Our Singapore Premier League Team Of The Week #8

Once again, it was goals galore in the Singapore Premier League, and we have selected our best eleven from this past weekend’s matches. Tampines and Hougang were in red hot form this game week, with both clubs scoring 5 goals each in their respective wins over Balestier and Geylang. Elsewhere, Albirex narrowly beat the Young Lions while Lion City Sailors, still under the charge of Robon Chitrakar, overcame Tanjong Pagar United.

We also want to take this opportunity to remind our readers to catch the fixtures online and not come down to watch the games. The best way for us to support our teams right now is to be socially responsible, and we hope that everyone abides by the new regulations. After all, the last thing we would want is the suspension of the SPL again (touch wood).

The Defence

Syazwan Buhari – GK [Tampines Rovers]

Syazwan Buhari would most probably have had a clean sheet had it not been for the penalty that Ryaan Sanizal gave away. The Stags custodian pulled off some important saves to ensure that his team maintained their four-goal advantage over the Tigers.

Kazuki Hashioka [Albirex Niigata]

The skipper once again features in this week’s team of the week with another solid showing against the Young Lions. Hashioka’s makes the cut after he makes yet another assist – a brilliant cross that found Nicky Melvin Singh in the penalty box, who was not going to miss from there.

Jorge Fellipe [Lion City Sailors]

With the Sailors trailing against the Jaguars, the towering Brazilian helped equalize from a Shadhan Sulaiman corner in the second half. As much as I’ve been critical of Jorge as a defender, you cannot deny that he is a real asset to have in attack. His height is his biggest weapon, and he demonstrated how to best use it here.

Ryaan Sanizal [Tampines Rovers]

The fullback has been largely deployed as a centre-back this season, and despite a calamitous error that led to Balestier earning a penalty, Sanizal was decent in defence. Furthermore, he technically made amends for his first-half error by notching a goal in the second – heading in a brilliant Armin Bošnjak cross.

The Midfield

Idraki Adnan [Hougang United]

I don’t think Idraki gets the attention that he deserves. Another week and yet another goal. Currently, he has three this season. The winger also helped open the floodgates with a low driven pass to assist Tomoyuki Doi and would later also assist Shawal Anuar. Truly underrated, and he deserves the surprise call up for the World Cup qualifiers.

Diego Lopes [Lion City Sailors]

The multi-million-dollar man makes his mark yet again. After a quiet first half, Diego made his presence felt in the second. After assisting Gabriel Quak, who scored a delicious goal himself, he capped off the night with a goal of his own, scoring Sailors’ third goal.

Zehrudin Mehmedović [Tampines Rovers]

The Serbian was not going to miss out on the action that his fellow Balkan players were in. His cross to Marc Ryan Tan helped the young starlet score his first professional goal, while Mehemdović also earned the Stags a penalty by drawing a foul in the penalty box.

Armin Bošnjak [Tampines Rovers]

The towering Montenegrin winger completed a hattrick of assists and with each passing week seems to be filling Jordan Webb’s shoes. His first cross found fellow Montenegrin Boris Kopitović, who was never going to miss. His second one helped Marc Ryan Tan head in his second goal, and his final cross found Ryaan Sanizal, who duly found the back of the net.

The Attack

Boris Kopitović [Tampines Rovers]

Big Bad Boris Kopitović strikes once again, and he brings his tally to 11 goals this season after a brace against Balestier Khalsa. The towering Montenegrin reminded his fellow contenders for the Golden Boot that he’s still in the running. A simple finish following Armin Bosjnak’s cross and a solid penalty, it’s a shame that Big Bad Boris couldn’t complete his hat-trick.

Marc Ryan Tan [Tampines Rovers]

As Patrick Kinghorn coined it, the M R T is in service, and it’s chugging along really well. The right-winger isn’t the tallest player on the field, but Marc Ryan Tan wasn’t about to let his height stop him from jumping up to score brilliant headers, and in doing so, his first two professional goals. Steven Tan must be proud.

Tomoyuki Doi [Hougang United]

After a relatively lengthy spell without a goal, the Japanese sensation finally added to his tally of 11 goals by scoring a brace, bringing his total goals to 13. Doi would also register 2 assists in a game where the Cheetahs run rampant. With Doi seemingly back to scoring ways, the rest of the league must be on red alert.

Special Mentions

Image Credits to Singapore Premier League, Tampines Rovers and Albirex Niigata