DPMM FC slipped to a third consecutive loss in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) after a 1-0 defeat to Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Friday.
The first opportunity of the game fell to the Gegar Gegar men as Hakeme Yazid Said’s first-time shot led to Hougang goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam tipping the ball away into the woodwork before the defence eventually cleared off their lines.
Hougang defender Irwan Shah was left open with acres of space to fire a shot which ended straight at DPMM FC goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski.
Amy Recha managed to find space in the box to curl a shot but Kristijan was on hand to tip the ball away for a corner.
Hakeme Yazid tried a shot from range but ended wide while on the other end Dorde Maksimovic’s opportune header was comfortably saved by Naumovski.
DPMM FC forward Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman sensed an opportunity outside the box and produced an effort which flew wide.
The forward, who was deputising the absence of Andrei Varankou, noticed Zaiful Nizam was off his line and took a snapshot from distance but the goalkeeper was able to retrieve the ball.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 73rd minute which occurred due to the brilliance of Hougang captain Zulfahmi Arifin as a pass master.
The midfield maestro collected the ball in the centre circle before ripping the defence apart with a weighed pass into the path of Gabriel Quak, who then squared to the unmarked Maksimovic.
The Serbian had all the space without the defence in sight to steer the ball past Naumovski as Hougang was on their way to a fourth consecutive win. Hougang midfielder Kristijan Krajcek did well to find an opening for a shot and tried to bend the ball into the far post but it was a good reach for Naumovski to palm the ball away.
The Cheetahs’ recent form marks interim head coach Marko Kraljevic’s longest winning run since succeeding Firdaus Kassim at the helm.
DPMM FC will look to return to winning ways against basement dwellers Young Lions next Saturday before they travel to Myanmar to play against Yangon United in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup Preliminary Round 2 four days later. – Fadhil Yunus
