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White Swans claim first win of 2010
A. Ong
info@sleague.com
It’s taken them some time, but Albirex Niigata (Singapore) finally got their long-awaited first win of the season, beating a lacklustre Sengkang Punggol 1-0 at Hougang Stadium.
The solitary goal came midway through the second half, thanks to some quick thinking from the Japanese outfit. A quickly-taken corner found the Dolphins defence napping, and Fumiya Kobayashi was left free to nod home from pointblank range.
The goal was the first for the White Swans in almost 350 minutes, and it lifted them off bottom spot and to within two points of the losers on the night.
Albirex coach Koichi Sugiyama acknowledged that this could be a potential turning point in their season, but warned his side from being too happy about the win.
“We shouldn’t be too satisfied. Every element in the team still needs a step forward,” said Sugiyama.
“Here in Singapore, every team is tough to play against. Yes, we got the win, but there is still a lot to do, and still a long way to go.”
Certainly very down to earth, but it could all have gone very wrong for Albirex, had the home side been more effective in front of goal early on.
Jordan Webb latched on to Murphy Wiredu’s mis-hit shot on eight minutes, but he placed his effort wide when it might have been easier to hit the target.
Spurred on by that miss, the White Swans grew from strength to strength, and soon the chances were coming at the other end.
First up was defender Keisuke Matsui, whose sliding effort from Satoshi Hida’s corner was well caught by Fadhil Salim at his near post on 22 minutes.
Just five minutes later, some neat interplay released Takaya Sugasawa into space, but his low drive went just past the far post.
Albirex were to miss a wonderful chance just five minutes before the break, after some awful defending from Shahir Hamzah.
The lanky central defender allowed a loose ball to slip through his legs, putting Tatsuro Inui through on goal. Unfortunately for the winger, Fadhil was quick off his line to smother the resulting shot and preserve parity at the break.
Sengkang striker Ryan Fante had been feeding off scraps for the majority of the match, but one of those scraps would actually gift him a chance on goal just after the restart.
Dolphins captain Nor Azli Yusoff’s clearance found the Canadian onside and with only the goalkeeper to beat, but Fante dallied far too long on the ball, allowing the Albirex defence to come back and clear the danger.
Fante was soon withdrawn, with Farizal Basri entering the fray, but the home side was to find themselves behind just a few minutes later.
With the Sengkang defence still organising themselves, Albirex took a quick corner, Atsushi Shimono whipping in a delicious cross. Kobayashi was left in acres of space to head home past a helpless Fadhil.
It was so nearly 2-0 on 78 minutes. The ever-impressive Inui dribbled clear of the last defender into the area, but once again he saw his shot well saved by the Dolphins keeper.
Sengkang had progressed from pumping long balls towards Fante in the first half to pumping long balls towards Farizal in the second half. None of those tactics worked to their advantage, and the Albirex defence held their line superbly, catching the Sengkang players offside on numerous occasions.
There was still one last heart-in-mouth moment for the away side, though. Duncan Elias’ free kick in the last minute of injury time just brushed the top of the goal, with the fluttering net deceiving many of the home supporters into believing they had rescued a point right at the death.
Alas for the boisterous home support, it was not to be. The referee blew for the final whistle just seconds later, condemning Sengkang to their fourth defeat of the season, one which Dolphins coach Aide Iskandar felt was deserved.
“My team didn’t play well, and the Japanese team showed more hunger tonight,” said Aide.
“We lost because of one lapse of concentration, but we didn’t pass the ball well, and should have done much better.
“In our opening games we defended well, so we need to start showing some consistency. Our team is still young, and they have to learn.”
The Dolphins’ learning process continues in a fortnight against Geylang, though it will be without Shahir, who is suspended once again after picking up his fourth yellow of the season.
The White Swans will have a shorter rest of 11 days, with the Young Lions paying a visit to Jurong East Stadium. Another three points there, and Albirex would truly have turned around their disappointing start to the 2010 season. |
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