Singapore S. League: Albirex Niigata Put An End To Geylang’s Winning Streak

Geylang International's seven-game undefeated streak came to an end on Thursday evening after they were given a 4-2 annihilation by Albirex Niigata (S) at Jurong East Stadium.

Kazuki Sakamoto, Shuhei Hotta, Kazuya Okazaki and Kento Nagasaki carved their names onto the scoresheet while Fabian Kwok and Ridhuan Muhammad scored for the Eagles.

The White Swans took the driver’s seat through Kazuki Sakamoto as they took an early lead in the game.

Leonel Felice made a mis-pass to Kazuya while the midfielder perfectly laid a through ball into space for Sakamoto to lock on to. Protecting Joaquin Lopez away, the latter opened the ball into the bottom corner from 15 yards out.

However, it didn't take long for Geylang to force themselves to level and it was Kwok who only did that with his 50-yard marvel strike in the 32nd minute.

With the Eagles heaping the weight on the striking end, Albirex goalkeeper Kazuki Kishigami was compelled to make a clearance which fell consummately for Kwok.

The midfielder then splendidly struck the ball in mid-air as the ball cruised towards the goal and dipped past Kazuki.

The following half ended up being a more energizing than the first, as spectators were delighted with four more goals.

Afterwards, for the first time in the match, Geylang took the lead.

Kwok turned scorer-provider as he discovered Ridhuan in space for the skipper to place his finish past the hapless Kishigami.

Nonetheless, Albirex set themselves back into the game in under ten minutes through Shuhei. From a Keisuke Ota whipped cross down the right, the skipper executed a striker-esque's completion to impact it into the top corner from the six-yard box on the 54th minute.

The momentum suddenly shifted to Albirex from that point on and they soon recovered the lead in the 71st minute through Kazuya.

From the left, Itsuki Yamada heaved a cross in for the forward to volley into Joey Sim's palms, yet the force of the shot was so much it would have been impossible for the custodian to handle and bungled the ball and permitted it to move past the goal-line.

Nine minutes later, Kento then fixed the win for his side in the wake of setting the ball in the middle of the posts in a one-on-one attempt with Sim.

The Eagles had no possibility to get back and to intensify things, they were reduced to 10 men when Mustaqim Manzur gained marching orders for a second bookable offense in the 85th minute.

Finally, the last whistle was blown by the referee ending the thrilling match between Geylang and Albirex.

Asean All-Stars Bola Sepak News: Singapore Trio Ishak, Harun And Sunny To Reperesent Singapore In A Charity Match

The Singapore trio will be part of the group to tackle Indonesia in an official charity match to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 11.

Former LionsXII duo Shahril Ishak and Hariss Harun together with Warriors FC custodian Hassan Sunny have been chosen to represent Singapore in the Asean All-Stars side who are set to take Indonesia on May 11.

The charity match is expected to raise funds for the casualties of Typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines late last year.

The Singaporean trio will be joined by an assembly of stars from over the area with 10 AFF part countries giving players.

Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam have the most number of delegates while Hassan Sunny is one of just two goalkeepers rang for the match.

In spite of the fact that Piayong Pue-on was relied upon to lead the group, Malaysia national coach, K. Rajagobal will rather assume responsibility with the previous Thailand star being unavailable for the match.

The AFF had additionally targeted previous Singapore coach, Raddy Avramovic who is with Myanmar now; together with previous Thai coach Winfried Schaefer and previous Philippines coach Michael Weiss. Every one of the three was likewise unavailable.

Rajagobal told AFF.com, “We do not have a lot of time but being professionals I believe the players will all be ready for the match. This is more of an exhibition match and what’s important is that we put up a good entertaining football for the fans.

The bottom-line is that we want to contribute to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.”

Indonesia in the interim has named a strong squad also to face the Asean All Stars.

“The match is very important to us. It is not just another game. We are playing against quality players which means they are very capable of playing a very good game and giving us a hard time,” Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl told AFF.

S.League News: Warriors FC Is Set To Bounce Back From Their Defeat

In spite of the 4-1 pounding by Home United in the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League match, Warriors FC coach, Alex Weaver accepted it was a one-off and that his charges were fit for a finer showing than what was conveyed against their uniformed opponents.

Indra Sahdan Daud struck twice after half-time to secure every one of the three points for the Bishan-based club after Hafiz Rahim offset Fazrul Nawaz's opener in the first-half.

Bruno Castanheira then took home the cake in second-half stoppage time to top off a noteworthy execution from Home.

Weaver said in an interview after the match that, “It is very disappointing and we are much better than that.

We stop doing certain things that allowed Home United a bit more space.”

“Our strongest 11 against theirs is better than what we saw tonight and it will be different the next time we play them.”

“Their midfield movement and penetration is very good. We did not deal with that in the second half. We will get back together, have a look at things and move on,” added Weaver.

Weaver was sure that his team won't be influenced by the annihilation and requested that his players relegate a finer execution in future matches.

“We are developing together and we have to rough with the smooth and bounce back from this, for sure.”

Weaver's inverse number Lee Lim Saeng was probably charmed with the win.

Lee whose team bounced back from a 4-1 defeat to Albirex Niigata (S) in the previous round said that, “My players deserved to win the match and I am very happy.”

“First half is not bad, we dominated possession but did not create as much chances as the second half.”

“We only played 10 matches in the league and there are still many matches. Every match is important for us,” Lee concluded.

Thomas Cup Badminton News: Malaysia In Big Trouble As Korea’s Doubles Got Lifted Off The Ban

Malaysia's Thomas Cup errand simply got a ton harder, in the event that it wasn't overwhelming enough.

This is after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) upset the one-year boycott on South Korean doubles Lee Yong-dae and Kim Ki-jung for neglecting to appear for drug tests a year ago.

Yong-dae and Ki-jung who are separately combined with Yoo Yeon-seong and Kim Sa-rang were slapped with the boycott in January this year.

After a review of the case of the duo by the BWF doping panel, it was found out that Lee Yong-dae and Kim Ki-jung were not at fault.

Rather, it was the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) who fizzled in their forethought of players which prompted the pair missing the tests.

The BKA have been fined USD 41,170 (Rm133,703) for their breach of conduct.

In a press statement by the BWF, the Federation expressed that “the doping hearing panel have determined that the information presented at the January hearing was insufficient and ambiguous.”

It likewise stated that the sanction given to Yong-dae and Ki-jung are immediately lifted and the pair is now allowed to continue action instantaneously.

The decision may have been sound for the Korean duo but it spells trouble for Malaysia who are drawn in the same Group C together with Germany and India for the leading team event from May 18 – 15 in New Delhi.

With Malaysia’s doubles’ recent poor performances, passing through group stages may seem impossible.

In any case, national doubles coach Pang Cheh Chang believes that with proper preparation, the doubles still has realistic chance of getting in.

Cheh Chang said, “to be honest, it definitely makes our job a lot tougher now.”

“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t make much difference because my players still need to focus on their own game rather than on the Koreans.

“The Koreans have proven that there is life even without Yong-dae and Ki-jung so it was a challenging task from the start anyway.”

Throughout the nonappearance of Yong-dae and Ki-jung, their usual partners Yeon-seong and Sa-rang consolidated very well to make it to the the semi-finals of the Singapore Open a week ago.

World No. 25 Ko Sung-hyun and Shin Baek-cheol, the third Korean pair, additionally hit a great patch with semi-finals showings in the Singapore meet and the All-England.

Cheh Chang said, “I believe what’s most important for Malaysia is this period of preparation. The team have one month of centralised training without matches to distract them.”

“What my players need to work on now is their weaknesses. After several tournaments, everyone knows where they are weak and that is what we are looking to remedy.

“At the end of the day, I believe we can still pull through if we are well prepared and focused on the task at hand,” Cheh Chang concluded.

Tottenham Hotspur Team talk: Sherwood, To Be Replaced As The Season Ends

The temporary Tottenham Hotspur manager is set to make way for a new as the current season ends. Despite having done a good job with the club, he is set to replace soon.

For the record, Tim Sherwood possessed the best win percentage, 58.8 percent as the club’s manager in the Premier League given his short stay with the Spurs.

Tim Sherwood was Andre Villas-Boas replacement which took in in December. With a thrashing 5-1 final score against Sunderland on Tuesday, Sherwood has proven that he did a great job with the club.

However, despite having a good performance with the Spurs, the 45-year-old’s contract is set only to lasts for 18 months. That being said, Sherwood’s stay with the Spurs will end as the season ends.

According to some news, choices between the Dutchman, Louis van Gaal and Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino are being talked about.

Since learning of the news, it is undeniably understandable that Sherwood will refuse to stay with Tottenham as a number two capacity and spoke of his pride at being able to handle Spurs.

"It's an honour to manage this football club and if you have any questions about my future you'll have to ask my employers.

I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, it's been a great opportunity and I'm very proud to manage here,” Sherwood said on Tuesday.

"You can’t stop the speculation; it’s been there since I took over. It’s up to the football club to answer these questions. In a perfect situation I'd have had a pre-season and brought in my own players.”

2014 AFC Cup Group E News: Home United, Determined For A Sweet Victory

Home United will be up against New Radiant SC in their fourth AFC Cup Group E match on Wednesday night at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Home United is set to take advantage of its strength, playing at their home stadium.

Both teams have less than three points which will almost certainly spell elimination from the competition.

Home United’s coach, Lee Lim Saeng is aware of New Radiant’s capability especially after the club lost from their first group game in Maldives.

However, the Korean coach pointed out that anything is possible in football.

So, his team is looking forward to stepping up in their game for a win against New Radiant.

Lee was noted saying, "We lost to New Radiant in the away match but now we are waiting for the home match tomorrow.

It is not easy to play against the opponent, but we need to get three points.”

"I think we are getting better slowly but the opponent is also a good side, but we won’t know the result, after all it is a football match.

"Now the players’ morale is very high, we work hard as a unit, I think the players will do our best with our plan and we can expect what we want," Lee continues.

Home United’s winger Yasir Hanapi was in agreement with what his coach said about the positive morale surrounding the team.

Home United will definitely give everything they got to secure a victory in their upcoming match.

"It’s getting better, our chemistry is getting better, we know our team-mates’ style even better so I think tomorrow, we will be a better team than from the one we were in Maldives," Home United’s winger said.

"We have to win this game, we will give everything until our legs cramp up."

Meanwhile, the Maldives’ domestic league is due to start only in June, New Radiant’s coach, Simon McMenemy uttered his concerns that he was incapable of adequately preparing his team for their AFC Cup matches as they lacked fitness.

"Week in, week out we are playing against teams who are in the middle of their league, who are sharp and match fit. With our guys it’s very difficult, we’ve played a very limited amount of matches," McMenemy noted.

However, New Radiant’s coach is confident that his team would be able to provide good account of themselves in their upcoming match against Home United.

"I think Home United will obviously be favourites at Jalan Besar, we have to respect the fact that Home United are very strong at home," McMenemy said.

"But the club has a very good history playing in this competition, they like to upset the odds," New Radiant’s coach added.

Arsenal News: Arsene Wenger Says, FC Barcelona Breached FIFA Rules

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s manager believes that players under the age of 16 should not be allowed to move countries without their parents.

The statement was made after FC Barcelona received a transfer ban.

According to Wenger, FC Barcelona is guilty of violating FIFA’s regulations in its recruitment rules of players under the age 16.

Barca received a transfer ban earlier this week, but the club declare of fighting the sanction issued to the team.

The Gunner manager who in a number of times clashed with the Catalans over their public pursuit of former Gunners skipper Cesc Fabregas deemed the Catalans did not follow protocol.

"It's certain that they haven't followed the rules," he is quoted as saying by Sport.

"The rule is very clear: you cannot sign players under 16 unless their parents change residence for professional reasons,” Wenger added.

The statement created a debate regarding parents allowing their children under the age of 16 to play for professional football and change their residency.

"What is not fair is that children under 16 move without their parents. This should be very clear," Wenger continues.

Chelsea Team News: Fernando Torres Will Stay With Blues, Jose Mourinho Says

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has accumulated 19 Premier League goals since he moved to Stamford Bridge in 2011. The striker was rumoured to be nearing his exit with the Blues, but Jose Mourinho insists that he’s part of the club’s future plans.

In a midweek clash against Paris Saint Germain (PSG) without its recognised striker, the Portuguese boss opted to start the battle with Torres fresh off the bench, but the striker failed to deliver an impact.

Despite El Niño’s struggles, the Portuguese boss is unyielding in his defense and will stand by the often criticized striker.

"Yes, he has a future here," Mourinho told reporters. "If you want to improve ... I think that's normal and basic.”

Asked if Torres have a future with Chelsea, Mourinho said “Yes.”

"He works hard, he brings things to the team, but we want him to score more goals. He wants that too,” Mourinho added.

"He's the kind of player I respect, he deserves to be respected, and there's nothing more I can say about it. I think people who give everything they have, you never can complain. Torres gives everything. Obviously we want more,” the manager continues.

According to Mourinho, "I think during his period in the club he had moments of his best and some of them important."

Chelsea is set to miss out Samuel Eto'o who is still out with a hamstring injury. Eto’o was ruled out of the Champions League trip to Paris giving Torres a stint for the Blues.

Tottenham Team Talk: Spurs Considering A Bid For Lukaku This Summer

The 20-year-old Blues striker’s agent was rumoured to be having talks with Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea’s manager denied that the club has approached over such a move.

Tim Sherwood, Tottenham’s manager revealed the club will weigh up a move for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku at the end of the season.

The Belgian footballer has bagged a total of 13 goals in 26 appearances during his loan spell at Everton this term.

"He is a player who signed at a young age for Chelsea,” Daniel Levy told talkSPORT.

“He’s had two good loan spells. Whether he will come here will be addressed at the end of the season," Levy added.

On Friday, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho confirmed that the club have not been approached regarding Lukaku's availability. Mourinho also refused to discuss the 20-year-old's future at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho said, “I don’t think it’s the time to speak about it”

Jose Mourinho also added, “He is a Chelsea player but at the same time he is also an Everton player until the end of the season and we want to respect that. Everton has been a good club for a loan.”

Belgium Shot-Stopper Is On The Brink Of Ending His Contract With The Spanish Club

Thibaut Courtois will soon face a decision if he will stay with his parent club until the season ends or will he be playing with Chelsea.

In a previous report, the young and talented goalkeeper was noted to be dreaming of performing in the first team football. Records have it; he has not played a single match for the Blues since he signed from Genk in summer of 2011.

Courtois is about to complete his third season playing with Atletico where he proved himself as one of the greatest keepers in the league.

After a draw game against Barcelona in their Champion’s League quarter final on Tuesday, Gerardo Martino confessed that Courtois is “one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” while Diego Simeone was noted saying that the youngster’s career is on a continual upward curve.

The Atletico manager, Diego Simeone was also quoted saying, “he has improved a lot in the two and a half years that he has been with us. He needs to keep getting better but it is clear that he is destined for big things.”

In a Spanish radio show on Tuesday, El Larguero, Courtois said that he would soon publicly reveal his plans.

Courtois said, “next week I will announce my decision. I am not going to say if I will stay or not. What I will say is that next week I will announce my decision.”

Liverpool News: Brendan Rodgers’ Confident With His Players To Bring Home The Title!

Brendan Rodgers, Liverpools’ current manager is confident that his player’s focus will give them their first top-flight Premier League title since 1990.

Playing without fear, that’s the team’s key element in having eight consecutive victories while showing in the last six games what the team is really capable of.

While the pressure of possibly winning their first-ever Premier League crown surrounds them, the team’s mantra of focusing on the present and not the future will keep them at their best while in the pitch.

"If you ask players to play as we do, you have to give them the confidence. That is what you want - the courage to play.

We work to deal with pressure, to get on the ball. The players know 100 percent that if they make a mistake, I will take the blame.” Rodgers told reporters.

With a lot of people dreaming of Liverpool winning the title, the team’s players show neither pressure nor anxiety while on the field. That just goes to show that the players have gained their confidence throughout the years.

Rodgers strongly believes on the process rather than the end result.

What the team’s manager is really after is sustenance. Focus, concentration and hard work are the team’s main pressure that keeps them pushing in building a lasting team that will compete headstrong in the coming years.

"I feel a huge privilege to be here and be given the freedom to work. We are trying to make something that is sustainable here,” Rodgers also shared.

Emotion, that’s one thing the team, is practising to be callous about; being too disappointed when they lost or being too happy when they win. Rodgers said that they’re a work in progress, a team that will last for years.