|
| FIXTURE HISTORY |
|
| Season 51 | W | 1 - 0 | Tournament (Group Phase) | | Season 49 | W | 2 - 4 | League | | Season 49 | W | 3 - 1 | League | | Season 48 | W | 0 - 5 | Tournament (Group Phase) |
| |
|
|
Two Is Enough
Hail Hoshi
Kazuto Hoshi made his debut in central midfield as the Birds eked out a tedious 2-0 home win against former league opponents Tampines Phoenix F.C., who abandoned midfield completely to play on the break. That didn't quite work out, but ex-U20 international Lu Yunyu had enough about him to keep the margin low.
The recent heavy losses had taken its toll on the fanbase, and barely more than a thousand turned up on the morning. A sizeable portion of those were on hand to welcome Hoshi, who beamed beatifically as he was first out of the tunnel. Otherwise, it was the best side Grilled could put out, though
Chow Ying Lee's injury meant that they set out three at the back.
With the Phoenixes going the ultra-defensive road, there was not much to say about tactics, as the Birds simply set up camp in the opposition half.
Mohd Safri bin Mohd Kassim's inventive lob was scrambled clear by Ong Fu Tze, then Lu saved his side twice from close up, against
Tian Yonghang and
Zhu Changchun.
The second stop nearly led to the counterattack they had been working towards, as the huge throw out gave Vaithiyaraman Kamaraj the clear run he craved.
Wong Tian Han was on his feet too, though, and the veteran striker's hard strike was parried with some flair.
The fans were beginning to get restive when
Rashid bin Ahmad's corner was batted away by Lu, but only against the back of his own defender.
Qassem Madaini, who had hung around just in case, therefore got himself the easiest of finishes with a nonchalent tap.
The visitors were forced into a substitute just before half-time as a stricken Nasser Zahin Zulfadhli called for a stoppage following a leap, which
Zhao Jing Wei generously obliged. Chang Jin Beng replaced him.
If the first half had been monotonous, the second was even more so, though Tampines retained a plausible chance of snatching a draw with each attack they repelled. Finally,
Zhu Changchun went clear in the 77th minute, to put an end to the matter.
