Eagles fall to a late strike by the Cheetahs

A stunning late strike by Andre Moritz from the halfway line put paid to Geylang International’s hopes of salvaging a point as the Eagles lost 3-2 to Hougang United in a dramatic contest at Hougang Stadium on Friday evening.

The match seemed to be heading for a 2-2 draw after Takahiro Tezuka netted a brilliant equaliser for the Eagles in the 88th minute, but the Cheetahs restored their lead almost immediately when Moritz noticed that Zaiful Nizam was off his line and decided to try his luck from the kick-off.

The ambitious shot flew straight into the back of the net to Zaiful’s disbelief and sent the home fans into a frenzy.

Geylang International had only themselves to blame for failing to capitalise on their dream start inspired by Croatian hotshot Sime Zuzul as early as the fourth minute.

The new signing opened his scoring account after he chested a cross from Hazzuwan Halim before unleashing a powerful shot to beat Ridhuan Barudin from close range.

Zuzul surely loves score against Hougang United as he has scored five past the Cheetahs, including four with Balestier Khalsa during the past two seasons.

The goal, however, counted for nothing as the visitors failed to make further ground in the remainder of the opening half, which they dominated.

They had one of their best chances in the 38th minute through Vincent Bezecourt, but the Frenchman was let down by a poor finish from his left foot after receiving a tidy through pass from Tezuka.

Hougang started the second half brightly and came close twice in a short space of the first six minutes, but they were denied by the brilliance of Zaiful.

In the 55th minute, Geylang could have doubled the lead once again, but neither Bezecourt, Zuzul and Hazzuwan managed to convert any of the three opportunities in succession inside the six-yard box.

The Eagles continued their relentless hunt for the second for the next 15 minutes but to no avail.

The visitors finally conceded in the 71st minute when Moritz got lucky as his shot deflected past Zaiful.

Just as Noor Ali charges were trying to regroup, Hougang was awarded the penalty kick after Huzaifah Aziz clumsily brought down Shawal Anuar barely a minute later.

Amy Recha, former Eagles star, then took the spot-kick and duly delivered to make it 2-1 for his new club.

Still, Geylang International did not give up and tried to find their way back into the game, and when Tezuka drew level, they must have thought it was good enough for them to at least walk away with a point.

But in the end, it was the home side that had the last laugh with Moritz’s goal.

Despite the narrow defeat, Head coach Noor Ali was proud of his charges and believed the result simply did not reflect the performance of his charges.

“I thought we were the better team of the day. But the better team may not necessarily win sometimes, that’s football,” lamented Noor.