Geylang International move up to fourth in S.League after DPMM win

S.League

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Geylang International notched their second consecutive win in the S.League to climb up to fourth on the table after beating Brunei DPMM FC 2-0 at Bedok Stadium on Thursday evening.

Shahfiq Ghani got the Eagles on their way as he opened the scoring in the 13th minute, before Victor Coto converted from the spot seven minutes after half-time to virtually secure the three points.

The triumph sees Geylang continue their recent superiority over their overseas opponents, with the Bruneian outfit's last head-to-head win coming in 2015.

Perhaps more importantly, it also means that they have got their campaign firmly back on track following a 4-0 loss to Tampines Rovers two weeks ago.

So, it was a disappointing outing for DPMM, especially as it looked certain the 2015 champions would produce some sort of response following last week's 5-3 home loss to Warriors FC.

They did create the game's first opening after five minutes. Billy Mehmet looked set to race through onto Rafael Ramazotti's flick-on header, before Syazwan Buhari was quick off his line to halt the threat.

From then on, the hosts gained the ascendancy, and it did not take long for them to open the scoring.

Coto did well to turn his opponent on the edge of the box and skip past another before crossing to the back post.

Stanely Ng was on hand and, although he failed to cleanly get a shot away, the ball was diverted into the path of Shahfiq. He made no mistake in smashing home from four yards out to make 1-0 before the quarter-hour mark.

The visitors did try to muster a response but they found themselves coming up against a resilient Geylang defence. Youngsters Anders Aplin and Darren Teh looked impressively assured, despite their relative inexperience.

DPMM's best option at getting a goal looked like it would come from set pieces. Ramazotti thought he had done just that when he met Hendra Azam's freekick with a perfectly-placed header into the back of the net, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Yura Indera Putera and Ramazotti had further opportunities by the end of the first half, but failed to make the most from Hendra's excellent dead-ball deliveries.

Meanwhile, Geylang thought they should have had a penalty when Coto appeared to be barged over inside the box by Zeljko Savic, yet nothing was given.

However, six minutes after the restart, there was no denying them a spot kick. Yura hesitated when he should have dealt with a harmless clearance, allowing Shahfiq to pounce and burst through, before dragging him down.

There was little the visitors could complain about the decision. It was Coto who stepped up to the spot, keeping his cool, and sending Wardun Yussof the wrong way to make it 2-0.

The Eagles were now firmly in control. But DPMM could have forced their way back into the contest a minute before the hour mark.

Receiving possession inside the box, Azwan Ali slid a ball through to Ramazotti, and he looked odds on to score from point-blank range until Aplin denied him with a fantastic block.

As the game entered its closing stages, the Bruneians were desperate for a quick goal if they were to have any chance of mounting a fight back.

Their chance arrived in the 75th minute when Azwan pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box, and unleashed a snapshot that was destined for the back of the net.

Nonetheless, it proved to be Geylang's night as Syazwan produced a fine save to tip it over at full stretch. It kept his clean sheet intact and making sure of his side's win in the process.

Geylang International: Syazwan Buhari, Darren Teh, Anders Aplin, Yuki Ichikawa, Al-Qaasimy Rahman, Isa Halim, Safirul Sulaiman, Shahfiq Ghani (Gabriel Quak 81'), Ricardo Sendra (Amy Recha 53'), Stanely Ng (Shawal Anuar 72'), Victor Coto

Brunei DPMM: Wardun Yussof, Rosmin Kamis, Yura Indera Putera, Zeljko Savic, Maududi Hilmi, Nur Ikhwan Othman (Azim Izamuddin 71'), Hendra Azam (Azwan Saleh 71'), Najib Tarif, Azwan Ali, Billy Mehmet, Rafael Ramazotti