DPMM FC seized control of top spot in Group ‘A’ of the Singapore Cup 2023 following a 1-0 win over Tampines Rovers FC at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Friday.
The visitors had an opportunity to deal their rivals with an early setback as forward Boris Kopitovic’s effort required a fingertip save from DPMM FC goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski.
Building on from a promising start, Tampines Rovers captain Yasir Hanapi produced a great ball into the box but Joel Chew came second-best to Naumovski one-on-one.
The Stags came close to open the scoring after Shah Shahiran saw his shot graze against the bar much to the relief of the home defence.
The hosts were awarded a penalty following a VAR review for possible handball in the 63rd minute as Farshad Noor tucked away to gift DPMM FC the lead.
It was end-to-end action that would excite any neutral as both Hakeme Yazid bin Said and Boris Kopitovic left the fans at the edge of their seats.
DPMM FC Head Coach Adrian Pennock said, “We are in a Group of Death.
“We got four points in our first two games so it is incredible.”
He added, “But again, credit to the boys! They have a big heart and they gave me everything. We need a little bit of luck as well but I thought it was a penalty. It gives us confidence but it is not over. We got to be sensible and there is no point celebrating at the moment.”
The head coach asserted, “We want to qualify. There is still a lot of football to be played.”
Meanwhile his opposite number Tampines Rovers Head Coach Gavin Lee said, “I think it’s frustrating because before the penalty we kept them quiet on the set-plays and transition.
“I thought we did well but I think we kind of shot ourselves on the foot with the penalty.”
He continued, “The game became quite open in the end and that’s natural because we were chasing the goal.”
The Gegar Gegar men will continue their campaign against Geylang International FC – who stunned Albirex Niigata 2-1 – at Our Tampines Hub on October 22. – Fadhil Yunus
