Lost a battle not the war

Tampines Rovers coach Nenad Bacina was overwhelmed with the result as Balestier Khalsa crushed the Champions 4-0 on the night.

“I have to congratulate Balestier for scoring four goals," he solemnly said.

"They had Paul [Cunningham] right in front and their plan was to play long balls to him.

“We conceded two goals late in the first half and naturally spirits were down. We came back out in the second half refreshed and ready but we conceded two more goals.

"We tried to come back and play beautiful football in midfield but we failed."

Bacina also admitted that he did not expect Balestier to play as they did tonight.

“I have seen a few game of theirs [Balestier] and I have not seen them play like that," he explained. "Perhaps playing against the top team and defending champions gave them extra motivation."

The impact of the scoreline did not seem to have an impact on Bacina, but he was more concerned with the outcome of the match.

“For me, where it was 4-0 or 1-0 doesn’t matter as three points are equally gone," he claimed.

"I have to say it is not a tragical defeat as we still have a game in hand. We may have lost the battle today but we have not lost the war."