Balestier Khalsa have developed a habit of scoring late goals this term, often employing a soak-and-strike approach.
It looked like they might claim only their second Singapore Premier League (SPL) win over Albirex Niigata in almost 11 years by sticking to that same formula when substitute winger Ignatius Ang — who had scored a late equaliser in their 2-2 draw against the same opponents in the season opener — found himself through on goal twice in the final ten minutes with the score locked at 1-1 at the Bishan Stadium.
But Ang spurned both gilt-edged chances, not helped by the poor pitch conditions, and it instead took a Naoki Yoshioka own goal to settle the match, as Albirex (29 points) fell seven points off the pace of second-placed BG Tampines Rovers (36 points).
Midfield lynchpin Lazar Vujanic, who set up the first goal for teammate Bogdan Mandic and delivered the free kick that resulted in the own goal, said: “It was a very tough game. But we stayed very narrow and were just waiting to counterattack.”
“It was not an easy game, but we have scored late many times this season. Maybe this is our quality. Every time we concede, we start to play better, and we win,” he added.
Balestier head coach Marko Kraljevic hailed the shift his charges put in against a team that seemed to camp in their half for large parts of the Monday (Apr 13) night contest.
“This year, we can challenge them. They are slightly better and are aggressive in attack. It is not easy to play against them. But it was a really amazing performance by my boys,” Kraljevic said, highlighting the threats posed by winger Yang Hyeon-ju and playmaker Takumi Yokohata, who came on in the 68th minute.
Meanwhile, his opposite number Keiji Shigetomi rued his side’s missed opportunities, despite mustering 11 attempts with four on target and enjoying close to two-thirds of possession.
“We have to improve the attacking side more, especially in our decision-making. We have to score more,” the Japanese tactician said.
Despite besting the Stags in dramatic — and late — fashion just nine days earlier, the White Swans now face a mountain to climb in their pursuit of the second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two spot, with league leaders Lion City Sailors all but guaranteed a place in the continental competition.
Neither side enjoyed the best of games, with Balestier enduring a stuttering start, often sloppy in possession, while Albirex could not carve out anything meaningful despite enjoying a lion’s share of the ball.
For all their early struggles, Balestier were the first to find the back of the net in the 33rd minute when Vujanic drilled in a low cross that Mandic initially fumbled but poked in on his second attempt.
But they held their lead for all of three minutes when Shingo Nakano cushioned a deep cross from Albirex defender Cho Eunsu into the path of Abdul Rasaq, who made no mistake from point-blank range for his third goal in four matches.
Albirex continued to press their opponents high, but offered little in attacking threat against a resilient Balestier backline.
It looked like it was heading towards a 1-1 draw when Ang missed both late opportunities until Yoshioka turned Vujanic’s free kick into his own net with one minute of stoppage time remaining.
Albirex turn their attention to an away clash against Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium this Saturday (Apr 18), while hoping Balestier can take points off Tampines at the Our Tampines Hub on Friday.
