This match was a tough watch sometimes, although that makes for a very easy post-match thoughts article to write. There really wasn’t much to write about this game as our Sailors never even had to get out of first gear, and were untroubled for the entirety of the 90 minutes. It’s a transition year for Albirex, and they did have a couple of suspensions, but their approach to the game was entirely unrecognisable, even if it was understandable. I’ll elaborate.
Damage Limitation
Considering that Albirex have a chance to make the top 4, it wasn’t surprising to see them start by being compact in defence, and unwilling to break their shape. I wrote down in my notes, with the match clock showing 5:55 minutes, that Albirex had in that time tried 3 aimless long balls hoping to find Shingo Nakano in behind our defence. What was notable is that no one else made any attempt to chase the long ball down as well – only Shingo.
In the 15th minute, Hassan Sunny also received a warning from the referee for time-wasting from a goal kick. In the 15th minute. Again, understandable against quality opposition, but not something I am used to seeing, given that Albirex are the reigning champions.
What was not so understandable, and alot more baffling, was Albirex continuing to sit back and waste time when the Sailors were 1-0 up, and 2-0 up. This was a Sailors team that clearly looked like they couldn’t wait for 18 May to come soon, and were potentially there for the taking if Albirex had pushed a bit harder. The gold patch on the Albirex players’ sleeves could not have looked more out of place.
Albirex were content to be in damage limitation mode right from the get-go, and I am not sure how I feel about that. Might sound crazy, but there is a hint of sadness that one of the most-anticipated matches in the fixtures list of seasons past, is now just another game.
The Run-In
With 5 games each for the top 3 to play, Geylang International are officially out of the running after our victory over Albirex. We have a healthy 8-point lead over BG Tampines, and a vastly superior goal difference. These are the remaining fixtures for both teams –
We need 7 points from the remaining 5 games, and I think only the most pessimistic Sailors fan would think that’s a problem. And that 7-point tally assumes that BG Tampines win all the remaining 5 games.
I think we are definitely hot favourites to win the title, but we will want to rack up the points in the next 3 games so that we can fully rest everyone for the Balestier Khalsa game, which is a mere 4 days before the ACL2 final.
Conclusion
Short post-match thoughts for a pretty uneventful match. Had Shawal and Lennart been a little more clinical, we could have racked up a big scoreline that would have reflected the reality of this game. However, a win’s a win.
The players’ muted celebrations at the final whistle told its own story. It was a clean sheet and another win that brings us closer to the title, but this is not the same fixture it once was, and what a shame that is.
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!
