SINGAPORE - Singapore Premier League (SPL) leaders Brunei DPMM extended their unbeaten start to the season to 11 games after they held defending champions Albirex Niigata to a goal-less draw on Friday night (May 24).
With most of his players observing the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, DPMM coach Adrian Pennock was happy with the point at the White Swans' Jurong East Stadium home.
"It's a great point," said the former Stoke City assistant manager.
"To come here, fasting or not, is always difficult and we had to dig in. We didn't come here to draw but the (fatigue) caught up with us a bit. Our players showed they had big hearts."
The match pitted the two most in-form players against each other in midfield.
Albirex had skipper Kyoga Nakamura, the SPL's best young player last month, while DPMM boasted Australian midfielder Blake Ricciuto, who won the goal and player of the month awards.
But Ricciuto was unable to assert himself on the game because he had his hands full in midfield combating the pass-and-move style of the Japanese side.
Â
As a result, DPMM's Belarusian striker Andrey Varankow - the SPL's leading scorer with 14 goals from 10 games - cut an isolated figure up front.
Nakamura, however, was able to show glimpses of his quality, and was involved in two of the game's brightest moments.
In the 29th minute, the 23-year-old shimmied past two players, before letting rip a fierce shot from outside the box which was tipped over the bar by DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yussof.
Then, just seconds into the second half, the former Japan Under-17 player intercepted a loose pass in midfield, bore down on goal, and then set up teammate Hiroyoshi Kamata with a golden opportunity.
But Kamata inexplicably slid the ball into the side netting after rounding Wardun.
Albirex stayed in third place on 18 points from 10 games, nine points behind DPMM, who have played one game more.
Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi rued the missed opportunity, saying: "Our players worked very hard, but we dropped two points tonight. Our accuracy was not good enough, and we need to do better."
Ajax Stun Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus To Reach Champions
Football: Palace climb away from troube with 3-1 win at
SINGAPORE - Former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary Winston Lee withdrew his candidacy for one of nine seats on the executive committee members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), just before the Asian football body's congress in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (April 6).
Former FAS General Secretary, Winston Lee withdraws candidacy
Elliot May, 14, has this message on the placard he has been holding up for close to three hours as he ambles round the city centre in Madrid. This wasn't how the young Liverpool fan pictured the Champions League final when he and his father, Teddy, floated the idea of a trip to Spain. Teddy, though, is upbeat.
'Caption this': Pogba deletes cryptic post after Mourinho axed Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba quickly deleted a controversial social media post of him smiling after manager Jose Mourinho was sacked by the club on Tuesday.
'Caption this': Pogba deletes cryptic post after Mourinho axed
Copa del Rey: Sergio Ramos' double puts Real Madrid within sight of the semi-finals Description: Real Madrid beat Girona 4-2 in a thrilling first leg of the La Copa. Santiago Solari said football never lets up, now comes Espanyol on Sunday.
Sergio Ramos double puts Real Madrid within sight of the semi
Raheem Sterling's hat-trick in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Watford lifted the champions four points clear at the top of the Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur's challenge faltered again with a 2-1 loss at Southampton on Saturday.
Man City surge clear through Sterling as Spurs suffer
Download One Football! 📱 ️
Football: Man City suffer shock Premier League defeat by Crystal Palace Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola reacts on the touchline during the match. PHOTO: AFP
Man City suffer shock Premier League defeat by Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says his players are "still in a dream" after reaching the Champions League semi-finals in dramatic fashion but expects his side to be ready for
Spurs 'still in a dream' after Man City win, says Pochettino
City can reduce the gap back to a point with a win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but Juergen Klopp's unbeaten side will now enjoy their Christmas dinner perched in first
Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink
JUST IN: Dembele takes part in full training ahead of United clash Viktoria Myznikova 1 month ago Sport 25 Comments Ousmane Dembele has trained with the team on Monday without experiencing any problems.
Southampton stay up after thrilling 3-3 draw with Bournemouth
0 comments:
Post a Comment