- Geylang International secured their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory against nine-man Hougang United after struggling to score in their first two matches.
- Geylang coach Noor Ali is also encouraged by their second clean sheet in three games.
- Hougangs coach Robert Eziakor criticised his team’s poor discipline and transition play, citing the need to improve.
SINGAPORE – After misfiring in their first two Singapore Premier League (SPL) games this season, Geylang International finally took flight with a 2-0 win over nine-man Hougang United at Our Tampines Hub on Sept 19.
Following their first victory of the season, Eagles coach Noor Ali said: “The most important thing was getting the win. It has not been easy as we have players playing with injury and getting injured. We can still get better, but we will take the three points and build from here.”
The Eagles, who were the SPL’s top-scoring team last season with 97 goals in 32 games en route to a third-placed finish, sorely missed 44-goal Golden Boot winner Tomoyuki Doi, who left for Thailand’s BG Pathum United.
They made a stuttering start to the new term with a 0-0 draw with BG Tampines Rovers and a 2-0 loss to Albirex Niigata.
In place of Doi, Noor drafted in Shuhei Hoshino and Riku Fukashiro to form a Japanese attacking triumvirate with Ryoya Taniguchi.
While it took a couple of games for them to gel, they did not take long to combine to deadly effect against the Cheetahs.
After a bright start from hosts Hougang, it was Geylang who scored the opener in the seventh minute as Taniguchi fed Fukashiro, who finished clinically past Zharfan Rohaizad.