Second straight win moves Dolphins to eighth
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
Sengkang Punggol leapfrogged the Young Lions to eighth place in the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League table with a 3-2 win at Jalan Besar on Monday evening.
Goals from club top-scorer Indra Sahdan Daud and Canadian duo Murphy Wiredu and Anthony Bahadur put the Dolphins towards their second straight victory, while Afiq Yunos and Eugene Luo got on the scoresheet for the hosts.
The home side got off to a dream start within 30 seconds of the first whistle, when Afiq, moving up to midfield for this match, converted a cross on the left from winger Goh Swee Swee that left an out-of-position Joey Sim stranded.
With the flying start, the pressure was on Young Lions to hold on to their one-goal lead, something the team had failed to do so far this season.
History did not take long to repeat itself as centre-back Shahir Hamzah handled Sengkang defender Hiroyuki Yamamoto’s header on the line, prompting referee Johan Jahari to point to the spot.
Dolphins forward Indra made no mistake from the spot to send Young Lions custodian Izwan Mahbud the wrong way and level the score at one-all.
Boosted by the equalizer, the visitors grew in strength and confidence, dominating the remainder of the first half with their best football display yet this season.
They were stringing fluent passing combinations with good off-the-ball running in attack, while working hard from the front to regain possession each time they lost it.
It was one such move that would pay off handsomely for the Dolphins three minutes from time. Sazali Salleh set up for overlapping left-back Zahid Ahmad to race away on the left and whip in a pinpoint cross for Wiredu to finish off at the far post.
That prompted Young Lions coach Terry Pathamanthan to ring in the changes at the break, with Khairul Nizam and Gabriel Quak Jun Yi coming on to bolster the firepower in attack.
Despite the tactical manoeuvres, the hosts could not prevent Sengkang from extending their advantage six minutes after the restart.
Bahadur latched on a deep long ball and bulldozed past the Young Lions defence before slotting it past Izwan to make it 3-1.
The Canadian forward could have made it two in as many minutes when he capitalized on an error from Young Lions skipper Obadin Aikhena to break away, only for him to shoot tamely at the goalkeeper.
Just as Sengkang were looking poised to record their largest victory margin this season, a slip-up in the box from Zahid allowed Young Lions winger Luo to take advantage and rifle home via the post in the 68th minute to set up a tense finish.
Tried as they could, the home side could find no further way past the tightened Dolphins defence as the visitors held on for three points.
Sengkang’s second consecutive win left coach Jorg Steinebrunner pleased with his side’s overall performance.
“We played some smashing football in the first half. The way we came back, we showed our character and quality,” said the former defender.
“The second goal was the result of a lot of great passing where many were involved in the move. Once this team got the confidence they needed, we showed we can play.”
The German remained concerned though on his side’s carelessness in the second half that almost cost them victory.
“There is still a lot of work to be done though,” he reminded. “We were in control of much of the second half until the second Young Lions goal.
“We should just have cleared the ball away in that instance. When we are under pressure as it happened, we could use the time to look up and simply get the ball up.
“We do not need to be smart when there is no need for that. Something straightforward will do.
“We will need to change a few things on the defensive side. When we tightened up after the goal, the Young Lions did not any more clear-cut chances.”
Meanwhile, Pathmanathan lamented his boys’ inability to accurately assess the game as the main reason behind their defeat.
“We are punished for our lack of footballing knowledge and paid the price with the three goals we conceded tonight,” sighed the former Singapore captain.
“We made many basic errors, gave too much room for Sengkang to control the game and were too hurried in making decisions.
“Sengkang played with experience, were strong in technique and made sure of their passes while we did not.”
He also believed the early goal, ironically, left his side with too much to handle for the rest of the game.
“The first goal came a bit too early for us,” he explained. “We put ourselves under too much pressure as it would not be easy to defend and hold on to the lead.”
Pathmanathan called on his young players to draw on the lessons from the loss as stepping stones in their progression as professional players.
“While it is not easy for the boys to play at the highest level, they also need to use their time on the pitch to learn as fast as possible and draw lessons,” he said.
“These boys have to go to school or go to army in the daytime, and they cannot afford to train five or six hours a day. The only time they can make use of to learn and overcome their problems is when they are on the pitch.
“In every game, there is something new that can be learned. In this game, while the likes of Noh Rahman and Indra Sahdan were half as fast as our boys, these senior players contributed much to the win.
“Whereas our boys were full of running throughout the game but the contribution was simply not there.”
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