Our Sailors were far from their sparkling best against Tanjong Pagar United, but came out of the game with a crucial three points. These three points allow us to stay in the title race (mathematically but not realistically), but more importantly help halt the losing run. We will need some momentum going into the AFC Champions League and also the Singapore Cup, so even though the league is gone, we must win all the games remaining to get some confidence back.
I have seen many suggestions that the Sailors were lucky to win the game, but is that really a fair assessment of the game? Let me share some of my thoughts on that.
Fashah Man of the Match
Coach Ranko paid tribute to Fashah’s Man of the Match performance after the game, and it was clear to everyone in attendance that he was having a good game.
As early as the 3rd minute, Fashah did well to stand up and spread himself to deny Adam Swandi from point-blank range. In the 40th minute, it was that man again, making a vital save from close range as it looked to all of us like Adam Swandi was bound to score.
He was blameless for the 2nd and 3rd goals scored by us, and even though the 1st goal came as a result of a dodgy goal kick, he did manage to make a good save from Diego Lopes’s shot. It was just unfortunate that the rebound fell right to Maxime Lestienne.
The Sailors actually created many chances and shots on goal, and had it not been for Fashah’s imperious form, I think we would have been out of sight far before Tanjong Pagar scored their second goal. He made 8 saves, and the stats showed that in terms of xG, he should have conceded 4.72 goals. His interventions were vital.
Illusion of Luck – Combination of Timing + Circumstance
With stats like these, and the xG of 4.72 (Sailors) v 1.3 (Tanjong Pagar), it is perhaps a little strange that people felt the Sailors were lucky.
I think it’s a combination of timing and circumstance, in that the Sailors were behind from the 64th minute all the way until Maxime was fouled for the penalty in the 76th minute. Neutral observers probably felt that Tanjong Pagar was close to pulling off a shock win, until the rash challenge by Raihan Rahman. On that point, I have seen suggestions that it is not a penalty and that Raihan got the ball first. I’d suggest in the most delicate terms, that these people might want to see their optician, and get a new pair of spectacles made. Take a look at the link below, watch it from both angles provided, and I am sure you will agree. I have stopped the time at just before the replays for your convenience.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, back to the point. When a penalty comes as a result of a poor decision by our opponents rather than us “earning” it, I think there is a tendency for people to chalk it up to “luck”. Simply put, Raihan Rahman should have calmed himself down, and coolly hoisted the ball away. He did not need to go in with full swing to whack the ball away. Once he made up his mind to do that, and the ball took an awkward bobble, he had already committed to the swing and thus he ended up kicking Maxime.
There was a lengthy VAR check and there were some suggestions that he should have been sent off for a reckless challenge. I think the referee considered the fact that his intention was probably not to kick Maxime. Probably the right decision in the end.
The winner from Shawal came 5 minutes before the end of the game as well, adding to the feeling that the Sailors “got away” with the win.
Given the stats, I’d disagree with that point. Albirex beat the Sailors in very similar circumstances as well when it came to the timing of goals, having to come from behind, etc, and we gave them full credit for the comeback. I choose to give our Sailors credit for the comeback too.
Sleep-walking Defending
At times in the first half, people around me commented that the game felt like a pre-season friendly. It did have such a vibe. It seemed like players were not really snapping into challenges, allowing their opponents time and space to saunter around the pitch, and pick out their passes. It was from one such pass that led to TPU scoring from the spot. A routine long ball + some miscommunication ended up being costly as it resulted in a penalty being conceded, and Hafiz Nor getting a yellow card which leaves him suspended for the next game.
I felt this sleep-walking vibe continued into the second half as well – Akram Azman was given way too much time and space to amble into the box and pick his spot.
If we continue defending like that, we will be taken apart by Spurs and the AFC Champions League teams.
Maxime Lestienne + Asis
In a season where we are unlikely to win the league, my focus has shifted to hoping that Maxime finishes as top-scorer and also wins the Player of the Season gong. This was probably the easiest brace of his career, slotting in from 1 yard out, and converting a penalty, but it leaves him level on goals with Ryoya Taniguchi – I think it is gonna be crucial to match or exceed his goal tally, please give the powers that be no excuse for taking away Player of the Season from him for two years in a row.
Shout-out to Asis as well. In our post-match interview of the fans, aside from the usual flowers for Maxime Lestienne, a fan also singled out Asis for praise. The U21 captain came on, played almost half an hour, and did not look out of place at all. He aided the side in ball retention, showed some good touches, and even drove with the ball on a couple of occasions. Promising cameo!
Conclusion
3 points and it feels nice to be on the winning side of a comeback. Nothing much more to add – preview for the Spurs game coming soon!
Written by Eddy Hirono
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