Eagles share spoils with the Stags in thrilling derby clash

Geylang International fended off the stiff challenge from third-placed Tampines Rovers, holding them to a thrilling 1-1 draw in their Eastern Derby clash at Our Tampines Hub on Sunday.

The Eagles had to come from behind with the superb solo move from Vincent Bezecourt in the 17th minute to deny the Stags all three points.

The French ace’s strike came just a minute after Tampines opened their scoring through their Montenegrin hotshot Boris Kopitovic, who claimed his 13th goal of the season.

A lapse of concentration from Geylang’s defence proved costly as an unmarked Kopitovic beat Hafiz Ahmad with relative ease with a close-range header after being fed with a fine cross from Joel Chew on the right flank.

The Stags too had their share of defensive blunders and they were swiftly punished by Bezecourt.

After pouncing on a sloppy pass from Shuya Yamashita, Bezecourt delightfully beat his next marker Shah Shahiran before putting the ball past goalie Syazwan Buhari.

That turned out to be Bezecourt’s final and crucial contribution of the match before limping out through a left knee injury in the 27th minute.

Five minutes earlier, Bezecourt had taken a knock following a challenge from Yamashita which required medical attention.

The absence of Bezecourt undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Geylang’s hopes, but they displayed resilience as they regrouped to protect the scoreline.

Despite Tampines’ relentless attacks, Geylang’s defence held firm until the final whistle, with their goalkeeper, Hafiz Ahmad, coming up with two crucial saves, including an impressive stop from a point-blank header by Kyoga Nakamura in the 66th minute.

Head coach Noor Ali commended the team for their hard-earned draw, which has now extended their unbeaten run to three matches.

“The team displayed fantastic effort throughout the entire 90 minutes. Losing Vincent was undoubtedly a major setback for us in terms of our attacking options,” said Noor.

“However, credit must be given to the boys for their strong defensive performance throughout the match. They have been exceptional in our last three games and have worked tirelessly, understanding the importance of every single point.

“The one point we gained tonight is another significant one for us. If only Vincent could have remained on the pitch, his composure and experience would have made a difference.”

With the season entering its crucial closing stage, Noor is anxiously hoping that Bezecourt’s injury is not serious.

“At this stage, we have to cope without Vincent. Hopefully, his injury is not too severe, and he will be able to return in time. We are already dealing with several injuries within the squad,” lamented Noor. “In any case, we need to start preparing the team for the possibility of Vincent’s absence.”