| Fadhil Yunus |
DPMM FC secured their best ever finish in the Singapore Cup as this year’s runners-up despite falling to a 4-1 defeat in the final against the impressive Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore last night.
Albirex switched gears in both halves at their own choosing of time en route to a historic fourth consecutive Singapore Cup title and completed a clean sweep of domestic titles.
The Gegar Gegar men carved a half-hearted chance early on when Adi Said knocked down a lofty ball from the Bruneian defence as Volodymyr Priyomov volleyed wide.
Their forward line took a major hit after Shah Razen Said’s premature end to the game after picking up an injury.
And it got worse for the new finalists after Albirex conjured the opening goal of the game with a smart move. Hiroyoshi Kamata broke clear after a touch and go with a teammate before providing the assist for captain Wataru Murofushi who angled his shot beautifully into the bottom corner.
The advantage doubled in the 33rd minute as Albirex defender Shun Kumagai outleapt the DPMM FC defence to nod the ball onto the path of Adam Swandi who finished with aplomb.
Continuing on their aggression, the White Swans capitalised from sloppy defending as Wataru grabbed his brace in the 64th minute, which further tightened their grip in the contest.
The Japanese outfit then fashioned a typical team-oriented goal as Murofushi’s enterprising run allowed him to thread a pass into Ryujiro Yamanaka who crossed the ball into the middle for Kumagai.
Kumagai then laid the ball for Hiroyoshi Kamata who provided a cool finish for the fourth goal of the night.
Wataru was a thorn in the side as he found the gap for Ryujiro Yamanaka with a precise pass. The midfielder sent a short cross for Kumagai only for Brian McLean to thwart the danger.
Albirex defender Riku Moriyasu skipped his marker with his close control before dribbling the ball into a good position where he found Yamanaka but the midfielder blasted his effort wide.
The Brunei-based side managed a consolation two minutes from time after Azwan Ali Rahman knocked down a cool finish which was attributed to a combination of good work from Abdul Azizi Rahman and momentary lapse of concentration in the Albirex defence.
Meanwhile, Balestier Khalsa sealed third place after beating Home United 5-4 in penalties after both sides could not be separated in a 2-2 draw after extra time.