Young Lions fell to a comprehensive 1-5 defeat against Geylang International in the Premier League's Regular Season second round, played on Saturday evening at Jalan Besar Stadium. The visitors took control early and never looked back, extending their perfect start to the campaign. It was a result that left the home side rooted to the bottom of the table.
The opening exchanges came thick and fast, with H. Nishido giving Geylang the lead in the eleventh minute before F. Fazli turned the screw with an own goal just two minutes later. By then, Young Lions were already chasing shadows. H. Ryang added a second for the visitors in the twenty-first minute, and D. Racic made it four before the break with a well-taken finish in the thirty-eighth minute.
The second half saw both sides make changes, though the scoreline did little to reflect the actual flow of play. Young Lions shuffled their personnel at 56 and 57 minutes, trying to find some resistance, while Geylang brought on H. Kanadi and J. Chew in the closing stages. The visitors extended their lead late on, with Ryang completing his brace in the ninety-second minute and S. Suhaimi adding a sixth in the final moments of stoppage time.
What stood out was how Geylang played the second half a man up, keeping possession and punishing Young Lions whenever they switched off at a set piece. The home side had 132 attacks but could only muster three shots on target, compared to five for the visitors. And here's the thing — it wasn't about numbers. It was about who took their chances.
Young Lions sit eighth with zero points from two matches, their recent form showing losses to Albirex Niigata S on three occasions and a draw against Geylang back in May. The visitors, meanwhile, occupy second place with six points from two wins, having beaten Tanjong Pagar 1-0 in their most recent outing. They are unbeaten in five, and this result only strengthens that run.
