Submitted by: Sal & Zhiweiwba | 7th March 2025
THE LAST LAP
And here it is, the final quarter of the season. What are we to make of the recent results???
… pretty much sums up the rollercoaster ride over the past couple months.
It has been a crazy month of February. After a good opening Singapore Cup win against Albirex Niigata on Feb 1, a two week break suddenly derailed all the good work we did in January. Let's delve into this: Hougang United vs Lion City Sailors [SPL 24/25] - Round 4!
CRAZY, CRAZY RESULTS
Our return to action on February 22 saw a 3-3 draw against Young Lions where we were snatched off a comeback win after Dejan Racic’s injury time winner was chalked off. That was a harbinger for worse to come.
Then came an unlucky 1-2 defeat against DPMM. A deflection and a debatable penalty broke Robert’s undefeated streak of 5 games. However, as the age-old adage rings true, when it rains, it pours.
Cue our worst showing this season. Without our frontman, Dejan Racic, who was out with illness for the Singapore Cup tie, the Cheetahs crashed 0-3 against the Young Lions, who broke their winless streak against the Pride of the Northeast that lasted since 2022.
There is much to take stock from. The performances over the past 3 games were certainly of nightmare stuff. That said, there remains some glimmer of light behind the shadows.
Stejpan Plazonja continues to play on beast mode down the left, while Farhan is beginning to put some of his point-blank misses at the back of his mind. With this in mind, we can’t help but let our thoughts wonder to another set of topic…
RED CARDS, REFEREEING DECISIONS?
From tinted glasses, it seems we were shown we had questionable red cards over the last two games. In the league clash against DPMM, Zulfahmi Ariffin was adjudged to have elbowed Gabriel Gama in the face following a VAR review.
The replay certainly absolves Zulfahmi of any malicious intent, and with his back towards the DPMM no. 20, it would be fair to say that luck was somewhat lacking a bit in this one for the Hougang midfielder.
Just three days later, there came another questionable red card and a penalty which killed the Singapore Cup tie against Young Lions. In the midst of reaching out to secure an in-swinging Ogawa corner, Zaiful Nizam and Raoul Suhaimi clashed before collapsing into a heap astride the goal line.
With Raoul clutching his gut, the VAR indicated to the refereeing team that Zaiful had kicked out at the Young Lions defender, and out came the red. Yet, one would be hard-pressed to deny Zaiful the benefit of doubt, especially since Raoul basically landed on top of the Hougang custodian. Talking about the lack of protection for our goalkeepers!
With February now increasingly a distant memory, it remains to be seen if the Cheetahs will continue to have such luck with the on-field decisions. Regardless, when it comes to assessing Hougang United’s next opponent, luck may have a lesser implication on the final scoreline…
SAILING THE WAVES OF HISTORY
The Cheetahs are facing a rather unique situation in setting up for our first game in the month of Ramadan. The league tie against the current league leaders lay smack in the middle of the dual legged clash between ASEAN’s only representative left in the Asian Champion’s League Two and the current leaders on points of arguably Asia’s best league.
With the first half of the knockout clash completed in chilly Hiroshima, the Sailors are back to the tropical sweat hole of Singapore, likely with some heavy contemplative thoughts. A rout by Sanfrecce Hiroshima may have done unspeakable damage to the confidence of the Sailors.
That said, they should have less imperative to push for a semi final spot in the continental competition, as the current aggregate looks to be insurmountable even for the most optimistic of an observer.
This likely just means one thing: that Lion City Sailors will be back to ensure that they will lift two trophies by the end of the season. With pride to play for on Wednesday, the Sailors may choose to field a less experienced but compact team in order to secure some bragging rights after the game against Sanfrecce.
Again, this is merely conjecture at this point. The Sailors could be out for blood, eager to exorcise some of the pain of the heavy loss in Japan. And with confidence shot, and a defence stripped of the reliable Jovan Mugoša, whose season has ended, Hougang could end up presenting the equivalent of an Iftar buffet for the hungry Sailors.
THE TALISMANS OF BISHAN
Despite the lopsided score, there was one name that broke through all the fog of despair: Shawal Anuar. A beloved figure by the Hools till today, Shawal continues to maintain hot streak of in-form performances that made him one of, if not Singapore’s undisputedly best striker.
With the venerable Maxime Lestienne covering the right flank, and Diogo Costa getting praises for his performances so far, the Hougang wingbacks will have to pay extra attention to their defensive roles.
OUR OWN HISTORY
The last time Hougang United could secure a win against LCS was way back in 2021. It thus seems like the odds are heavily in favour of yet another LCS win over the Cheetahs.
While slightly depleted in the roster, the Hougang team will need to pay attention to maintaining a strong backline against the current league leaders. If we can hold out for a long period of time against the Sailors, that may open up opportunities for Farhan and Plazojan to strike in a counterattack before the Sailors could figure out what is going on.
With that, chances are that getting points will be a tough nut to crack, but against a team that was very recently and decisively torn apart by their opponents, could this finally be the Cheetahs time to break the undesirable streak? #1H1H
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Lion City Sailors vs Hougang Quick Report:
- The return of Anders
- Dangermen: Shawal, Lennart, Maxime, Bart
- Use our height advantage!
- Out (Hougang): Jovan Mugosa injured, Zulfahmi suspended
- just counter attack them
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