Gritty Eagles show character in fightback victory over the Tigers

10-man Geylang International showed grit and determination as they came from behind to beat Balestier Khalsa 3-2 at Bishan Stadium, moving to within two points from the top four of the Singapore Premier League table on Friday.

Goals from Yushi Yamaya (47′), Vincent Bezecourt (55′) and Shahfiq Ghani (80′) helped the Eagles secure a welcome return to their winning ways following a two-week international break. The three points will be invaluable as they kickstart the gruelling closing stretch of 11 games over the next nine weeks.

Geylang International had to endure more than half an hour of action in the second half with 10 men after Danish Irfan was shown his second yellow card in the 62 minute.

Fortunately, the visitors were already 2-1 ahead thanks to two quick early second-half strikes from Yamaya and Bezecourt.

Yamaya showcased his brilliant ball control before firing past goalkeeper Hairul Syirhan at the near post to cancel out Ho Wai Loon’s opener in the 36 minute of the first half.

A charged-up Geylang International then took just eight minutes later to secure their second goal- this time it was French ace Bezecourt, who stunned the home side with a superb first-timer even though he had two defenders closing in on him.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Eagles continued to attack in search for more goals.

Their effort eventually paid off when Shahfiq positioned himself nicely to head in a delightful cross from Fadli Kamis.

Although Masahiro Sugita would pull one back with his powerful strike in the 83 minute after cutting from the right flank, the Eagles kept their nerves in check to hold on to the 3-2 scoreline, with Hafiz Ahmad making a crucial point-blank save in the 87 minute.

“I’m definitely proud of my players, we had to play with 10 men for the last 30 mins,” said Head Coach Noor Ali.

“It’s nice to see the confidence the boys are putting in and getting this important win.”

Noor said what delighted him more was his team’s response to his half-time talk and being able to recover strongly at the start of the second half.

“I wasn’t too concerned when we were a man down as we just needed to reorganise the players at the back in terms of positioning. But I think I was more concerned when we were at 1-0 down.

“So, I think the halftime was important for me. I told the boys that they are doing well, just keep going on and the goals will come.

“I also told them the first 15 minutes are very important in the game because we need to get the goal quickly. It’s nice that we got those goals through two good plays and eventually won the game.”

Man-of-the-match Bezecourt was pleased with the team winning again after their previous 3-0 loss to leaders Albirex Niigata just before the break.

“We came back after the break knowing we had to start winning, and today we showed that we are not only a good team despite our injuries and the small numbers, but we can also play with a lot of heart and character,” said Bezecourt.

Ends.