Eagles suffer 4-1 defeat to Hougang United

The Eagles suffered their second defeat in the Singapore Cup on Tuesday after they were beaten 4-1 by Hougang United despite taking the early lead at the Hougang Stadium.

They remain at the bottom of Group B but still stand a mathematical chance of advancing into the last four provided they beat Tanjong Pagar United by more than three clear goals and for Tampines Rovers to beat Hougang on Sunday.

Hazzuwan Halim got the Eagles ahead as early as the ninth minute after heading in from close range. However, they would lose that advantage after a diving header by Shawal Anuar in the 35-minute allowed the Cheetahs to draw level.

After going into the half-time break all square, Hougang United grabbed the lead for the first time when Amy Recha volleyed home off a cross by Andre Moritz in the 48th minute. A corner by Zulfahmi Arifin in the 55th minute found the head of Moritz, who made no mistake in guiding the ball into the back of the net to extend Hougang’s lead.

Kristijan Krajcek then sealed the victory for the home side when he powered his shot pass Zaiful Nizam 15 minutes from time to cap a second-half comeback for the Cheetahs.

Geylang International Head Coach Noor Ali said: “It was a tough defeat but there’s no time to dwell on this. It’s not over yet and we still have a chance of making it into the semi-final if we beat Tanjong Pagar on Sunday. We need to stay positive and believe in ourselves.”

Ends.