Singapore Premier League: Tampines lose ground in title chase after draw with Geylang

SINGAPORE — Tampines Rovers' bid to win their first Singapore Premier League (SPL) title in 10 years suffered a significant setback, after a 1-1 draw against Geylang International at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday (2 July).

The Stags, who have lost just one match this season, found themselves slipping down to third spot behind Albirex Niigata (Singapore) and Lion City Sailors, as the other title contenders registered high-scoring wins on Saturday.

Against Geylang, they looked to be on their way to matching Albirex and the Sailors when their top scorer Boris Kopitovic headed home a Joel Chew cross from the right flank in the 16th minute.

But barely a minute later, Geylang's French midfielder Vincent Bezecourt pounced on a loose pass by Shuya Yamashita just outside the Tampines penalty area, eluded the challenges of Shah Shahiran, before slamming home past Syazwan Buhari.

Despite dominating the subsequent minutes of the match, Tampines were left frustrated at dropping points for a second consecutive game. On Tuesday, the Stags were also held to a 1-1 draw with Albirex Niigata, despite taking the lead and the defending champions going down to 10 men with the dismissal of goalkeeper Hassan Sunny.

This meant Tampines now have 35 points from 16 matches, with eight matches left to go in the SPL season. They lie five points behind leaders Albirex, and a point behind the Sailors.

Big wins for both Albirex, Sailors

Albirex bounced back from their 1-1 draw with Tampines with a 4-2 win over bottom-placed Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday.

The White Swans sped to a 3-0 lead in the first half, through goals by Koki Kawachi (2nd minute), Nicky Melvin Singh (33rd) and Keito Komatsu (44th). Ryu Hardy Yussri pulled a goal back for the Young Lions in the 64th minute with a stunning long-range shot, but Shodai Yokoyama made it 4-1 in the 89th minute before Shunsaku Kishimoto scored an own goal in stoppage time to complete the scoreline.

The Sailors, who welcomed Aleksandar Rankovic as their new head coach at the start of last week, roared to a 7-1 rout of Tanjong Pagar United at Jurong East Stadium on Saturday, allowing them to overtake Tampines in the SPL table.

Goals from Maxime Lestienne (9th), Abdul Rasaq (27th), Lionel Tan (63rd), Diego Lopes (73rd, 88th), Hami Syahin (78th) and Shawal Anuar (100th) gave the Sailors their third win on the trot. Faizal Roslan (30th) replied for Tanjong Pagar.

Balestier Khalsa moved up to fourth place after a 3-1 win over Hougang United at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday.

Following a goalless first half, the Tigers seized victory with goals from Ryoya Taniguchi (49th), Mahdu Mohana (54th) and Masahiro Sugita (90th). Hazzuwan Halin scored Hougang's consolation goal five minutes into stoppage time.

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