Albirex clinch seven-goal thriller to maintain perfect record
A late winner kept Albirex Niigata's perfect record in tact at Our Tampines Hub last night, just as hosts Tampines Rovers came close to forcing a 3-3 draw in an exhilarating encounter.
| TAMPINES ROVERS | ALBIREX NIIGATA |
| 3 | 4 |
| (Fazrul Nawaz 24, Ryutaro Megumi 64, Zulfadhmi Suzliman 76) | (Ryujiro Yamanaka 8, 65, Shuhei Hoshino 47, Daiki Asaoka 90) |
Tampines even had a goal disallowed in the 82nd minute when Ryutaro Megumi's effort was chalked off by referee Farhad Mohd due to an infringement.
Despite the defeat, Tampines coach Juergen Raab commended his players for nullifying Albirex's lead three times.
He said: "We came back really well and we missed many chances to score equalisers and even a winner. The reaction was good and I'm proud of what my boys have done.
"I'm shocked that the linesman said Fazrul blocked the goalkeeper. They'll need time to digest this, but we'll come back after one or two days."
Albirex opened accounts after just eight minutes through Ryujiro Yamanaka, but Tampines levelled in the 24th minute after a shot by Megumi was diverted by goalkeeper Yosuke Nozawa into the path of Fazrul, who tapped the ball in.
Two minutes after the break, Shuhei Hoshino rose to meet Yamanaka's brilliantly weighted cross and power his effort into the net for Albirex to regain the lead.
But Tampines equalised in the 64th minute when Fazrul found Megumi with a majestic chip, and the Japanese cut in to place the ball past Nozawa.
Albirex came up with the perfect response just a minute later. Hoshino's shot was saved brilliantly by Syazwan Buhari, but the Stags custodian could not keep out Yamanaka's explosive finish that followed.
Tampines then cancelled Albirex's lead for the third time.
This time, it was winger Zulfadhmi Suzliman, who guided the ball into the box and belted a right-footed shot that ricocheted off the left post into the net.
Then came the debatable call by the referee, before Daiki Asaoka fired a 90th-minute screamer past Syazwan to break Tampines' hearts.
Albirex coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga praised his team for their efforts. He said: "I want to praise my players for running their hearts out. This is our third game in (eight days) and I was worried about their physical condition."
With Albirex having a 14-point cushion, Raab, who criticised the irregular scheduling, remarked that the trophy could be handed to the White Swans already.
He said: "They have such a big gap. We can say congrats to the champions." - KIMBERLY KWEK
LAST NIGHT'S OTHER RESULT
- Warriors 0 Geylang International 2
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