Eagles struggle against dominant White Swans

Geylang International suffered their third defeat of the season when they were beaten 6-1 by reigning Singapore Premier League champion Albirex Niigata at Our Tampines Hub on Saturday.

The result meant the Eagles dropped from third to fourth place in the league standings with 10 points from seven games, and Noor Ali charges will be looking to bounce back immediately when they face Balestier Khalsa next on April 11.

Geylang International were left to rue a costly goal conceded late in the first half as Albirex stunned the home side with another four goals after they went into the break at 2-1.

The White Swans fired the first salvo when Tadanari Lee finished a great team move in the eighth minute, but Geylang International responded quickly nine minutes later after Yushi Yamaya’s deflected long-range effort from outside the box beat Hassan Sunny.

Just when it all appeared that the opening half was going to end all square, Albirex struck what was a match-defining goal three minutes into injury time after Koki Kawachi reacted quickly to stab the ball home following a penalty box scramble.

Any hopes of the Eagles finding their way back into the game went up in smoke after finding themselves 5-1 down in just 10 minutes after the restart, with Shuto Komaki, Riku Fukashiro and Keito Komatsu adding their names to the scoresheet.

Seia Kunori became the sixth different scorer of the day, as he completed the rout in the 74th minute to inflict the Eagles’ heaviest SPL defeat in nearly a year.

Geylang International suffered their previous loss also in the hands of Albirex when they were outplayed 8-2 away in May last year.

Head coach Noor Ali said his side failed to recover from the late first-half blow and could have done better.

“When we conceded the last-minute goal in the first half, that was no good for us going into the break,” said Noor.

“We didn’t start the second half well. We know they’re going to come and press us, credit to Albirex.

“We definitely don’t deserve to win, it wasn’t the best performance from us.

“Frustration kicked in after we conceded the third, fourth and fifth goal in quick succession.

“Our play was all over the place, discipline is an important game, and regardless of the scoreline, we need to keep it tight and compact as a team.

“We need to review where did it go wrong for us and regroup before the next game.”

Ends.