May 2025

In the 49th minute of the game, Ryu Hardy put in a late challenge on Song after he passed the ball. It went unpunished as the referee played advantage. That was part 1. Part 2 then saw Ryu Hardy once again go in from behind to challenge Song, who was caught on his blind side. This time, Song unfortunately was injured by the challenge, and he spent a long time on the floor with the physios and the doctor on standby. It looked a concerning injury, and he was stretchered off with his neck in a supportive brace. Fingers crossed for him. Let’s dive into some thoughts on the incident, and also the rest of the match. The Song Injury It is debatable whether it was a foul or not, and I think the referee cannot be faulted on both occasions Ryu Hardy challenged Song. My opinion was that it was a fair, but hard challenge. Ryu came in to win the ball and had his eyes fixed on the ball, and inadvertently left his shoulder and arm in during the challenge. I did want to mention one thing that viewers from home might not have seen. I have since tried to watch the replays on Youtube and unfortunately those replays only support part of what I am gonna say next about Ryu Hardy. But here goes anyway. I don’t know Ryu Hardy personally and I don’t know what he is like in person, but I found some of his conduct on the pitch after injuring Song to be very troubling. First, he would know that he had a physical aerial challenge with Song, and Song came off worse. His immediate reaction was to shrug his shoulders – as if he felt that Song had exaggerated his injury. You can see his immediate reaction for yourself. This part wasn’t the worst. I guess he might not have immediately realised the severity of the injury. However, in the minutes after when first the physios, and then the doctor came onto the pitch, I think it became clear to everyone that this was a serious head injury. To my surprise, I saw Ryu Hardy laughing and smiling throughout this time that Song was receiving treatment. Now, I don’t know for sure what his mindset was then, but you compare that with Amir Syafiz, who immediately looked concerned, and stayed around to check on Song’s progress, and you perhaps get a peek into the respective characters of the people involved. I am not usually one to wish injury on players, but I must admit that at one point, seeing Ryu laughing at Song lying prone on the floor like that, made me hope that Ryu Hardy gets his own injury one day so that his opponent can walk away calmly and laugh at him too. However, I accept that is a horrible thought and I take it back. All I hope for is a bit of compassion from players. Both sides give their best and fight hard for their team – but when accidents happen, just be a decent human being la. It’s not hard. As for Song’s injury, let’s hope it’s not too serious and he comes back to the team asap. Return to the Scoresheet for Maxime Lestienne After discussing this very topic in the preview article, it is perhaps timely that Maxime finally got back on the scoresheet. His accurate freekick in the 2nd half made the scoreline safe, and ensured that we pick up a second routine win in a week. He was also dangerous throughout, and aside from his goal, he tested the keeper, hit the post, and created chances for Shawal. It was not quite Maxime back to his best, but he’s getting there. Someone who is very much at his best though, is Bart Ramselaar. Super Bart Ramselaar I don’t quite know what is more impressive, Bart Ramselaar’s goal or his assist. The goal was brilliantly constructed and as much as Bart’s technique was brilliant, Diogo Costa’s part in the goal was important as well. First, he flicked it round the corner first time for Bart and the quick interplay set Bart on the path to goal. However, what Diogo did next was crucial. He burst forward past Bart and into the box, and for just one split-second, on-loan defender Bill Mamadou took a step to the right to track Diogo Costa’s run. That little bit of space was all Bart needed, and he let fly, hitting the ball into the top corner. It was reminiscent of his goal against Sydney FC, and in the second half of the season, Bart Ramselaar has really come to life. In the league, he is now on 10 goals and 9 assists, registering 1.26 goal contributions per 90 minutes. This compares favourably to Maxime’s 1.46, and Shawal’s 1.39. Lennart leads the way with 1.65. Considering his slow-ish start to the season, Bart seems to have sparked into life at the best time. Let’s hope this form continues untl the end of the season as we continue our quest for league and cup(s) glory. Conclusion Yet another three points, and we move yet closer to the title. It was as routine as a win gets, and despite Young Lions’ equaliser, the win never felt in doubt. An 11-point gap could be closed back to 8 again if BG Tampines beats Hougang tonight. So… come on Hougang, we’ll all be behind you. Till this Sunday’s game against Geylang! Written by Eddy Hirono If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!