The White Swans Prevail In A Tale Of Two Halves

Fresh off the international break, which saw 8 Stags representing their National sides, BG Tampines Rovers looked to hit the ‘resume’ button on an unbeaten season, and what has turned out to be a compelling case as Singapore Premier League (SPL) title contenders.

They did so with a new leader at the helm, and, in newly minted Head Coach Katsuhito Kinoshi’s first match in charge, The Stags looked to instill his ideas as they push towards the tail end of the season.

“I want to play proactive, attacking football,” said the Japanese tactician in an interview during his announcement. “We want to have hard work - and to show the hard work, and (make) transitions with a never-give-up mindset.”

A Dominant Double

The first minutes saw this very philosophy, with calm passages of play and composed possession centered around Yuki Kobayashi - and this proved to be the key for the Away side’s opening goal.

Yuki found Koya on the right wing, which led to an attack that looked to have fizzled out. However, with a determined team mentality, Takeshi Yoshimoto collected the resulting loose ball, beat his man with pure pace, and provided a cutback to the lethal Trent Buhagiar, who squeezed it past Hassan Sunny. The returning Malta international netted his fourth goal of the SPL season to the delight of the traveling fans.

Before The Stand could even catch their breath, The Stags struck again.

With a sublime team goal, it was Shuya Yamashita who found Trent Buhagiar with an incisive pass down the middle of the park. The goalscorer played a smart 1-2 with Koya on the wing, and drove a pinpoint pass into Hide, who made no mistake, netting his 14th goal of the league season, putting him firmly in first place in the SPL Golden Boot race.

The Calm After The Storm

After doubling their lead, The Stags settled into the game well, keeping tidy possession and finding teammates in space, to the dismay of The White Swans.

Despite the Tampines dominance, the Home side did fashion some chances at goal in the first period, namely, starting from Albirex’s bright spark, Yang Hyeonju, who made a spectacular cross-field pass to the right wing. The resulting cross found Nozomi Ozawa in space, but his miscued shot was easily handled.

There was a chance for The Stags to triple their advantage at the 25-minute mark, with Hide holding his ground against his defender and powering forward, but his cross was intercepted by Zulqarnaen Suzliman, who got a touch ahead of the marauding Irfan Najeeb.

The Winds Of Change

However, as is the constant case with football, things can always change at a moment’s notice. At 36 minutes, Katsuyuki Ishibashi was adjudged to have been brought down in the penalty box by Seiga Sumi, with the referee pointing directly at the spot. Hyeonju, who had been at the heart of Albirex’s attacks up to that point, stepped up and sent Syazwan Buhari the wrong way with a powerfully placed penalty.

With that, Albirex saw themselves entering the break firmly back into the game, with both teams having it all to play for in the second half.

Second Half

The second period kicked off with an intense physicality that reflected the gravitas of the matchup. The White Swans, however, continued their good work towards the end of the first half, proactively advancing with the ball and pressing higher up the pitch to trouble the Tampines players. This proved to be the defining catalyst for the Home team.

Swans On The Ascendancy

Hyeonju again proved to be the difference maker, winning the ball back from an advanced position, and getting the ball to Shingo Nakano, who scored the equalizer - his 11th of the season - putting him second behind Hide for the Golden Boot.

The Korean would try from range again at the 70th minute, and though saved comfortably by Syazwan, it notched Albirex’s 10th attempt and 5th on target, a stark contrast to the majority of the first half.

Pushing for a match winner - a double change was made a few minutes apart, which saw two of Our Own coming on, with Taufik Suparno and Joel Chew replacing Trent and Yuki. Back in the fold, Taufik made his first appearance since January 31 following a spell on the sidelines.

This almost had an immediate intended effect. Koya found the path of Hide with a great ball, but the forward tried to flick it into Joel in the 18-yard box, who did not manage to get a shot away. The away side would rue this missed chance with what came afterwards.

A long-range shot from Ishibashi fell to Yokohata, and with the lines not properly cleared, it was Abdul Rasaq who completed the Albirex turnaround by heading the ball into the back of the net in the 86th minute.

With 4 minutes of added time to be played, another set of changes was made, with Tara Ndao and Raoul Suhaimi coming on for Irfan Najeeb and Koya Kazama. They saw a series of late chances, with Taufik smartly finding Takeshi, who took it past Kim Taeuk with a la croqueta, but his shot was blocked by compatriot Cho Eunsu.

What’s Next

The final whistle marked Tampines’ first loss in the SPL season. It is a result to forget, though the team would remember their early dominance in the match and look to build on that for the matches to come. The Singapore Premier League campaign continues against Geylang International on April 11, and The Stags will look to make their comeback greater than their setback against their Eastern rivals.