Stags get job done to go top

Source

Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com

They took a 2-0 lead over Tanjong Pagar United, only to concede a shock Takaya Kawanabe goal before the first half was over.

But Tampines Rovers made sure they got their game back in order in the second half, and were rewarded for their work as they ran out 4-1 winners at Tampines Stadium to move to top spot.

Shukor Zailan fired a rocket on 14 minutes to open the scoring, before a Ridhuan Barudin clanger five minutes later gifted Aleksandar Duric with a tap-in from inside the six-yard box.

The Stags slowed down noticeably thereafter and were punished for it as Kawanabe halved the deficit two minutes before the break under freakish circumstances, but goals from Ismadi Mukhtar and Park Yo Seb ensured they locked up the points with little fuss.

Tampines went with the same starting eleven that had beaten Albirex Niigata (Singapore) four days ago, after midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman was cleared to play despite taking a knock in that clash.

Tanjong Pagar meanwhile had erstwhile winger Arisman Arman restored to a more familiar rightback role, after a hamstring injury to Khairul Solyhin put him out of action for four weeks.

The game kicked off amid cool conditions after a persistent afternoon shower had rendered the field slick and wet, and that appeared to have an impact on both teams as they started slowly.

All the same, Ridhuan was called upon to pull a save inside 35 seconds, an indication of just how busy he would be on his return to the ground where he had trained for two years before joining the Jaguars.

The 23-year-old then denied Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin seven minutes into the game with a fingertip save, after the forward was given room by a Tanjong Pagar defence that seemed hesitant at times when it came to closing off their opponents.

That uncertainty cost them dearly on 14 minutes when several Tampines players bore down from the right at Ridhuan’s goal, and after picking up a smart pass from Shahdan, Shukor did not hesitate to send the ball zipping towards the opposite top corner for the opener.

Terry Pathmanathan’s charges reacted positively to that early setback, and Kim Jong Oh made Hassan Sunny work with a good low shot from outside the box with the clock striking 18.

A minute later, however, it was 2-0 to the Stags, after Ridhuan hit the turf half a second late in an attempt to smother a low Imran Sahib pass, and the ball squirmed away between the goalkeeper’s legs to a grateful Duric, who poked the ball home with minimal effort before anyone could react.

Things seemed easy at that point for the men in yellow, and they responded by staying within second gear throughout the first half with the rain pattering down.

But Tanjong Pagar have scored from unlikely situations before, and Kawanabe gave the travelling fans something to cheer about when he led an attack on 43 minutes.

Akihiro Nakamura dropped back to offer additional cover to the Tampines backline, and he tried to close his fellow countryman down when the latter decided to go for a shot from long range.

The ball spun awkwardly off Nakamura’s boot, however, and Hassan, who had never counted on such a development, could only backpedal in vain as the looping deflection ended up in the net.

Disappointed at leaking a goal with half-time so close, the hosts regrouped over the interval and came out showing a little more purpose.

Seiji Kaneko saw his lobbed shot from 25 yards dip just a touch late on 54 minutes, before Shahdan blasted a low free kick through the Tanjong Pagar wall only for Ridhuan to catch easily.

The pressure was mounting from Tampines even though the pace had not quite picked up, and nowhere was this as clear as their third goal, which came on 63 minutes.

A cross from Imran, who had a fine game on the overall, found its way to Ismadi on the opposite flank, and the former Woodlands Wellington man was allowed to head the ball towards goal.

It was by no means a firm effort from Ismadi, but somehow the ball managed to nestle nicely in the bottom of the net, thus affording the entire home bench a huge sigh of relief.

Three minutes later, Tampines got their fourth goal when Shahdan’s corner floated across to the far post unchallenged, allowing Park the easy job of steering the ball into the net.

That no one other than Ridhuan had even tried to reach the ball on that occasion told much about the Jaguars’ lack of anticipation, a problem that was constantly exposed by their hosts, who could tear away from opposing fullbacks even at half pace.

In contrast, a tight Stags rearguard that had Benoit Croissant in firm command gave the visitors several demonstrations on how to attack the ball, thus giving Hassan very little work to do in the second period.

The only time Tampines looked like they could concede a second goal came on 81 minutes, when Jaguars substitute Patrick Paran made a good run from the halfway line towards the penalty area, only for an alert defender to force him into settling for a corner.

That might have given Stags coach Steven Tan a scare, but in the end both he and Pathmanathan decided to withdraw their respective first-choice goalkeepers late on as the match hummed along to its conclusion.

Jaguars manager calls loss ‘very good’

Tanjong Pagar United team manager Steve Nathan was upbeat about his side’s performance against Tampines Rovers despite being soundly beaten by a 1-4 margin on Thursday evening.

The match was the Jaguars’ first against a traditional S.League title challenger, and the difference in quality told as they often had to play catch-up and chase after their opponents.

Nathan nonetheless focused on the positive side as he hailed his players’ grit throughout the majority of the game, going so far as to declare the final result ‘very good’.

“I thought the guys played very well today, apart from a couple of giveaways in defence,” he said.

“Other than that, I thought my guys were fighting with Tampines for every ball. You must understand how skilful the Tampines players are, but I thought my guys did not give away every single ball.

“The boys are still very young and picking up things on how to be professional. Against a top team like Tampines, to lose 1-4 is actually a very good result.”

When asked if the players would lose heart over the length of the 33-game season, after losing three of their opening four games already, Nathan insisted the experience can only be good.

“This is already our fourth game, and every individual has looked forward to playing a better team each time,” he pointed out.

“In terms of getting experience, every game, they are getting another 50% of what they already have and accumulating. After another six or seven games, every individual will get more additional experience, and they will get bolder against players of a higher level.

“Already, those who were expecting Tampines to thrash Tanjong Pagar today must have been very disappointed. The boys are doing a very good job already today, and it can only get better.”

Tampines team manager Zulkarnaen Zainal admitted his team had not been at their sharpest against Tanjong Pagar, adding that they have to cut out their habit of holding back against much weaker opponents.

“Sometimes our players tend to take things easy,” said the former Singapore international.

“The result had nothing to do with the weather, nor did the play. It’s just that the players tend to take it easy, even when they shouldn’t be.

“We told the players at half-time that they should buck up, and I think they did that in the second half. But how they act on the field depends on the players, not what we tell them at half-time.”