The Cheetahs secured with victory over Balestier Khalsa in the RHB Singapore Cup quarter-final
Hougang United coach Johana Johari admits he’s been looking forward to smiling against after his side ended a seven game winless game.
Second-half goals from Fazli Jaffar and Liam Shotton was enough for The Cheetahs to see off Balestier Khalsa in the RHB Singapore Cup quarter-final at the Toa Payoh Stadium on Monday and give them a healthy advantage ahead of the return encounter on Friday.
More importantly it marked their first win since 2-1 success over Tampines Rovers on 29 May and allowed Johari to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the rising anxiety at the Hougang Stadium was neutralised.
“To be honest, I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to smile again,” he said to Fox Sports. “I haven’t smiled in the past two months.
“It was unforeseen how we had to deal with all the negatives. No matter how well we played our beautiful football, it just didn’t translate to a win.
“Everyone was really worried, from the management to the players but they were determined to win today [Monday]. The boys played really well and there’s nothing more I can ask from them.
“Even though we were missing a couple of important players like [Mamadou] Diallo and Nurhilmi [Jasni], we still did well.
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