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Albirex keep quadruple dreams alive with 2-0 win over DPMM in League Cup Final

SINGAPORE- Before the start of the S.League season, Albirex Niigata had clearly stated their intentions of completing a historic clean sweep of all four trophies on offer in local football.

Albirex Niigata lifting their second trophy of the season after winning the Charity Shield at the start of the season. The White Swans are aiming to win all four local football titles this season. Photo: S.League.com

Albirex Niigata lifting their second trophy of the season after winning the Charity Shield at the start of the season. The White Swans are aiming to win all four local football titles this season. Photo: S.League.com

SINGAPORE- Before the start of the S.League season, Albirex Niigata had clearly stated their intentions of completing a historic clean sweep of all four trophies on offer in local football.

On Saturday night (July 30), the White Swans took a huge step towards achieving their goal when they defeated Brunei DPMM 2-0 in the Singapore League Cup final at the Jalan Besar Stadium in front of 2,010 fans.

The Japanese outfit had seen off DPMM at the same venue back in February to win the Charity Shield and they currently hold a four-point lead at the top of the S.League table over nearest rivals Tampines Rovers. They are also in the semi-final of the Singapore Cup.

Albirex took the lead in the 42nd minute of a tightly-contested first half when midfielder Tatsuro Inui picked out Rui Kumada unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and the defender rifled in an unstoppable effort into the top left hand corner.

They then had a golden opportunity to seal the win in the 63rd minute but DPMM goalkeeper Wardun Yussof denied midfielder Kento Nagasaki at point blank range before captain Naofumi Tanaka saw his follow-up attempt cleared off the line.

However, it was star forward Atsushi Kawata who sealed the win in the 79th minute he thumped home yet another one of his trademark headers from Nagasaki’s corner.

“It was a tough game for us but the first goal was important,” said Albirex head coach Naoki Naruo. “Hopefully this win can spur us on to perform even better and win our first league title.”

He added however that the league campaign will be a tough slog. “Some teams in the League Cup missed players due to national team duties so they will be stronger in the S.League. Right now, I will take one game at a time and not think about the league title just yet,” he said.

DPMM head coach Steve Kean believes Albirex have what it takes to win all trophies on offer. “Albirex are a really tough team to beat,” he said. “They lacked experience last season but they have added it this year. Plus, they have an excellent record at home and also at the Jalan Besar Stadium.”

In the Plate final earlier in the evening, Geylang International defeated Hougang United 2-1 to win their first piece of silverware since they won the S.League title in 2001.

After a rather drab opening half hour, the Eagles took the lead in the 32nd minute when Filipino forward Mark Hartmann chipped Hougang goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin following a cross from defender Anders Aplin.

It was 2-0 three minutes later when midfielder Shawal Anuar dribbled past three defenders before keeping his composure to finish into the bottom right hand corner.

Hougang pulled a goal back just before half time when captain Jozef Kaplan curled in an unstoppable effort into the top right hand corner after being picked out by team-mate Fumiya Kogure.

However, the Cheetahs failed to break down a disciplined Geylang defence in the second half as their record of not having won a trophy in their history went on.

Despite the defeat Hougang head coach K.Balagumaran remained optimistic that his side would bounce back strongly for the rest of the season. “The boys played well and created many chances so I cannot ask for much more,” he said.

“I believe we will regroup and can still look forward to achieving our target of a top-five finish in the league.

“We will learn from this defeat and bounce back stronger.”

Meanwhile his counterpart Hasrin Jailaini, who has now picked up a piece of silverware in his first season of management, said:  “Massive credit to my players. We controlled the game in the first half and defended really well in the second half to see out the win.”

“We have won three matches in a row in the League Cup and I want us to keep this winning momentum going in the league and finish the season strongly.”

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