Email
Print
Digg ThisBy Ossian Shine
SINGAPORE, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Japanese defender Kenji Arai rose high in injury time to power home a Singapore Cup-winning header and clinch SAFFC an unprecedented successful defence of the Singaporean league and cup double.
Arai's 102nd minute goal sealed a 2-1 win over Woodlands Wellington at the Jalan Besar Stadium late on Friday to ensure the milestone accolade for the Warriors.
Arai, who leaves for a Hawaii wedding with his bride-to-be Yoko next month, was thrilled.
"I am just happy for the boys, the coach and everyone at the club to get us the double and my (future) wife is probably happy, too," he told Singapore's Today newspaper.
SAFFC coach Richard Bok has now led the club to five major trophies in just 2 ½ years in charge.
"The hat-trick of league titles was just unbelievable and this double now is just as unbelievable," he said.
"Credit must go to everyone at SAFFC, all the way up and down the organisation, who have all worked their socks off for this."
It was left-back Shaiful Esah, celebrating his call up to the national team, who broke the deadlock with the last kick of the first half when he curled in a corner directly into the Woodlands goal to give the Warriors a deserved lead.
But the Rams were determined to make a match of it and with 12 minutes left on the clock Fadzuhasny Juraimi stabbed home an equaliser to send the match into extra-time only for Arai to shatter their dreams with his late powerful header.
"My defenders were made to pay for a split-second lapse of concentration for the first goal," Woodlands coach Jorg Steinbrunner told the Straits Times broadsheet.
"We have no complaints for the second. It was a great delivery -- a killer ball."
The final marked Steinbrunner's 2 1/2-year reign at Woodlands.
Also leaving the club are 10 of their 18-strong squad including all four foreign imports -- a victim of the worsening economic conditions.
"It was an emotional game for all of us, but we pulled together to give a great team performance," Steinbrunner said.
