Tanjong Pagar United end six-match hoodoo with 1-1 draw
This season’s Singapore Premier League (SPL) had been a source of torment for Raihan Rahman, who could only watch as a frustrated spectator while his former team Tanjong Pagar United struggled.
On Jan 18, that frustration found a release as the defensive midfielder came off the bench to set up fellow substitute Sahil Suhaimi for the equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against the Young Lions at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
While the Jaguars remain rooted to the bottom of the nine-team SPL – 10 points behind their opponents after 20 games – the veteran pair’s contributions helped Tanjong Pagar end a six-game losing streak in interim coach Noh Alam Shah’s first match in charge.
Following his release by the club at the end of last season, Raihan became a freelance coach while playing in the Singapore Football League Division 1 with Yishun Sentek Mariners.
After Alam Shah became interim coach in December, Raihan took up a playing offer till the end of the season and was also appointed as the club’s Under-15 coach.
Raihan, 33, said: “Teams in the league were all signing younger players and I accepted that, but I still felt that I could contribute to a team. I watched the games and I really wanted to be able to come back and help the team.
“I know what it feels like to lose game after game. In 2020, in my first season at the club, we did not win a game at all. So I felt like I could really help the team with my experience and leadership.
“I am glad to be given the chance and hopefully we can go on to get more points.”
In a game of little quality, a penalty in the 53rd minute was needed to break the deadlock. Young Lions’ Japanese midfielder Kaisei Ogawa converted from the spot past Jaguars’ new goalkeeper Matt Silva, after Shahrin Saberin was penalised for handball.
In the 75th minute, Raihan’s corner was headed in by Sahil.
Sahil, 32, said that Alam Shah’s return to the club, after a six-month attachment with J1 League club Tokyo Verdy, has reinvigorated everyone. Sahil himself has been on a journey of redemption.
Starting the season out of shape at around 80kg, he has since shed nearly 10kg by “eating better and just running a lot”. Sahil said: “Age is just a number and I want to prove that I still belong in this game. I want to help the team as much as I can and motivate the younger players. I want to do well because at the end of the day we are playing for our contracts (for next season).”
While Alam Shah was frustrated that the Jaguars could not get their first clean sheet of the season, he praised their defensive organisation. On the veteran duo, he said: “Raihan is an asset for us on set pieces and the result was thanks to both Sahil and him. But we cannot just rely on both of them. The others must step up.”
Young Lions interim coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi rued “two points lost” for his side, adding: “We dominated much of the game... If we could have defended a little bit better during the set piece, I think we could have had the three points.”
At the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan, Geylang International tightened their grip on third spot with a 2-0 win over hosts Brunei DPMM.
Analysis
Both goals in the Young Lions’ 1-1 draw with Tanjong Pagar came from dead-ball situations, which shows the struggles of the SPL’s bottom two teams to find the net.
With the departure of Japanese forward Itsuki Enomoto and winger Farhan Zulkifli, who scored 17 of the Young Lions’ 32 goals this season, the team urgently need a new talisman. As for Tanjong Pagar, Salif Cisse must stay fit to add to his six goals, having already missed eight games this season. Both teams are likely to struggle till the season ends.
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