(Photo Credit :Albirex Niigata Singapore FC)
By Marvin Gold
The pre-match interviews revealed two teams who knew each other very well and had a clear idea of their strategy for the night. Albirex Niigata identified the threats of the direct approach to Shuhei Hoshino and Sime Zuzul as well as the qualities of Richard Krajicek in transition. Balestier Khalsa's head coach Marco Kraljevic spoke about the need for his side to be defensively solid - a continuation of a theme from pre-season when he framed his team’s targets as reducing their goals conceded per game (Which was how the match turned out last night at the Jurong East Stadium)
The visiting Tigers took pride by going into the half time break goalless and drew some positives from leading the statistics of shots on target. However, the broadcast statistics does not cover possession and number of long balls played. At times, the play resembled a textbook secondary school's match!
The first half was bustling yet uneventful. For Albirex, Nikesh Melvin Singh stood out for matching the industry level of Balestier’s Fadli Kamis. Fadli provided much of the drive on Balestier’s right flank in many meaningful moves. The visitors had shots on target from expected threats Shuhei Hoshino, Hazzuwan Halim, Ensar Brunjevic and Krajicek. However, those did not seriously threaten Takahiro Koga’s goal.
After the two teams returned from the half time break, BKFC went into game management mode. They were content to let Albirex have the ball and sit all 11 players in their own half. This would have been interesting for their former players now with Balestier; Shuhei Hoshino and substitute Gareth Low who entered the play on the hour mark.
There was little entertainment for the fans until the 75th minute when Sime Zuzul came on for Faizal Raffi. Sime’s introduction brought some impetus to the Tigers and also gave their defence a chance to recover from chasing passes all night. Sime was involved in one of the outstanding moments of the match when a another long ball was sent over to him with space to run into. Takahiro Koga reached the ball first and cleared it with a superhero-like diving header. Despite this, you have to wonder what could have been the impact on the game, if Coach Kraljevic had made this substitution earlier.
In the 87th minute, the fans finally got some decent action. Kiyoshiro Tsuboi and Mahiro Takahashi combined on the right flank to send a low cross driven into the box. Ryoya Taniguchi got on the end of the cross, but his shot was blocked. The ball spilled to Yu Tokiwa who blazed it over as the score remained goalless.
After the final whistle, Kraljevic expressed relief at the point gained from the outing. But he also rued the fact that his boys were sometimes too tired from chasing the ball and lacked the final touch when the half chances arrived. He was very happy with the hard work they put in and is looking forward to the international break to allow for recovery.
Post match, Albirex were happy with the clean sheet, but not satisfied with the draw result. They also praised their opponents for having a well organised defence. The White Swans were happy with the chances they created, but just couldn't convert and are now looking forward to improve on that.
Overall, Albirex would see this as 2 points lost considering their domination of possession and positive play. But it's an encouraging point earned for Balestier Khalsa going into the international break, 2 weeks to recover and perhaps review if the playing style that brought them this point yesterday, is truly deserving of the players they possess in their squad.
(Match Scores and Standings by Football Association of Singapore)
Edited by Raj Kumar
Marvin Gold became a Singapore football fan, after being dropped during a Selection Trial for a youth team, when he was 15! Since then (1996), he's been following the SPL (or S.League) since its inception 25 seasons ago. And he's been in love with the local game over the years, so much so that he just can't get enough of it!
Follow us on Telegram for more news and updates.
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Articles
View AllRelated Topics
[BlogPost 164749641842 NSG 2024 Netball: Senior Div Girls League 3 Preliminary Round 2, BlogPost 163985727414 Beyond the Field: Exciting Sports Careers for Non-Athletes, BlogPost 164438712123 NSG 2024 Badminton: Senior Div Girls Quarter-Finals, BlogPost 164238055490 Evergreen Aleksandar Duric Still Making Headlines at 53, BlogPost 164170080646 NSG 2024 Rope Skipping: Junior Div Girls Freestyle Team Finals, BlogPost 162884973666 Move and Rest Better With Data From Your Own Body, BlogPost 163393049482 Life Comes Full Circle For Serangoon Garden Secondary School's Fahrish Khan, BlogPost 163258797651 Making Golf a Sport for All, BlogPost 162512222328 NSG 2024 Sepaktakraw: Senior Div Yuhua Primary School vs Qihua Primary School, BlogPost 162233592997 Gritty Lions Suffer Loss to China, BlogPost 162089384371 On Your Mark, Get Ready, Go Running, BlogPost 161670652697 Lions' Excellent Showing Against China, BlogPost 161435270031 Ogura Optimistic for Exciting Clash against China, BlogPost 161127614758 The Future of Basketball in Singapore: Why 3x3 is Here to Stay, BlogPost 161033673012 The Active Lifestyler's Guide to the New ActiveSG Delta Sport Centre, BlogPost 161128356680 Grand New Champions Crowned at WTT Singapore Smash 2024, BlogPost 160844835218 NSG 2024 Table Tennis: C Div Boys Pool Round, BlogPost 160210745115 NSG 2024 Basketball: Senior Div Girls Tampines Primary School vs Frontier Primary School, BlogPost 159881180544 Whirlwind Return to Women's Football, BlogPost 159633541417 Singapore Smash to Elevate a New Legacy, BlogPost 158983580420 NSG 2024 Rugby: B Div Damai Secondary School vs Peirce Secondary School, BlogPost 159003960202 SFA Fiesta: Kicking off 2024 to a Roaring Start, BlogPost 158830735126 NSG 2024 Football: B Div Girls Preliminary Round Meridian Secondary School VS Bowen Secondary School, BlogPost 158536989718 Team Nila Volunteers Recognized At Awards Ceremony, BlogPost 158270107806 NSG 2024 Hockey: B Div Boys Preliminary Round Raffles Institution VS St. Hilda Secondary School, BlogPost 157966862615 NSG 2024 Floorball: B Division Preliminary Rounds Kick Off!, BlogPost 157562433712 What Is Safe Sport?, BlogPost 157559446197 Sengkang Secondary: Cultivating Well-Rounded Footballers, BlogPost 157368261167 New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground, BlogPost 155340164987 Active Ageing with Joey Bonifacio, BlogPost 155930815517 Inaugural Singapore Youth League kicks off from 24th February 2024, BlogPost 155340164727 Bukit Canberra : the Coolest Spot in the North, BlogPost 155368905255 How Padang Fandi Inspired Ayden to Chase his Dream, BlogPost 154755572826 Ageing Backwards with Elizabeth Cheang, BlogPost 154094657315 Running For Fitness, BlogPost 153318636178 Excitement Builds for FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024, BlogPost 153198644247 World's Top Four Confirmed for 2024 HSBC Women's World Championship, BlogPost 149413941770 Cultivating Your Kids’ Interest in the Outdoors, BlogPost 149413941163 Making Sport More Appealing for Our Kids, BlogPost 149412549409 Solo Or Team Sport – Choosing the Best for Your Child, BlogPost 151197478798 Former Lions Stalwart Baihakki Khaizan Sheds Light on New Accreditation to Elevate Grassroots Football and Youth Development, BlogPost 80703591291 New Year, Fitter You! Here are the top 3 workouts for the New Year, BlogPost 81171151456 7 Reasons Why Sports are Great for Children’s Mental Health, BlogPost 80542065330 17 Best Yoga Classes & Studios in Singapore [+ Rating & Prices], BlogPost 149404351798 From Brush to Lens: A Student's Journey in the World of Art and Sports Photography, BlogPost 149402825063 The Benefits of Active Parenting, BlogPost 149397832009 Sweden Claim 9th Straight Gold at the Women's World Floorball Championship, BlogPost 149397831449 Lion City Sailors Win 2023 Singapore Cup, BlogPost 148511324266 Pitch Perfect with Jonathan Teo, BlogPost 148511724402 Seniors: Increase your flexibility bit by bit with these stretches]