A first away win but Albirex coach dissatisfied

Despite being pinned in their own half for most of the first 45 minutes, Albirex Niigata managed to claim their first away win of the season by beating 10-man Balestier Khalsa 3-2 at the Bishan Stadium on Sept 28.

- Melvyn Teoh

The Singapore Premier League (SPL) defending champions were bolstered by their new signing, Singapore defender Ryhan Stewart, after he failed to find a European club in the summer window.

Albirex coach Keiji Shigetomi said of their first away win: "Of course, it is good to win, but we could have scored more, and I'm not fully satisfied.

"We started strong with an early goal, but conceding two goals from set pieces is disappointing. We could have dominated the game more effectively. We had plenty of chances to finish the match, especially when the opponent was sent off."

When the sides met in July, the White Swans had replaced four-time Coach of the Year Kazuaki Yoshinaga with Shigetomi. They handed the Tigers their heaviest defeat this season, winning 7-2 at Jurong East Stadium.

It took Albirex just five minutes to open the scoring when Stevia Egbus Mikuni fired a long ball to find an unmarked Shingo Nakano, who kept his cool to lob Hafiz Ahmad in the Balestier goal.