared easier to score, summing up a frustrating first half in which Tampines dominated but went into the break goalless despite creating a host of chances - including three missed headers for Hide alone.

The Breakthrough With Ruthless Aggression

With no changes made at the interval, the second half began evenly, but it was Tampines who eventually and deservedly found the breakthrough, never giving up in the process.

In the 55th minute, Hide finally opened the scoring. Takeshi Yoshimoto made his trademark burst forward from midfield and was found by Koya before delivering a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area. Hide received the ball near the spot, turned sharply, and calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-0. A relief for the Japanese who could have been on a hat-trick at this point in the match.

Albirex threatened briefly in the 72nd minute when a rare opening allowed two of their substitutes - one of them in the form of former Stag Syed Firdaus - to drive into the box, but the resulting effort was dragged wide.

Just three minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage in somewhat fortuitous fashion. Joel Chew’s wicked curling corner beat the Albirex goalkeeper at the near post to nestle into the net - whether intentional or not, the Olimpico goal gave the Stags a deserved 2–0 cushion.

Substitute Tara Ndao nearly made an immediate impact in the 77th minute, finding himself clean through on goal, but his cheeky lob was comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper.

Late Flourish Seals The Tie

The hustle did not stop as the third goal arrived in the 84th minute, and it was a moment of real quality. Tara played an inch-perfect pass to Hide, who controlled superbly and attempted to flick the ball over his marker. The ricochet fell kindly to Trent Buhagiar, who struck a first-time volley into the bottom corner. It was Trent’s ninth goal of the campaign, remarkably all coming in cup competitions.

With the tie already slipping beyond Albirex, Tampines added a fourth deep into stoppage time. Hide muscled his way past the Swans’ defender to latch onto a through ball down the flank, before driving into the box and squaring for Tara, who finished first time into the bottom corner to cap off a memorable night.

Late substitutions saw Taufik Suparno and Kegan Phang, who got a reward for his club loyalty with his season debut in the previous fixture, introduced for Trent Buhagiar and Joel Chew as the Stags comfortably saw out proceedings.

One Foot In The Final

The Stags wanted a big victory, and they got one. The 4-0 scoreline leaves BG Tampines Rovers firmly in control of the semi-final tie heading into the second leg, extending their strong recent form across competitions and maintaining their perfect record at Jurong East Stadium.

After last season’s heartbreak in the Singapore Cup final, the Stags have sent a clear statement of intent - disciplined, dominant, and deadly when it mattered most.

Post Match Thoughts 

Head Coach Noh Rahman was delighted with the championship mentality shown by his squad despite a demanding schedule. 

“I’m very pleased with the performance, and obviously the result follows the performance we put in,” said Coach Noh. “It was always tricky going into these kinds of ‘post-Champions League games’, but I thought we maintained that ‘Champions League performance’. Credit to the team for doing just that.”

He also praised the midfield unit that stepped up on an important night, particularly in the absence of the suspended Shah Shahiran.

“I thought that Joel helped us a lot tonight. Especially without Shah in midfield and Dylan in defence, I thought Joel, together with the rest of the midfielders, provided us stability in attack.”

The Tampines boss reserved special words for the travelling supporters who made the journey despite the conditions.

“Their presence really helped us. Travelling away on a rainy day wasn’t easy - some of them even went up to Bangkok recently. We’re just glad we could give them some joy.”

Goalscorer Tara Ndao, who capped the night with a composed finish in stoppage time, spoke of his growing confidence since joining the club.

“The goal means a lot to me. I feel like the things I’ve been working on are slowly starting to come together,” said Tara. “I’m really happy, but I want to keep pushing myself - scoring goals, getting assists, and doing everything I can for the team.”

Giving respect to the Stags’ faithful, Tara added:

“I’m getting better day by day, but I know I can improve even more. It’s thanks to everyone around me for the support. Thank you to our fans for your passion - we keep fighting because of you. Please continue to support us with the same passion!”

Up Next

You can see the Stags face the White Swans back at Our Tampines Hub for the second leg on December 20, which will also be the final fixture of this calendar year. Be sure to join us as we look to put a close to a remarkable #HOMECOMING2025!