Tampines Rovers end trophy drought by lifting Singapore Cup
| TAMPINES ROVERS | WARRIORS FC |
| 4 | 3 |
| (Irwan Shah 17, Joel Chew 33, Amirul Adli 57, Zehrudin Mehmedovic 66) | (Khairul Nizam 12, 19, Fairoz Hasan 85) |
Tampines Rovers secured their first major piece of silverware since 2013 by winning the Komoco Motors Singapore Cup, following a pulsating 4-3 win over Warriors FC at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (Nov 2).
The Stags, whose last major title was the 2013 S.League crown, also became the first local team to win the knockout competition since Balestier Khalsa in 2014, ending a four-year winning run by Japanese side Albirex Niigata.
But Tampines were made to work hard by the Warriors, who went ahead through Khairul Nizam in the 12th minute following a defensive error.
The Stags equalised through Irwan Shah in the 17th minute, but Nizam pounced on another opportunity to score his second just two minutes later.
The lightning warning system was activated in the 27th minute, delaying the game for about half an hour. When play resumed, it was Tampines who regained the initiative, with youngster Joel Chew, 19, equalising through an effort from outside the box.
Tampines were not about to let the Warriors back in the game again, scoring through Amirul Adli (57th min) and Zehrudin Mehmedovic (66th) to put one hand on the trophy.
But they had to endure a nervy end as Warriors substitute Fairoz Hasan slammed home the rebound after Tampines goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari had denied Sahil Suhaimi from the penalty spot in the 85th minute.
The Warriors had a put up a spirited showing to eliminate Singapore Premier League champions Brunei DPMM in the semi-finals, but a second giant-killing act in four days proved too tough a task, as Tampines held on to the final whistle.
In the third-place play-off, Geylang International pipped Brunei DPMM 12-11 on penalties, after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
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