Eagles fall to 2-1 defeat against the Cheetahs
The Eagles failed to convert their chances in the first half as Hougang United punished them with two goals in the second half to earn another win over their Eastern rivals at the Hougang stadium on Friday evening.
Geylang International enjoyed most of the possession in the first half and could have been up by at least two goals had they been more clinical in front of goal.
The Eagles found themselves a goal down in the 59th minute when Shawal Anuar was played through neatly by Shahfiq Ghani before he calmly slotted the ball into the left corner of the net to give Hougang United the lead.
Hafiz Sujad then doubled the Cheetah’s advantage in the 76th minute by firing the ball in the right corner of the net.
Amy Recha gave Geylang International a lifeline in the 82nd minute after scoring his eighth goal of the season from the spot after Farhan Zulkifli handled the ball in the penalty area.
The Eagles went in search for the equaliser in the closing minutes of the game, but Hougang United held on to secure their third win over Geylang International this season.
Geylang International Head Coach Noor Ali was visibly disappointed with the outcome of the match as he was left to reflect on the missed chances his charges could have taken in the first half.
“We gave away two easy goals. If you look at the whole game, they did not have many shots at goal, but they made those two count. We should have taken our chances in the first half. But if you don’t score, you don’t win the game. That’s football,” said Noor.
Lineup: Wayne Chew, Ilhan Noor (Fareez Farhan) 55’, Danny Kim, Amy Recha, Barry Maguire, Matheus Moresche, Harith Kanadi (Christopher van Huizen 69’), Izzdin Shafiq, Faizal Roslan, Yuki Ichikawa (C), Abdil Qaiyyim
Ends.