SINGAPORE PREMIER LEAGUE
Albirex Niigata 0
Brunei DPMM 0
Albirex Niigata, of all Singapore Premier League teams, should know the importance of momentum.
After all, they won their first 17 games last season and scored in all 24 matches to complete their hat-trick of league titles.
This season, however, they have yet to score after three competitive games after being held 0-0 by 10-man Brunei DPMM at the Jurong East Stadium last night.
The consolation was that it was their first league point of the season.
Albirex also failed to score in the Community Shield against Home United, who won on penalties, and in their 1-0 loss to Geylang International in the league opener.
After seeing his side extend their barren run and occupy sixth spot with one point in two games, Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi acknowledged that the psychological importance of getting off the mark, but trusted his players to make the breakthrough.
The 39-year-old Japanese said: "Maybe our players are too young and inexperienced, they are too anxious to score.
"We will continue working with them and train them until it becomes second nature for them to be more composed and not rush things. We will also work harder to improve our accuracy."
As DPMM coach Adrian Pennock will attest to, Albirex are not a bad team.
Kyoga Nakamura is an intelligent playmaker and pulls the strings in the final third and Daizo Horikoshi is a dynamic attacker who creates problems with his direct runs.
DPMM's Najib Tarif was in knots last night and had to resort to fouling Horikoshi to stop the tricky midfielder and was sent off after two yellow cards.
However, Albirex lacked the cutting edge in front of goal, flashing shots wide instead of troubling goalkeeper Wardun Yussof, who was tested only by Kaishu Yamazaki's free kick in the second half.
Their Plan B also failed; the 2.05m striker Makito Hatanaka was brought on, but teammates failed to find him with their crosses.
Pennock was all smiles despite seeing Andrei Varankou squander a counter-attack by shooting straight at Kengo Fukudome in the 79th minute. DPMM's perfect start may have been halted, but his team are top with seven points and three clean sheets from three games.
He said: "We want to entertain, score goals and win games but, sometimes, we have to play ugly and get a very good result, and that was today.
"We went for the physical approach because Albirex are a very good side, especially when they play here on artificial turf where they haven't lost since 2015.
"We deserved the red card, but the character of our squad has been first-class, and I'm very proud of my players.
"It is still early in the season and we have not played every team yet, but we would love to be up there for the title race, why not?"
Mar 30, 2019 · Southampton climbed five points clear of the relegation zone and drew level with Brighton after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's goal gave them a priceless victory. Ralph Hasenhüttl surged on to the
Football: Son's South Korea survive Bahrain scare to reach
Football. Home football; Double injury blow for Spurs ahead of Liverpool clash. Dier suffered a groin injury in England's 5-0 win over Czech Republic last week and was forced to withdraw
Double injury blow for Spurs ahead of Liverpool clash
LONDON • Gianni Infantino, the president of world football governing body Fifa, has raised the prospect of North and South Korea co-hosting the next women's World Cup in 2023.. Read more at
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino says joint Korean bid for Women's
Mix - Queen - Making of One Vision YouTube Inside The Rhapsody (Bohemian Rhapsody mini documentary, 2002) 3 of 3 - Duration: 27:15. Queen Official 1,859,814 views
Inside The Rhapsody (Bohemian Rhapsody mini documentary, 2002
FA Cup » News » Brighton edge into FA Cup quarter-finals
Lucas Moura, from PSG cast-off to Tottenham idol
Feb 9 (Reuters) - Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League with a confident 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday. The win moves Juergen Klopps's side three points above second-placed Manchester City who face Chelsea on Sunday and would return to the top on goal difference with a victory.
Liverpool back on top after comfortable win over Bournemouth
LONDON • Whoever said the magic of the FA Cup was dead should have paid a visit to Kingsmeadow, The Den and the New Meadow on Saturday. While the competition has taken a backseat to the Premier League and the Champions League in recent years, it still represents the perfect opportunity for English football's lesser lights to have their day in the sun.
The Magic of the FA Cup is Alive and Well - Chelsea FC news
Liverpool staying positive despite blip, says Klopp Jurgen Klopp has vowed that Liverpool will remain positive as they battle for the Premier League title despite a wobble that has enabled Manchester City to seize the initiative.
Football: Liverpool staying positive despite blip, says Klopp
Europe's small-cap stockmarkets A bigger pool for minnows. New calls for a pan-European exchange to boost small and mid-sized companies Published since September 1843 to take part in "a
Minnow Baltimore - SBIC - Baltimore, MD - Yelp
Despite being regarded as possibly one of the contenders in the 2019 Singapore Premier League, Hougang United were handily beaten by Tampines Rovers 5-1. Things were especially difficult for the
LIVE: AIA Singapore Premier League - Tampines Rovers vs
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been charged with improper conduct for his post-match row with Mike Dean after Tottenham's defeat at Burnley. The Football Association has issued the
Spurs boss Pochettino charged by FA with improper conduct
N'Golo Kante's fitness ahead of the Europa League final is still not confirmed with Ross Barkley also warming up with the starting XI. The 28-year-old France World Cup winner was named in the starting XI, however Maurizio Sarri stated that he didn't know how fit Kante would be and that they would see in the warm up.
0 comments:
Post a Comment