Geylang International Head Coach Noor Ali has called on his charges to use last weekend’s disappointment as a source of motivation and produce a positive result when they host Albirex Niigata at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) tomorrow.
A 10-man Eagles put up a gallant performance against Tampines Rovers before falling to a 3-2 defeat to their eastern rivals on Saturday evening. They have since gone on for three matches without a win, mustering only a point through their 1-1 draw with leaders Tanjong Pagar to lie six in the eight-team Singapore Premier League standings.
But there are undoubtedly several bright sparks in their identical 3-2 defeats to Hougang United and Tampines Rovers as the team did turn in creditable performances before succumbing to the individual brilliance of their rivals in the closing stages of the matches.
Against the Stags, Geylang International went twice ahead thanks to Sime Zuzul and Khairul Hairie’s goals in the ninth and 31st minute but could not prevent their opponents from having the final say.
Despite playing a man less following Ahmad Syahir’s sent-off in the 55th minute, Geylang International continued to battle valiantly. They looked good to salvage a point until Boris Kopitovic brilliantly curled a strike from just outside the box to leave Zaiful Nizam no chance for his second goal of the evening.
Geylang International also failed to cling on to a point at Hougang after Andre Moritz struck a goal right from the centre-line in the 90th minute.
Noor Ali said: “As much as it was hard to take, we win and lose together as a team. “Although we have not been able to build on the season-opening win against Lion City Sailors, the team has done very well in the last three matches.
“In terms of performance, no one can take anything away from boys. They can walk away from these matches with their heads held high.”
The odds might be heavily stacked against the Eagles as they have lost all their recent five league encounters against the White Swans, with the latest being a 5-0 defeat away last August. However, Noor has faith that his team can turn the corner.
“There’s no time to dwell on what we can’t change. We have Albirex up next, obviously not an easy one judging from our recent head-to-head meetings, but I’m confident if we keep playing positive football, the result will come eventually.”