Hougang United continued preparations for the return of Singapore Premier League action with a 3-2 friendly defeat against FC Jurong at Jurong East Stadium on Saturday evening.
With the result secondary to the opportunity for valuable match minutes, the friendly provided the Cheetahs with another competitive test during the break in league action.
Akbar Nawas named Aizil Yazid in goal, with Koki Kawachi, Washington Jaramillo, Miloš Drinčić and Huzaifah Aziz forming the back line.
Mahamé Siby made his first appearance for the Cheetahs following his arrival at the club, starting alongside Saifullah Akbar and Lucas Cardoso in midfield.
Ayman Kassimi, Connor Flynn-Gillespie and Khairin Nadim completed the starting XI.
VALUABLE MINUTES AT JURONG EAST
Hougang showed encouraging intent throughout the contest, particularly during a positive opening 45 minutes.
The Cheetahs produced several promising passages of play and continued to create opportunities over the course of the evening, with four attempts blocked and another three kept out by the FC Jurong goalkeeper.
Siby featured for approximately 30 minutes on his first appearance for the club, gaining valuable match minutes following his arrival at Hougang.
With unlimited substitutions available, the friendly also provided an opportunity to involve players across the squad as preparations continued for the return of competitive action.
TWO GOALS FOR THE CHEETAHS
Arya Igami and Phutanet Somjit were on target for Hougang as the Cheetahs found the net twice at Jurong East.
Both goals provided further positives from an evening focused primarily on preparation and giving the squad competitive minutes.
FC Jurong, however, proved more clinical with their opportunities and scored three times to eventually edge the contest.
There was also an unusual moment during the first half when Lucas Cardoso was initially shown a red card following a mistimed challenge in the 40th minute.
After further discussion, the decision was acknowledged as an error and Cardoso was permitted to return to the action for the second half.
The final whistle brought an end to a useful evening at Jurong East, with the Cheetahs creating a number of opportunities and gaining further match minutes ahead of the resumption of the Singapore Premier League.
For Hougang, the friendly provided several encouraging signs to build on as preparations continue for our return to competitive action.
FC Jurong 3-2 Hougang United FC
⚽ Arya Igami
⚽ Phutanet Somjit
⚽ Friendly Match
📅 Saturday, 3 October 2026
🏟️ Jurong East Stadium
⏱️ 7:30pm
Valuable minutes in the legs as the work continues.
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