A brace each from Nur Izzati and League debutant, Danelle Tan secure Lion City Sailors a comfortable 4-0 win, propelling them top of the table
Nur Izzati, Lila Tan, Ernie Sulastri and Miray Hokotate (Left to right) celebrate the opening goal. PHOTO: HANA BASIR, SPORTPLUS.SG
Singapore, 16 June 2022 - Nur Izzati and Women’s Premier League debutant, Danelle Tan scored two goals each in Saturday’s clash against Still Aerion, handing their team a comfortable 4-0 win. Yishun Stadium saw the return of the WPL after nearly a month away and an exciting international break.
The start of the first half was somewhat equally contested. Both The Sailors and Aerion had chances on goal, but defenders at both ends did well to stop the shots that were not fired wide.
More photos from the match available in SportPlus.sg's photo gallery here.
Malavika Hemanth and Nur Izzati battle for the ball in Aerion's half.
PHOTO: HANA BASIR, SPORTPLUS.SG
Joie Teo provided a spark for her team, being a menace in the midfield. The forward on many occasions dropped deep into her half to get on the ball before looking for passing lanes. The goal seemed to be to get the ball to Farhanah Ruhaizat, who had an opportunity in the 28th minute. Catching Beatrice covering the left side of her goal, Farhanah attempted an outside curling shot into the right corner. The national keeper recovered well, and her quick feet allowed her to catch the ball.
Just two minutes later, Nur Izzati found the opener with the help of Lila Tan, who split the defence open with a through ball into space. Spotting Faizah way off her line, Izzati drove a strong, lofted shot into the net to make it 1-0.
Nur Faizah recovers fast and dives in to deny Ho Hui Xin an open goal.
PHOTO: HANA BASIR, SPORTPLUS.SG
Barely a minute later, The Sailors had a chance to make it 2-0 when a lack of communication led to both the defender and keeper to go for a ball being chased down by Hui Xin. The Sailors forward faced an open goal, but Faizah’s heroic save denied her the jubilation. Danger was far from over as the ball was only parried away by Faizah into the path of Lila Tan who could not put it away.
The missed opportunity soon became insignificant as Lion City Sailors scored two in quick succession as the second half began. 17-year-old Danelle Tan came on to make her WPL debut and wasted no time getting her first goal. One minute in, Danelle showcased her close control ability and cut inside, dancing past two defenders before taking a shot. Traits of the goal could be likened to that of Netherlands’s current all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema, also a number nine, who Danelle counts as one of her idols in the game.
Danelle Tan fires home her second goal with her left foot.
PHOTO: HANA BASIR, SPORTPLUS.SG
In the 59th minute, Nur Izzati made it 3-0 as she pounced on an error by Nur Faizah who passed it straight to the striker from a goal kick. Not long after, Danelle became the second player on the pitch to get a brace as she curled the ball into the top right corner.
Still Aerion felt the absence of key player and captain, Stephanie Dominguez and things got worse when their second captain, Fonda Chai got injured midway through the second half. The game was largely dominated by the Sailors in the second half as the few chances on goal from Aerion came to no fruition.
Lion City Sailors go top of the table on goal difference but could lose the spot depending on how Tanjong Pagar’s fixture against Tiong Bahru goes on Sunday evening. Still Aerion hope to go back to winning ways next weekend against Albirex Niigata.
Danelle Tan celebrates after scoring her first goal in the 46th minute.
PHOTO: HANA BASIR, SPORTPLUS.SG
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