DPMM FC suffered back-to-back defeats in the new year after they were beaten 2-0 by Geylang International FC in the Singapore Premier League 2024/2025 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas last night.
His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik as well as Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim, Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah, Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda Muhammad Aiman and Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Faathimah Az-Zahraa’ Raihaanul Bolkiah were present at the football match.
The result left them five points behind Balestier Khalsa in sixth place, while Geylang International closed the gap to second place to within two points of Tampines Rovers.
The visitors showed initiative in the early stages of the match with a host of chances as Ryoya Taniguchi rattled his header against the crossbar following a corner.
The next opportunity saw DPMM FC goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski needing to parry away a fierce drive from Tomoyuki Doi, highlighting the offensive threat that Geylang possessed.
It was all one-way traffic for the relentless Eagles as Taniguchi forced a save from the busy Naumovski.
The home side had their moments with Miguel Oliveira enjoying some freedom on the flanks, but new signing Davis Ikaunieks could not direct the ball towards goal.
It took a quality strike to break the deadlock as Tomoyuki belted a screamer to beat a hapless Naumovski in the 39th minute.
The Gegar-Gegar men pressed forward as Azwan Ali Rahman’s dazzling run was interrupted by the Geylang defence before he received another opportunity. A frenzied five-minute spell saw goalkeeping custodian Rudy Khairullah called into action with a double save, firstly preventing the ball from sneaking its way into goal before keeping a leg out to deny Azwan.
Just when the hosts thought they had momentum on their side, Md Noor Ali’s charges hit them with a sucker punch with the second goal that they badly craved. The head coach played a crucial role with his changes as the newly-introduced Iqbal Hussain floated the ball into the area and was met by Taniguchi, who had to do some work to send the ball home.
The Eagles were denied a third after the excellent Tomoyuki, who was causing havoc in the home defence, saw his shot crash against the crossbar. One of the key battles on the pitch was the duel between DPMM FC’s Najib Tarif and Geylang’s Naqiuddin Eunos, and the latter nearly found his teammate, who snapped his shot harmlessly wide.
The hosts enjoyed a succession of corners deep into injury time, but the absence of finishes summed up their performance. – Fadhil Yunus
