Mentality monsters back on the prowl

If the last two results are any indication, it has become apparent that Head Coach Noor Ali has turned his Geylang International side into “mentality monsters” of the AIA Singapore Premier League.

The Eagles are back on top of the league standings with seven points after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Hougang United at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday – thanks to a late brace from French hotshot Vincent Bezecourt.

This marked Geylang’s second win in a similar fashion after coming from behind twice to edge Young Lions 4-2 on Feb 28.

Noor’s boys certainly showed the “mentality monsters” in them too as just when the Eagles looked to be heading for their first defeat of the season, the team led by Bezecourt turned the tables on the Cheetahs, touted as one of the title contenders.

Sahil Suhaimi drew first blood for the visitors in the 16th minute when he slotted home the rebound after goalkeeper Hafiz Ahmad parried his initial effort.

Following a relatively quiet first half, the home side tried to stage a comeback, but it wasn’t until the 72nd minute that their effort paid off when Bezecourt made a surge to the far post to tap in a deflection from the opponents’ defender.

Bezecourt showed that he’s the man for the big occasion when he rifled a powerful shot to beat former Eagles custodian Zaiful Nizam from close range, courtesy of a sublime through pass from new signing and ex-Cheetah Shahfiq Ghani, to make it 2-1.

Noor said after the match: “I told the boys it doesn’t matter who you play, we have a way we want to play, and we will go out there to keep playing the way we want to play, and we can only get better from there.

“I know on paper, we might not be the best teams in the league, but I think the boys have done well in terms of teamwork and trying to get things moving in the right direction.

“I’m not surprised (about the team sitting on the top of the table). This is football, if we keep working hard and keep putting effort into training, then we can achieve anything.

“I believe in the team, and I believe in the players I have. Even with a few injuries, the boys are still picking up points.”

Bezecourt, whose brilliant performance earned him the man of the match award, hailed the team’s never-say-die attitude.

“Credit to all the boys, despite being one goal down in the first half, we showed that we were the team that wanted to win the most.

“Each and every player in the team showed character. It was nice to pick up three points.

“It’s good to be on top of the table, but we have to take one game at a time.

“We don’t have the deepest squad, but all the players and coaching staff are working very hard. Hopefully, we can keep the winning momentum going.”

Ends.