Balestier Khalsa tighten their grip on fourth, edging out Hougang United 2-1 in SPL clash
Balestier Khalsa tighten their grip on fourth, edging out Hougang United 2-1 in SPL clash
SINGAPORE – Balestier Khalsa took a major step towards equalling last season's fourth-placed finish in the Singapore Premier League, as they defeated Hougang United 2-1 on April 24.
Goals from Anton Fase (10th) and Riku Fukashiro (70th) at Our Tampines Hub helped the Tigers leapfrog Albirex Niigata into fourth spot. Both clubs are on 36 points, but Balestier have a game in hand over Albirex and sixth-placed Hougang (30 points).
The Tigers are on course to finish fourth in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1997 and 1998. Their best finish was third in 1996.
Tigers coach Peter de Roo believes his side deserved the win, although there are still areas where they could do better.
The Dutchman said: 'We left it late in the game and should have finished it way earlier.
'We more or less kept them in the game because we didn't finish our chances.
'If we keep on improving in what we do, then the results will follow.... Our performance was good enough for a win, but I still think there's a lot of room for improvement.'
Fukashiro said of his performance: 'I scored one goal, contributed to the team and we got the three points and that's good for us.
'We had many chances in the first half, but we couldn't score. That's why we see this (close) scoreline.'
There were early warning signs from Balestier, when several long throws from defender Madhu Mohana found the head of Kodai Tanaka. But the Japanese striker, their leading scorer with 20 goals, failed to put his chances away.
The Cheetahs were then punished in the 10th minute when Tigers captain Alen Kozar threaded a through-pass to Fukashiro.
The Japanese then drilled a low cross across the six-yard box, taking a touch off teammate Masahiro Sugita before Fase tapped the ball into an empty net.
Tanaka almost doubled their lead 15 minutes later, but saw his left-footed drive strike the inside of Hougang custodian Zaiful Nizam's post before going wide.
Hougang United forward Dejan Racic taking a shot in their Singapore Premier League match against Balestier Khalsa.
PHOTO: HOUGANG UNITED
Hougang's best chance of an equaliser came in the 35th minute, when Stjepan Plazonja's shot was parried by Hafiz Ahmad before Jared Gallagher thumped his shot against the upright.
Sugita almost punished them again just four minutes after the restart.
After picking a loose ball up in midfield, he fired a rocket, forcing Zaiful to tip his effort onto the bar to keep it out.
But Plazonja equalised for the Cheetahs in the 53rd minute against the run of play, after his cross from the left flank flew over Hafiz in the Balestier goal.
The Tigers restored their lead in the 70th minute after Zaiful palmed Kozar's shot into Fukashiro's path. The Japanese made no mistake, drilling his shot into the bottom corner.
'We didn't defend very well, we were very poor in the midfield pressing, and we gave them a lot of space and time for them to threaten us,' said Hougang coach Robert Eziakor.
When asked if a top-four finish is still possible, he added: 'There's a chance to fight for it.
'We still have four more games to go, so we'll keep on fighting till the end.'
Analysis
The Cheetahs have looked desperate for ideas at times and definitely missed the creativity of Farhan Zulkifli, who is out with a groin injury and has eight assists in the league this season. With four games left, their hopes for a top-four finish seem slim.
Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times.
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