Woodlands Wellington vs Albirex Niigata [0-1]

Adachihara shows way against Rams Ong Jiing Yih info@sleague.com Kenji Adachihara illustrated the meaning of “leading from the front” as he scored to give Albirex Niigata (Singapore) a 1-0 victory at Woodlands Wellington on Monday evening. The White Swans skipper got the decisive goal 15 minutes into the match with an effort that had caught Woodlands goalkeeper Rezal Hassan off guard. With the win, Albirex were able to overtake their hosts and occupy eighth place in the S.League table, level on points with Geylang United but behind on goal difference. Adachiara donned the armband for the Japanese outfit, as senior centreback Takatoshi Uchida had to sit out of this match due to suspension. Uchida’s replacement for the match, Shota Matsuoka, did not have much trouble at the back against a Woodlands side that perhaps was still feeling the strains of their lengthy League Cup campaign, which had ended last week. Despite being widely expected to perform, the return of five regular starters did not appear to give them the lift they had expected, as they had few highlights in the match. Skipper Azlan Alipah’s overhit volley midway into the second half was one of the rare few moments worth remembering for the Rams. Still, head coach Nenad Bacina was positive in his assessment of his side’s efforts, even as he praised his opponents for their enterprising display. “To be honest, I had expected us not to perform having come through seven matches in 23 days,” remarked the Croatian. “It could be due to not just physical but mental fatigue. We had tried to refresh the lads prior to this game but it was difficult. “Nevertheless I’m impressed as we faced a very good attacking side in Albirex.” Very good the White Swans were indeed, coming out of the blocks early as they won several corners with their high-pressure brand of football. Rezal was forced into an acrobatic save with the match barely warmed up, after Akira Takase met Keisuke Ogawa’s cross with a header that took a significant bounce. They got their goal eventually on the quarter-hour mark, as Adachihara collected the ball from a teammate, took one touch and then fired a thunderous drive from 30 yards out. Even in his prime, Rezal might not have saved such a shot. He certainly could not this time around as Albirex went 1-0 up. It could have been 2-0 just one minute later, had Takase done better in finishing off a sizzling run following a quality pass from Shunsuke Sunaga. Albirex were clearly in control, though, pinning Woodlands back in their half without much resistance to speak of. Playmaker Taisuke Akiyoshi missed a chance to claim only his second goal of a season, when he blazed a shot over the bar from just inside the penalty area. It took some decent work from the Woodlands rearguard to keep the score close, Anaz Hadee hacking away an Adachihara cross before Rezal caught a Sunaga shot eight minutes before the interval. The nervy moments continued into the second half, Akiyoshi and Sunaga both getting opportunities. Ken Matsumoto then headed over an open goal to spurn another golden opportunity, although the midfielder did somewhat better by forcing Rezal into a near-post save later in the second period. Throughout the match, there were few reasons to worry about a Woodlands fightback as they seemed incapable of causing some real danger in the Albirex backline. Still, Naoki Naruo had his charges close out the match in a more conservative manner, a point he acknowledged in his post-match analysis. “We played a passing game which saw us foray more directly towards goal,” said the Albirex coach of his team’s early-game plan. “As we hoped for more goals, we were afraid of Woodlands coming back at us, hence we became a bit more cautious.”