For thrills & spills; look no further than the Singapore Premier League (SPL); in which the opening game of the season saw Tampines Rovers edge past Balestier Khalsa 1-0 thanks to an 8th minute goal from lead striker Boris Kopitovic.
But it was by no means easy for last season's runners-up; as Balestier Khalsa proved more than equal against their illustrious opponents at the beautiful Our Tampines Hub. Right winger Joel Chew got the home team off to the perfect start; delivering a perfect cross into the proverbial 'corridor of uncertainty' for Kopitovic to right-knee in to continue his fine start to the season.
Overall though; Balestier actually had about an equal share of the possession and actually created the better chances; with Tampines custodian Syazwan Buhari in outstanding form. Tampines' defence was strangely somewhat tentative in this game; allowing the visitors to grab a stranglehold and create several decent chances. The best chance of all came midway through the second half; when a hesitant and ultimately flailing defence brought Shuhei Hoshino down to concede a penalty. Thankfully, they had Buhari to thank again; as the 'keeper made a somewhat-miraculous save off his diving hip.
There were also several fisticuffs involved in this match; as both sides were fully committed in trying to get their season off to a flyer. Jordan Webb, Hazzuwan Halim & Kyoga Nakamura were amongst those involved; as the referee tried desperately to keep a lid on fraying proceedings. In the end; Tampines would feel very happy indeed to have gotten a wining start to their season. As for Balestier; based on this showing; you can almost bet your bottom dollar they will not finish last again.
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