BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

Yasir Hanapi (with ball) scored in the 26th minute While the 1-1 draw against Indonesian side Persipura Jayapura that might have dented their chance of advancing forward to the next round, it was an improved performance by an S.League club in this round of the AFC Cup group stages with Home United restored the much-needed pride for the Singapore clubs in the second-tier continental club tournament. The result came after the forgettable 5-0 washout by Hong Kong's Kitchee SC over Tampines Rovers in late February in another group stages match that cast a doubt if any of the Singapore representatives would able to make it to the round of 16 of the competition. Lee Kwan Woo (13) tussled with Im Junsik As a team representing the Singapore professional football league, Home United's Korean coach Lee Lim Saeng emphasized his will to do well in the tournament, which he last led the reigning Singapore Cup holders to the octo-finals back in 2012, in spite of the thin squad he

(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you) Friendly - Geylang Int'l 1-0 Tampines Rovers 25/1/14 Alex Duric (left) doubled-up as a stretcher man  First compilation of the year with the hosting Eagles beat the defending #sleague champions 1-0 at Bedok Stadium with a Leonel Felice strike from the spot in the dying minutes. Another challenge task as I had constantly battle with the changing light conditions amid the evening sunset. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES ACL Playoff - Tampines Rovers 1-2 South China AA 2/2/2014 The Stags did not have a good competitive start to the year with a 2-1 loss to 南华 of Hong Kong and will them back in the AFC Cup for the third time in running. The loss of the reigning S.League champions meant Balestier Khalsa will not be competin

Duric (left):"What's wrong with us?" Tampines Rovers got off from a worst possible start with this 5-0 thrashing to Kitchee SC of Hong Kong in their AFC Cup opener at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The reigning S.League champions found themselves featuring in the second-tier Asian club tournament following their exit from the elite Asian Champions League (ACL) where they lost to another Hong Kong side, South China AA in the playoff weeks ago . However, it does not mean the Stags have it easy either in this tournament, which used to be a breeze for them in the group stages in the past. Impressive Jordi (18) tormented Stags In fact, the ripping apart from the Blue Wave on the team laden with experience on the continent front would suggest the widening of the gap between the two former British colonies in footballing terms. The dominating of possession right from the start enabled Kitchee to dictate the rhythm of the game with their usual style of swift passing on

Off to Asia again with this Cup win by Home United Should we say the emphasis on match fitness by Home United coach Lee Lim Saeng paid off with that emphatic display that shredded Tanjong Pagar United apart in the RHB Singapore Cup final? Just days ago a friend of mine suggested that the Protectors are the fittest side among the S. League clubs with the tough regime imposed by the former Korean international since his arrival at the Bishan-based club three years ago. All it took was two quick set-pieces goals in the early stages of the first half to inflict the damage on their opponents to set the momentum right for Home United to wrap up their second Cup win under Coach Lee with a convincing 4-1 scoreline. Shahril Jantan won the Cup two-on-a-roll Seemingly agreeing with the opening notion, Home United's 'keeper Shahril Jantan offered his thoughts to this blogger after the match. Said the decorated custodian: "I think that this team is fitter as compared to

Three-peat for Tampines Rovers  Unlike the previous two seasons that saw tight finishing to the S . League title race, Tampines Rovers had a relatively easy ride (amid some scares along the way) on their route to retaining the trophy. Thanks to their closest rivals Albirex Niigata (Singapore)'s defeat to Balestier Khalsa last Sunday, the Stags were declared the league champions without kicking a ball and had their trophy presentation took place right after their 1-1 draw against Tanjong Pagar United last evening at home. The presentation coincided with the Asian Champions League (ACL) final which took place on the same night and it's no secret the now five-time S. League champions have long harbour the thoughts to compete with the continent's elite. Wonder if I would get another chance? Depending on the outcome of the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) criteria check weeks ago on the S . League (which is due to release next month), Tampines would then

(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you) Prime League - Balestier Khalsa 1-3 Tanjong Pagar Utd 20/4/13 The visitors walked away with a 3-1 win over the hosts whom being the defending champions have not able to get off to a good start in their title defending campaign. Under the scorching encounter saw a rather evenly-matched first 45, before the floodgates opened in the second half to see the Jaguars wrapped up all three points, although a free-for-all in the same half saw them reduced to ten men. Glad the lightning was alright, despite the movement of the clouds that resulted the forming of shaded, thus caused the frequent changes in the camera setting. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES AFC Cup Warriors 0-2 Semen Padang 24/4/2013 Coupled Tampines Rover's los

AFC Swansong for Duric? As he strolled off the pitch following the end of the AFC Cup Group H match that saw his side Tampines Rovers lost 3-2 to Selangor FA of Malaysia, it could also mean the end of continental involvement as a player for 42-year-old Aleksandar Duric since his appearance with Geylang United in 2004 followed by his stint with SAFFC that included an appearance in the prestigious Asian Champions League in 2009. Definitely not the kind of curtain down that anyone would want for , as it was deemed a "dead-rubber" encounter following Stags' last week loss to Saigon Xuan Thanh to quash any hope of advancement for the defending S . League champions. It concluded that the Stags will be for the second consecutive time not making past the group stages in their last six appearances with their best showing in 2005 to 2007 that saw make them made it to the elimination phrase. The exit from the second-tier Asian club tournament by both Tampines Rovers and

The second goal of the game was scored in the 61st minute Coupled Tampines Rover's loss a day earlier in Vietnam, the 2-0 defeat suffered in the hands of Sumatran club Semen Padang by defending Singapore Cup holders Warriors in the AFC Cup Group E fixture had confirmed the exit of both Singapore clubs from the continental second-tier club tournament. With those results confirmed, it means for the second time in tournament history (Geylang United in 2010) will not see any participating club from the Republic qualified to the second phase of this tournament with Geylang United and Home United being the semi-finalists in the founding year back in 2004. When asked if the result meant Singapore clubs and the rest of the regional clubs are way apart, Warriors coach V Selvaraj felt otherwise. Sufian Anuar mistimed his header for this chance in the first half During the post-match media briefing, the former Singapore striker said: “I felt that our local clubs are good enough

Having listened to what Warriors coach V Selvaraj said after his side's 1-0 win over the under-strength Churchill Brothers of India in this do-or-die AFC Cup decider, I was wondering if I was at the same game as he was at Jalan Besar. Yes, the fact was that I tweeted before the game that the ball was at the eighth-time S.League champions' court to see if they are able to salvage their tattered continental campaign, but for those 363 at the ground watching this dead-pan fixture, I wonder if they felt the same I did after the game. Someone said this statement "No matter how good you played, how bad you played, the important thing is you win the game.", and for that I think that theory was well applied to the hosts' victory this evening. And for the first time ever, I appreciated the activation of the Lightning Warning System (LWS) at halftime to allow the cushioning of the impact of that dreadful first-half display from both sides. The Warriors got off to

Stuck in South East Asia? "...However, there remains much hard work ahead and we will continue to strive towards our goals, work on other areas in which we are lacking, and bring Singapore football to the next level." said FAS President Mr Zainudin Nordin in a media statement , that lauded the achievements by the team and various individuals from victorious Suzuki Cup winning side in the inaugural AFF Awards 2013. In the ceremony held yesterday in Kuantan, the capital of the Malaysian state of Pahang that saw former Lions' coach Raddy Avramovic and Shahril Ishak clinched the "Coach of the Year (Men's Team)" and "Player of the Year (Men)" awards respectively with the likes of Fahrudin Mustafic and Baihakki Khaizan named alongside with Shahril in the "AFF's First XI". While the crowning glory was to appreciate the efforts shown by the national team in the biennial regional tournament with the bragging rights to be called the “

(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you) Prime League: Woodlands Wellington 1-2 Home Utd 09-03-13 "Ooops" I would say the white outfit by Woodlands did make the shooting and focusing easier for my basic lenses in the dim floodlights. The dark background during the night time also help in getting the focusing fast, if both sides are to deck in light-colored jersey and of course the lighting environment is the key as well The result of this match came days after the sides' senior squads clashed days ago at Bishan Stadium. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE MATCH PICTURES AFC Cup - Warriors FC 2-4 Kitchee SC 12/3/2013 The horrendous performance by Warriors FC was absolutely unacceptable for a side that once broke the ceilings to play in the elite ACL. Some soul sear

Jordi's (18) goal led the Kitchee's revival It was by no means an easy task for the most decorated S.League club who are enduring their worst start of the campaign in recent years (without a single point at all fronts before this match). Some patchy plays by the Warriors in the first half had the crowds at the ground hardly convinced they were the likely ones to score (which they did) and witnessed Tatsuro Inui's curler from outside gave them the lead in the 23rd minute with Erwan Gunawan followed in later to double the scorelines in the 29th minute. As such, they took a 2-0 lead before the interval against a much-dominant Kitchee SC from Hong Kong in their AFC Cup Group E encounter at Jalan Besar Stadium. Just as it was thought that the eighth-time S.League champions could have found their way back to their winning ways, tragedy struck right immediately after the game restarted in the second half when the reigning Hong Kong League champions pulled one back in les