Saturday, November 21, 2015
Geylang Run Riot Against Warriors In SLeague
If the SLeague were but five games old and not approaching its finale today the champions would come as a bit of a surprise for only one side can look back on an unbeaten run over that spell. DPMM play Balestier Khalsa knowing three points would earn them the title for the first time in their fistory but they have lost two of their last five games.
Rivals Tampines Rovers have three wins, one draw and one loss on the board recently and know they play Harimau Muda today requiring DPMM to slip up. But it is the Stags' eastern rivals Geylang International who are the form team in the league with three wins and two draws in their last five and last night they bowed out in spectacular fashion, mauling Warriors 6-0 at Bedok Stadium.
Yep, Warriors, last year's champions but 2015's whipping boys, went through the season conceding 51 goals, the worst defence in the league. People talk about Chelsea's woeful title defence but they have a rival in Singapore.
But what about the Eagles and their impressive run in which secured eighth place when for so long they seemed a shoo in for the wooden spoon.
Their run started when they came from behind to beat Home United in a televised game at Jalan Besar, a game I managed to catch last time I was in town. To be fair if it wasn't for the saves of the experienced keeper Yazid they would have been dead and buried at half time. But they weren't, coach Jorg Steinbrunner made some changes and they came out second half rejuvenated and well worthy of the 2-1 victory with goals from Kento Fukuda and Bruno Castanheiria in the final minute.
As if that wasn't enough they hosted title challengers DPMM at Bedok a few days later and repeated the medicine, going 1-0 down in the first half but fighting back after the break with Hafiz Nor and Bruno earning the three points. Heady days for the season long strugglers indeed.
A pair of 2-2 draws followed as the Eagles were pegged back by the sides fighting with them to avoid 10th place.
Bruno made it three in three as Geylang this time went into a 2-0 lead against Young Lions but were denied the three points after a stirring second half comeback which saw Huzaifah Aziz put through his own goal 11 minutes from the end. Four goals in the last 18 minutes against Hougang United resulted in another point for the Eagles and another goal from the on fire Bruno.
Then came the Warriors. For so long the dominant force in Singapore football, this vintage seems a pale imitation of their former selves. Two more goals by Bruno, two for Jozef Kaplan plus contributions from Ichikawa Yuki and Hafiz Nor did the damage with four coming in the last 12 minutes.
Geylang International bowed out in style but such an impressive run at the end of the season must have people asking what they are capable of if they could produce that form over the course of a season? Whatever the SLeague looks like next season...
With Warriors' Fazrul Nawaz kept quiet at the other end, Bruno and Kaplan's brace apiece left them with 12 goals each for the season...a decent enough return for a side long destined to 10th place
Rivals Tampines Rovers have three wins, one draw and one loss on the board recently and know they play Harimau Muda today requiring DPMM to slip up. But it is the Stags' eastern rivals Geylang International who are the form team in the league with three wins and two draws in their last five and last night they bowed out in spectacular fashion, mauling Warriors 6-0 at Bedok Stadium.
Yep, Warriors, last year's champions but 2015's whipping boys, went through the season conceding 51 goals, the worst defence in the league. People talk about Chelsea's woeful title defence but they have a rival in Singapore.
But what about the Eagles and their impressive run in which secured eighth place when for so long they seemed a shoo in for the wooden spoon.
Their run started when they came from behind to beat Home United in a televised game at Jalan Besar, a game I managed to catch last time I was in town. To be fair if it wasn't for the saves of the experienced keeper Yazid they would have been dead and buried at half time. But they weren't, coach Jorg Steinbrunner made some changes and they came out second half rejuvenated and well worthy of the 2-1 victory with goals from Kento Fukuda and Bruno Castanheiria in the final minute.
As if that wasn't enough they hosted title challengers DPMM at Bedok a few days later and repeated the medicine, going 1-0 down in the first half but fighting back after the break with Hafiz Nor and Bruno earning the three points. Heady days for the season long strugglers indeed.
A pair of 2-2 draws followed as the Eagles were pegged back by the sides fighting with them to avoid 10th place.
Bruno made it three in three as Geylang this time went into a 2-0 lead against Young Lions but were denied the three points after a stirring second half comeback which saw Huzaifah Aziz put through his own goal 11 minutes from the end. Four goals in the last 18 minutes against Hougang United resulted in another point for the Eagles and another goal from the on fire Bruno.
Then came the Warriors. For so long the dominant force in Singapore football, this vintage seems a pale imitation of their former selves. Two more goals by Bruno, two for Jozef Kaplan plus contributions from Ichikawa Yuki and Hafiz Nor did the damage with four coming in the last 12 minutes.
Geylang International bowed out in style but such an impressive run at the end of the season must have people asking what they are capable of if they could produce that form over the course of a season? Whatever the SLeague looks like next season...
With Warriors' Fazrul Nawaz kept quiet at the other end, Bruno and Kaplan's brace apiece left them with 12 goals each for the season...a decent enough return for a side long destined to 10th place
# posted by Me @ 1:42 PM 
