Benchwarmers save the day for Albirex Niigata in SPL win over Geylang International
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Albirex Niigata’s Liska Iskandar (left, with Danish Qayyum) celebrates after scoring the second goal in their 2-0 Singapore Premier League win over Geylang International on Feb 2.
PHOTO: LEO SHENG WEI/PLAYMAKER
- Albirex Niigata defeated Geylang International 2-0, with substitutes Ryang Hyon-ju and Liska Iskandar making significant contributions.
- Liska Iskandar, 18, scored on his SPL debut, fulfilling a "dream" and expressing his desire to make the national team.
- Goalkeeper Takahiro Koga delivered a clean sheet in his first SPL appearance since 2022, while Geylang struggled with scoring, missing 50-goal Tomoyuki Doi's impact.
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SINGAPORE – With the match crying out for some quality, Albirex Niigata’s cameo players stepped up to help the White Swans to a 2-0 home win over Geylang International in their Singapore Premier League (SPL) match on Feb 2.
Japan-born Korean Ryang Hyon-ju was brought on for Katsuyuki Ishibashi in the 63rd minute and took just four minutes to make an impact from the left wing, sending a pass into the box for defender Nozomi Ozawa to finish neatly for the opener.
The 27-year-old forward, playing in only his third SPL game since joining in January, was key again in added time at the Jurong East Stadium. His shot from the right was not cleared and 18-year-old debutant Liska Iskandar, a 79th-minute replacement for Abdul Rasaq, gleefully tucked in before being mobbed by his teammates.
It was a dream come true for Liska, a first-year Ngee Ann Polytechnic mechanical engineering student who started playing football from age four but did not join any club until he was picked up by the Albirex Under-15s.
He then rose through the ranks of their U-17s, U-21s and SPL2 team, for whom he has scored two goals in 11 games this season.
Liska said: “I didn’t expect to play because it was 1-0 and very nerve-racking. But once I came on, I trusted my ability. This is a moment I worked and prayed very hard for. I wanted to play and score on my debut and I did it. I cried after scoring and I hope I made my family proud.
“I want to continue working hard and improve on my game to get more game time, score more goals and eventually get into the national team.”
It was not just the attackers who delivered for the White Swans, who remained third with 16 points from seven games and kept pace with second-placed BG Tampines Rovers, who are one point ahead. Leaders and defending champions Lion City Sailors have a perfect eight wins and 24 points.
In goal, back-up custodian Takahiro Koga was also one of their heroes as he kept a crucial clean sheet in his first SPL appearance since rejoining the team with whom he won the Golden Glove in 2021 and the league title in 2022.
The 26-year-old, who started as first-choice goalkeeper Hassan Sunny was down with fever, was called into action in the 30th minute when he foiled Vincent Bezecourt in a one-on-one situation.
Albirex Niigata goalkeeper Takahiro Koga kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 Singapore Premier League win over Geylang International in his first game since returning to the club.
PHOTO: LEO SHENG WEI/PLAYMAKER
In a first half lacking pizzazz but lit up by six Italian fans who cheered loudly for the Eagles, 1.91m Koga stood tall as he saved from Nazrul Nazari in the 40th minute.
After going a goal down, Geylang turned to substitutes Shuhei Hoshino and Shahdan Sulaiman to change the game, only to find Koga in inspired form.
After another substitute Nicky Melvin Singh cleared off the line in the 77th minute, Koga denied Joshua Pereira’s header off a Shahdan corner, and the woodwork would conspire to deny Hoshino later on.
He said: “I like Albirex and I didn’t have many chances to play in Japan (while playing for SC Sagamihara and FC Osaka in the J3 League). I don’t think it is difficult to be in a position fighting for a starting position. I am happy with my performance today and I want more.”
Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi was pleased with his team’s discipline and patience in a tough match, adding that “it’s good that we have players who we can trust to be ready to perform”.
Geylang coach Noor Ali was annoyed to see his side fire blanks for the fourth time in eight SPL games this season and lose a third straight game.
They remain fourth out of eight teams, but are now six points adrift of Albirex.
He said: “I’m not disappointed with the way the boys set up and played. We created enough chances and had we taken them, the win would be ours.
“We hit the post several times... The boys are working hard, they are creating chances, there are many games left and I believe our luck and time will come.”
Analysis
Albirex showed the importance of having multiple aces in the pack. With six-goal Shingo Nakano off-colour, Shigetomi was able to look to others on his bench to take his team’s tally to 17 goals, which is the third-highest in the SPL.
Geylang, on the other hand, are still missing Tomoyuki Doi, who scored an astonishing 50 goals in 35 games last season before flying the Eagles’ coop. They risk slipping down the table if they cannot add considerably to their eight league goals.
