Albirex could not break down a stubborn Geylang defence tonight and have to settle on a 2-2 draw at Our Tampines Hub tonight.
Right back, Sambongi, recalled to the starting line-up tonight, poked in a pass which bounced off Geylang defender Abdil Qayyim to give the White Swans an early lead in the 7th minute.
Albirex tried to build on the lead but it was Geylang who equalised in the 34th minute. Striker Sime Zuzul shrugged off the challenges of 4 Albirex defenders and placed the ball in the bottom left corner beyond the reach of GK Koga.
However, 2 minutes later, Sugita restored Albirex lead when he curled an unexpected shot from the edge of the box to top right corner of the net.
Albirex could not hold on to the lead, though. 2 minutes before half time, Geylang winger Hazzuwan Halim headed in a Fadli Kamis cross to level the scores again. Both sides went into half time with the score at 2-2.
The 2nd half was a keenly contested affair too until Geylang defender Faizal Roslan lost his cool and smacked Albirex's Nicky Melvin Singh on his head. The referee immediately gave him a red card.
From then on, Geylang went into defensive mode and parked the bus. When the White Swans penetrated the Geylang defence, they found Geylang's GK Zaiful Nizam in superior form and could not get past him.
Albirex would find that it is case of 2 points lost for this game rather than 1 point gain as they lost the lead twice and were unable to take advantage of their number superiority.
The White Swans would return to Our Tampines Hub again this Saturday to face an in-form Tampines Rovers to complete the first round of action. Kick off is 8.30pm due to Ramadan.
[Click Here for Match Details]
Right back, Sambongi, recalled to the starting line-up tonight, poked in a pass which bounced off Geylang defender Abdil Qayyim to give the White Swans an early lead in the 7th minute.
Albirex tried to build on the lead but it was Geylang who equalised in the 34th minute. Striker Sime Zuzul shrugged off the challenges of 4 Albirex defenders and placed the ball in the bottom left corner beyond the reach of GK Koga.
However, 2 minutes later, Sugita restored Albirex lead when he curled an unexpected shot from the edge of the box to top right corner of the net.
Albirex could not hold on to the lead, though. 2 minutes before half time, Geylang winger Hazzuwan Halim headed in a Fadli Kamis cross to level the scores again. Both sides went into half time with the score at 2-2.
The 2nd half was a keenly contested affair too until Geylang defender Faizal Roslan lost his cool and smacked Albirex's Nicky Melvin Singh on his head. The referee immediately gave him a red card.
From then on, Geylang went into defensive mode and parked the bus. When the White Swans penetrated the Geylang defence, they found Geylang's GK Zaiful Nizam in superior form and could not get past him.
Albirex would find that it is case of 2 points lost for this game rather than 1 point gain as they lost the lead twice and were unable to take advantage of their number superiority.
The White Swans would return to Our Tampines Hub again this Saturday to face an in-form Tampines Rovers to complete the first round of action. Kick off is 8.30pm due to Ramadan.
[Click Here for Match Details]
