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Two goals from Frederic Mendy sealed three points for a below-par side Home United as they claimed a 2-1 win over Geylang United at Bishan Stadium on Tuesday night.
The talismanic striker needed just six minutes to break the deadlock, before adding a second just after the hour mark.
Geylang pulled a goal back through midfielder Kim Jae Hong, but that was not enough to save them a point.
The contest between the two sides fell some way below expectations as they churned out uninspiring performances that disappointed a decent turnout of 1,279.
The Eagles defence, in particular, was in charitable mood for the night, given the manner they conceded the opening goal.
An underhit back pass by Syed Thaha was pounced on by Mendy, who easily outmuscled Syed Fadhil to race into the penalty box, and then calmly rounded Yazid Yasin to slot into an empty net.
The score remained 1-0 at the break, but Yasir Hanapi so nearly collected an equaliser for his team with an overhit lob to Lionel Lewis from the half-way line.
Ironically, that near-accident came when Yasir had really intended to return possession to the Protectors for playing the ball out to allow Eagles striker Jung Hee Bong to receive treatment.
Lewis was able to tip the ball over the crossbar in time, but the national custodian failed to last the entire half, being walked off the pitch with a hamstring injury moments later, allowing Fajar Sarib to take his place.
Mendy collected his second goal of the game, also through some slack defending by Geylang, by getting on the end of a routine Qiu Li cross just past the hour mark.
But Geylang were able to reduce the deficit on 68 minutes as a neatly-worked move ended with Kim poking the ball in right before Fajar collected Jung’s weak shot.
The match was a dull affair with neither team being able to shine, though Geylang looked the better side for the latter part of the match, coming to life after pulling a goal back.
A hopeful shot by Hassan Aziz was nearly directed into goal after Kenji Arai had stuck his leg out to deflect the ball towards an unguarded net with Fajar wrongfooted.
The late introduction of Masrezwan Masturi caused more trouble for the home side, and his snap-shot minutes before the final whistle flashed agonisingly past the upright.
Kim Dae Eui had an opportunity to give his side an undeserved flattering scoreline, but his cheeky chip from a tight angle came off the crossbar at the far side with Yazid well beaten at the near post.
The lacklustre performance from the title hopefuls clearly left Home coach Lee Lim Saeng feeling less than impressed.
The Korean had not only followed his team in to the dressing room at half-time but looked despondent during the post-match conference, looking nothing at all like a man who had just guided his team to victory and second place in the standings.
“We needed to get three points, but I am disappointed with the performance,” said Lee, looking crestfallen.
“We were disorganised. It is very difficult to see what we want.
“We have to prepare for the next game now. Tampines (Rovers) are top of the league and we are second after tonight.”
Lee however was also reluctant to be too harsh on his players.
“I don’t want to blame the players (for tonight’s performance),” he told sleague.com.
“Mendy saved the team today.”
His Geylang counterpart was however in slightly better mood despite the defeat, and was less harsh in appraising his team’s performance.
“Two defensive errors, two goals conceded,” said Mike Wong, summing up the match from his perspective.
“Home’s a good team. We did well enough to compete. To come to Bishan and get one point is not easy.”
With his team three places off the foot of the table at the end of the first round of games, Wong provided some insight into the disappointing season his team had had thus far.
“A lot of players tell me the injuries we suffered caused a problem for us, but we can’t take that as an excuse,” he remarked.
“Sometimes we’ve had depleted squads but it’s not an excuse.
“Certain players are not playing up to mark, but it’s down to the coaching team. So it’s my responsibility and it’s the coaching staff’s responsibility.”
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