After enduring a miserable 2020 season and going 14 matches without a win to finish with the wooden spoon, Tanjong Pagar United want to make this a year to remember for winning reasons. The Jaguars have swooped in early in the transfer market and made several surprise signings. To add experience to the squad, they have recruited former national team players Khairul Amri, 35, and Ridhuan Muhammad, 36. They have also added firepower in the form of Reo Nishiguchi, 23, whose five goals in 11 appearances helped Albirex Niigata to the Singapore Premier League title last season. Australian midfielder Blake Ricciuto, 28, who scored nine goals for Brunei DPMM during their title triumph in 2019, has also joined. To shore up their backline, the club have snapped up Emmeric Ong, 29, and Shahrin Saberin, 25. Their early signings are a stark contrast to last year, when the squad was cobbled together at the 11th hour after the club's participation in the league was confirmed only in late January, following a five-year sit out owing to financial woes. Head coach Hasrin Jailani told The Straits Times that the new signings have already made their mark on the squad. He said: "What was important for us, was to lift the negativity that was around us. "Nobody wants to finish bottom of the league but we were faced with difficult circumstances and we had to deal with it. "The new signings have already helped to eliminate the negativity. Now, there is a good feeling around the place." The return of former international Ridhuan is likely to take most by surprise, as he has been out of action for four years since leaving the Warriors in 2017. The speedy winger was a fan favourite in Indonesia where he inspired Arema to the 2009-10 Indonesia Super League title along with current Jaguars team manager Noh Alam Shah. GOOD VIBES The new signings have already helped to eliminate the negativity. Now, there is a good feeling around the place. TANJONG PAGAR COACH HASRIN JAILANI Noting that Ridhuan deserved one "last dance", Alam Shah said: "I went to see him in December and he was talking about how he had watched the Michael Jordan documentary (The Last Dance) and he felt that he still had it in him to give it one last go. I thought, if he has the desire, why don't we give him an opportunity? "Within a week of training with us, I could see the impact he can have on younger players and the winning mentality that he can add to the squad. "He still has his speed and for us, what matters is the dedication he has shown. He and Amri have been top class additions for us." Ridhuan, who was working as a facilities manager, is itching to get back into the game. He said: "I've missed it (football) so much and this is really a dream come true, to be able to say that I am going to be playing pro football again. "I have always felt that I did not quite leave on my own terms... I never thought I would get the opportunity again. "But now that I have signed with the club, I want to do all I can to have a great season with Tanjong Pagar and help the young players in the team with my experience." The Jaguars have set a goal for a mid-table finish in the eight-team SPL, which is expected to kick off late next month. Hasrin said: "Last year, we weren't able to give a good account of ourselves but this year we want to show what we are capable of."
LONDON (AFP) - Rafael Nadal kept alive his hopes of a first ATP Finals title on Thursday (Nov 19), beating defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in London to qualify for the last four. The Spaniard, whose haul of 86 singles titles includes just one on indoor hard courts, is chasing the biggest prize missing from his resume at the eight-man elite event. The 34-year-old has qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 16 consecutive years but has been forced to withdraw on six occasions. The second seed won his opening round-robin match against Andrey Rublev but defeat against Dominic Thiem meant he faced a shootout against 2019 champion Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals. Both players were rock solid on serve until Nadal earned the first two break points of the set in the seventh game, which he failed to convert. Tsitsipas was again under pressure in his next service game and this time he cracked, double-faulting on break point. Nadal pressed home his advantage, serving consecutive aces to take the set 6-4 against his 22-year-old opponent. The Spaniard, twice a finalist at the tournament, had another chance to break in the first game of the second set but the Greek sixth seed dug himself out of danger with a searing backhand. Tsitsipas did well to cling on against his illustrious opponent who was serving with metronomic efficiency and dominating the longer rallies. But out of nowhere the Greek earned two set points on Nadal's serve and levelled when the Spaniard double-faulted on the second of those. The match took a bizarre twist at the start of the decider, with neither player able to hold serve until Nadal finally held to lead 3-1. An over-hit forehand handed Nadal another break and he served out to take the match The Spaniard last month joined the absent Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slams but his record at the end-of-season tournament pales in comparison with the Swiss and Novak Djokovic. Earlier on Thursday, Thiem, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, slumped to a 6-2, 7-5 defeat against debutant Rublev in a dead rubber. The Russian seventh seed raced into a 4-0 lead in the first set and defied a fightback from the US Open champion in the second set to seal the match, breaking the Austrian four times in total. "With the fact that I was already qualified in the back of my mind, it was maybe difficult today to keep that intensity alive," said Thiem, who had already clinched top spot in Group London 2020. The third seed will face the winner of Friday's match between Alexander Zverev and top seed Djokovic in the semi-finals. Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev has already sealed top spot in Group Tokyo 1970 and will play Nadal. The O2 Arena is hosting the event for the 12th and final season before the championships move to Turin.
LONDON (REUTERS) - Phil Foden scored twice as England eased to a routine 4-0 win over 10-man Iceland on Wednesday (Nov 18) as both sides wrapped up their Uefa Nations League campaigns in Group A2 with only pride to play for. England took control when West Ham United's Declan Rice glanced in a header from a free kick on 20 minutes and the lead was doubled four minutes later when Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount pounced on a bouncing ball in the box to finish calmly. The second half started badly for Iceland when Birkir Mar Saevarsson, who was playing his 95th game for his country, was sent off for a second yellow card. Manchester City's 20-year-old midfielder Foden made it 3-0 with 10 minutes to go with his first goal for England and added a long-range effort to make it 4-0. England had already failed to qualify for the Nations League finals after a 2-0 loss on Sunday to one of the tournament's favourites Belgium, while Iceland had already been relegated to League B. England are still haunted by their defeat to Iceland in the 2016 European Championship, but dominated possession and chances throughout on Wednesday without really going through the gears. Rice's opening goal come from a free kick for a foul on the edge of the box, while Mount allowed the ball to run across his body inside a packed box before slotting a cool finish in the corner. The game failed to fire in the second half even after the red card on 54 minutes, but eventually picked up pace after a flurry of substitutions. One of the replacements, Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, combined with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka to feed Foden's debut goal and his second was matched either side by a barrage of shots that were either blocked or fizzed wide. Iceland, whose manager Erik Hamren was already stepping down following Wednesday's game, had a couple of chances on the break in the first half but missed probably their best opportunity after the second-half sending off when captain Kari Arnason headed just wide.