Albirex Niigata vs Gombak United [3-3]

Honours even at high-tempo Jurong derby

Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com

Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) and Gombak United served up a thrilling derby clash at Jurong East Stadium on Thursday evening, both sides settling for a point in a 3-3 draw.

The result might not have done much in terms of advancing either team’s aspirations, but it was otherwise an excellent night from both as they put their best faces forward to wow the crowds and provided a good showcase of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League.

Gombak had the better of the first half, Ojimi Gabriel Obatola and Kingsley Njoku scoring early on before Agu Casmir put them in what seemed a commanding position going into the half-time interval.

But the Japanese outfit, who had pulled a goal back in the first half through Akira Takase, rallied strongly in the second period and earned their share of the spoils through further goals from Ken Matsumoto and Kenji Adachihara.

Adachihara was one of three Albirex players returning from suspension, with creative midfielder Taisuke Akiyoshi and first-choice custodian Yoshito Matsushita also taking their places in the starting eleven.

They faced a Gombak side missing the rested Emmanuel Emuejeraye, as Thai midfielder Theerawekin Seehawong was rotated in to meet the four-foreigner quota.

The Bulls No.10 was a tigerish presence early on, getting into tackles and doing his best to keep up with the high-energy opening both teams were engaging in.

Not for nothing were the visitors known for their explosive brand of pressing football, and they used that to their advantage to race to a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes.

A move involving Obatola and Casmir culminated in Njoku powering into the left side of the penalty area, before he fell into a heap under a challenge from Ryota Kobayashi.

Referee P. Pandian did not hesitate to point to the spot, and Obatola coolly converted the penalty with 12 minutes shown on the clock even though Matsushita had guessed right.

Six minutes later, Albirex were punished for some careless play as Njoku sprang in to dispossess a defender before storming more than 30 yards down the right flank.

His initial centre for Casmir was blocked by Kobayashi, but the ball spun high for the Nigerian to nod home emphatically from an impossible angle.

The ease with which the Avaya-J&J League Cup winners were slicing through the White Swans defence sent the Gombak fans into rapture, as they dreamed of a repeat of the 4-0 demolition job the players had performed on Monday.

But Albirex were no Young Lions, and they had their first response on 23 minutes when Takase pulled a goal back to make it 2-1.

It was straight and simple stuff from the 20-year-old, having stroked the ball low between Fadhil Salim and the near post after a one-two with a teammate had taken him wide to the right rather than dead centre.

It could have been 2-2 on 27 had Adachihara’s diving header gone in off the post rather than back into play having beaten Fadhil already, but Albirex showed that, mentally and technically, they were a fine match for the side they were hosting.

Tetsuya Kishida headed Keisuke Ogawa’s cross a touch off target shortly afterwards as they continued pressing at the Gombak defence, before Njoku played a cool through pass that Kobayashi completely misread, only for Casmir to fire his shot just wide of the post.

That miss marked the start of a new wave of attacks from the Bulls, as they used their physical strength well to force Albirex into mistakes they could exploit.

One such moment came on 34 minutes as Njoku got involved again, having picked up a ball that had gone from right to left before drawing two defenders with him on the periphery of the penalty area.

Ryuta Hayashi was helpless as he struggled to close down the Gombak striker, who got into a tangle with three Albirex players, and Casmir profited as he rushed in to claim the loose ball and stroke it into the net with Matsushita out of sight.

Obatola could have had the game dead and buried on 39 minutes had he focused more on his shot off an excellent Casmir cutback, but the prevailing thought at the time was that the Bulls were almost home and dry against an Albirex side showing signs of deflation.

‘Almost’ was not good enough to kill the Japanese side’s spirits though, and they came up with the perfect response just four minutes after the break.

Shunsuke Sunaga, who had replaced Hayashi following the latter’s part in the Casmir goal, whipped in a lob that had seemed routine enough, but Matsumoto rose highest among a cluster of five players to divert the ball beyond a surprised Fadhil.

The goal had no warning signs of any kind coming before it, yet that was exactly the kind of goal Gombak had difficulty guarding against, and it was particularly fine reward for Matsumoto, who was industriously running all over the Jurong East field.

Albirex showed new life in the way they moved about now, and that was a delight to see as they kept up their pace, quick thinking and full-bodied commitment to push Gombak.

The fans – all 1,587 of them – were in fine voice too as they cheered their heroes on, letting their hearts pump hard to the beat of the game.

And the beat went faster and faster as both sides threatened to score the sixth goal of the game. When it did on 64 minutes, it was the home side that got it for the leveller.

Takase’s initial shot was saved by Fadhil, and the ball appeared all set to roll out. But it was so slow that it stayed on the line towards the right instead of going out for a corner.

A quick-witted Adachihara immediately came in from the right flank to claim the ball, before blasting high into the roof of the net despite Fadhil recovering to cover the angle.

Fadhil stood strong to prevent Gombak from going behind just minutes afterwards when Akiyoshi was put through, and both teams worked hard in search for a win.

That it did not happen might have been an imperfection in the eyes of the partisans, but for any neutral, it was an absolute treat both sides had served up.

So generous, so continuous and so back-and-forth was the flow of the game that, perhaps, it deserved a better stage than a league context where the winning-is-everything mentality becomes an excuse for playing drably.

There was certainly nothing drab about the Jurong derby on this occasion, and the fans were appreciative of that as they applauded the two teams upon hearing the final whistle.

Fadhil: Game was good for the fans

Gombak United goalkeeper Fadhil Salim believed that fans who had turned up for their clash with Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) got their money’s worth of entertainment after both sides served up a 3-3 draw at Jurong East Stadium.

The match was an open affair for much of the time as both sides threw everything they had at each other, leading to what the 26-year-old regarded as a positive advertisement of the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League.

“It was end-to-end stuff, and both teams played so well, either team could have won the game,” said Fadhil after the match.

“It was good football, definitely. It was a good showcase of the good things in this league: both teams giving their best, going all out, and it’s a good result for football.

“Yes, each of us let in three goals, but sometimes there will be some goals that any goalkeeper cannot prevent. That happens in football.

“Maybe some of the goals that happened tonight can be prevented, and we should go back and take a look so that we can prepare for the upcoming game. But take nothing away from this game; it was good football for the fans to watch.”

Bulls coach Darren Stewart saluted Albirex for their part in the pulsating encounter, graciously acknowledging the quality they had shown while congratulating his own charges for their work as well.

“Albirex were simply too good in the second half,” said the Australian without hesitation.

“You couldn’t say that we let them back into the game, they really worked for it. But that’s good stuff from them; I’m not disappointed about not winning, because both teams worked hard for this game.”

White Swans coach Naoki Naruo was more inclined to see the proverbial glass as half-empty, however, as he reflected on his team’s performance.

Revealing that the team had been working towards repeating their RHB Singapore Cup win over their near neighbours, he acknowledged there was work to be done to make the backline more impenetrable.

“We were playing to win, but we made it difficult for ourselves,” he said wryly.

“In the first half, we made too many mistakes and lost three goals, and we’re really disappointed with that. We were preparing for this game with a target not to let in any goals, so to lose three means we need to think about our preparations again.

“We showed in the second half that we can play, when we pushed forward and tried to find goals, so that is one good thing. But we need to think about our defending if we want to win games.”