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The Singapore Premier League’s opening-week Eastern derby ended goalless, with BG Tampines Rovers and Geylang International cancelling each other out in a cagey 0-0 draw.
Despite the rivalry’s reputation for being a high-scoring affair — their previous five league encounters produced 24 goals — clear-cut chances were few and far between this time.
Describing Sunday’s (Aug 24) clash as a “chess match”, Tampines head coach Akbar Nawas said, “Geylang was a good team and they put up a good fight. It’s not easy to play against a team that stays in a mid or low block. We need to analyse how we can do better against teams that stay very compact.”
To add to their troubles, the Stags were denied by the woodwork thrice, with Trent Buhagiar hitting the upright twice.
“I thought maybe we could have edged them out a little bit. Obviously, we hit the post three times. We had a few chances, and they were very limited… unfortunately, we got a draw and we’ll move on,” the winger said.
Looking ahead, Buhagiar stressed the need for sharper finishing.
“It’s very frustrating (not to score), but that’s football. Sometimes, it just doesn’t go in the back of the net. What you can do is get back on the training pitch and practise your finishing. We’ve got a few weeks to the next game, so (we have to get) plenty of practice in there,” he added, with Tampines due to face Tanjong Pagar United three weeks later on Sep 13.
Akbar, too, rued his side’s missed opportunities in what proved a tight contest.
“Towards the end, we could have nicked it. There were two or three chances… if we had just been more clinical up front, we could have won the game,” he said.
Both teams pushed for a late winner, but incision was sorely missing in the final third.
Explaining his decision to make only one substitution — Glenn Kweh for Taufik Suparno in the 72nd minute — Akbar added: “The plan was for the players who played today to finish the 90 minutes because most of them were rested in the (ASEAN Club Championship match against) Cebu FC for at least 60 minutes.”
On the opposite bench, Noor Ali, was satisfied with how his side stood up to a confident Tampines team that had entered the fixture on the back of two wins and seven goals.
“We really had to be cautious and play a smart game,” he said. “The boys defended well. They kept Trent (Buhagiar) and (Kohya) Kazama quiet, and these are players who showed what they can do against the Lion City Sailors.
“We also had our chances. We could have scored. They had theirs as well. It was a fair game.”
The Geylang head coach was equally conservative with his substitutions, introducing Shahdan Sulaiman and Tajeli Salamat only after injuries forced Vincent Bezecourt and Nikola Ignjatovic off in the second half.
Quizzed on whether his side’s quality off the bench could be improved by dipping into the transfer market, Noor Ali replied, “Currently, I am quite happy with what I have, so it’s about pushing the boys to another level. Especially the young boys, they have seen the intensity of today’s game, you need everyone to be fit for the whole season.”
With Shuhei Hoshino tasked with spearheading Geylang’s attack following Tomoyuki Doi’s departure, the pressure was on the Japanese forward to deliver goals for the Eagles.
But Noor Ali urged patience for the new arrival.
“I have Ryoya (Taniguchi), who can also do the number nine job. It’s only one game. We still need a few more games to click and understand each other. It’s not easy, especially when you have a new attacking line.”
Their next league clash against Albirex Niigata (S) on Sep 12 will give the Japanese attacking pair an opportunity to showcase their new partnership.
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