SINGAPORE - They were just moments away from holding Singapore Premier League (SPL) defending champions Albirex Niigata to what would have been a richly-deserved 1-1 draw.
But, despite the valiant effort from the Young Lions, they were dealt a sucker punch in the 96th minute after goalkeeper Kenji Rusydi fumbled Hiroyoshi Kamata's strike to concede an own goal at the Jurong East Stadium on Sunday (April 21).
While Young Lions coach Fandi Ahmad was disappointed with the 2-1 loss, he praised his team's effort and refused to pin the blame on Kenji, highlighting the custodian's crucial saves in the second half.
"The boys did very well holding Albirex till the end and I thought the goalkeeper did very well until that slip off his palm," said Fandi.
"I thought we deserved at least a point, but this is just our luck. Football is about scoring goals. We need to improve on that because we're not scoring enough now."
After a slow start from both sides, Albirex broke the deadlock after 14 minutes when Naruki Takahashi headed home from Kyoga Nakamura's corner.
The Young Lions went in search of the equaliser, but long-range strikes from Syahrul Sazali and Sharul Nizam Anwar went wide.
In the 32nd minute, they pulled level through a Haiqal Pashia penalty after Albirex goalkeeper Kengo Fukudome brought Sharul down.
The match was then delayed for about an hour at half-time due to the lightning warning system being activated.
When play resumed, the Young Lions came close to taking the lead with narrow misses from captain Joshua Pereira and Nur Luqman Rahman.
The Albirex duo of Nakamura and Daizo Horikoshi were a constant threat to the Young Lions' defence, but crucial saves by Kenji kept the score level.
The away side looked to have done enough to secure a precious point until the 96th minute when Nakamura dribbled past three Young Lions players and passed to Kamata, whose strike slipped through Kenji's fingers to hand Albirex their third straight win.
Fandi said: "It happens when a cross comes and someone is free and you just take the shot. One shot, one goal and he (Kamata) took a really good shot there."
Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi was delighted with the result.
He said: "Today was a very difficult game for us. Although we scored the first goal and tried to get a second in the first half, they scored a penalty instead.
"After the long delay, I thought it'll get more difficult, but our players kept up their aggression. They fought for every ball and didn't give up all the way until the winning goal."
Ahead of their next match against Hougang United on Wednesday, Shigetomi said: "Until now, all the goals we've conceded have been from set pieces so we will look at them and try to defend the set pieces better."
Albirex moved up one spot to fourth on 11 points after the win, while the Young Lions, who will face league leaders Brunei DPMM on Wednesday, remain eighth in the nine-team SPL. In Sunday's other match, Balestier Khalsa drew 1-1 with Tampines Rovers at Bishan Stadium.
SAO PAULO - Pele remains under "observation" in a Brazilian hospital, his doctors said Thursday, describing the three-time World Cup winner as "clinically stable". The latest update on
Mar 17, 2019 · Angel Di Maria grabbed two goals and an assist as PSG won its fifth league Di Maria brace seals 3-1 win for PSG over Marseille 2019 9:15 pm Neymar accused of rape by woman in Brazil,
Why PSG can beat Liverpool without Kylian Mbappé and Neymar
Jahanbakhsh on target as Iran ease past Oman into last eight January 20, 2019 - by admin ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Three-times champions Iran came through an early scare before marching confidently into the Asian Cup quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 attempts with a 2-0 victory over a spirited Oman team on Sunday.
Game of many returns for Gunners LONDON • Arsenal manager Unai Emery will face a familiar foe when the Gunners look to move a step closer to Europa League glory at Rennes today. French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa endured an unhappy two years under Emery at Paris Saint-Germain where he was frozen out for an entire season and made to train with
Gunners boosted by return of four players | Arseblog News
LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is confident Gonzalo Higuain can be the short-term solution to his side's need for goals and urged the Argentinian to earn a permanent move to the
Sarri: Higuain must earn permanent Chelsea deal - Daily Nation
A brisk run of form continued for the Red Devils as they huffed past Watford with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made quite a statement after being named as the full-time manager of Manchester United. This win has pushed the Red Devils into the top four with Arsenal itching to steal the spot.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hints at Paul Pogba change after Man Utd
Gylfi Sigurdsson deepened Cardiff City's Premier League relegation fears with two well-taken goals in Everton's 3-0 victory in the Welsh capital on Tuesday. A first half low on quality was illuminated by one flowing move in the 41st minute which ended with Sigurdsson firing low into the corner after being picked out by Seamus Coleman.
Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff
Jurgen Klopp says Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could return to full training in February after knee injury. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is "ahead of schedule" and could
Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may return to training in
Tottenham's Pochettino comes away empty handed again but not yet for his titles. Pochettino failed to win his first title as a coach on Saturday after Tottenham lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the
Mauricio Pochettino: Tottenham boss questions side's title
Radojko "Raddy" Avramovic, former Singapore head coach, gave Baihakki his Lions debut "We brought in young lads in that squad… he was in that generation and we worked with them to prepare them for the national team. Some of them had earlier opportunities to play, some later but most of that generation played nearly ten years (or more).
'Time for a Singaporean to be The Lions' head coach'
Feb 12, 2019 · Gordon Banks, England's 1966 World Cup winning goalkeeper, has died aged 81. A statement released by his family via one of his former clubs Stoke City said: "It is with great sadness that we
Gordon Banks dies: tributes paid to England World Cup-winning
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar