S.League Team of the Week

By Gabriel Tan

Having picked up just four points from their six previous games, DPMM desperately needed a win to stay in touch with the league's pacesetters and they achieved just that through goals from Rosmin Kamis, Ivan Jerkovic and Sairol Sahari, after Benjamin Kristofferson Lee had given Young Lions the lead.

Tampines Rovers remain top of the table after recording a 2-1 triumph over derby rivals Geylang United on Saturday, while Home United got back to winning ways by beating Harimau Muda 3-0.

Balestier Khalsa's hopes of finishing in the top five received a huge boost on Sunday as they recorded a gritty 1-0 win over second-placed Albirex Niigata, despite having to play almost an hour with ten men after Zulkiffli Hassim was issued his marching orders, while Hougang United played out a 0-0 draw with Gombak United.

Thursday's other game saw SAFFC beat Woodlands Wellington 2-1 at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

Here, ESPNSTAR.com picks the best players from the latest round of S.League action.

GK: Zakariah Nerani (Balestier Khalsa)

Considering how Lionel Lewis almost singlehandedly kept the Harimau attack at bay in Saturday's game, it would have taken something special to pip him to the goalkeeper's spot this week.

However, the Protectors custodian misses out on a third straight appearance after Zakariah did just that in the Tigers' win over Albirex.

Despite coming up against the White Swans' twin towers of Norihiro Kawakami and Kunihiro Yamashita, the 26-year-old claimed crosses with authority all evening long and was clean with his handling when dealing with a number of efforts from Atsushi Shimono and Musashi Okuyama.

RB: Imran Sahib (Tampines Rovers)

Stags coach Tay Peng Kee opted for a five-man defence against Geylang and it worked wonders as his backline comfortably dealt with the opposition attackers.

Moreover, Imran and his wing-back counterpart Ismadi Mukhtar also provided their team-mates with plenty of support going forward, and it was his cross that led to Tampines' opener after Sead Hadzibulic met his delivery with a bullet header that was parried by Yazid Yasin, straight into the path for Ahmed Fahmie who tapped home in the 10th minute.

CB: Tales dos Santos (DPMM FC)

Despite an injury cloud hanging over him, Dos Santos was deemed fit enough to take to field on Thursday and his inclusion proved vital as he cleared everything Young Lions threw DPMM's way.

The Brazilian hardly gave the usually-dangerous Jonathan Toto a sniff of the ball and was also a threat when going forward for set-pieces.

CB: Ismail Yunos (Gombak United)

With Walid Lounis missing through suspension, Gombak coach K. Balagumaran opted to deploy Ismail in the heart of defence alongside captain Obadin Aikhena against Hougang, and it proved to be an astute decision as the duo nullified the Cheetahs attack.

Many believes the former Home man to be one of Singapore's most naturally-talented defenders and he did nothing to dispel that notion with a faultless display, showing excellent technique and a sound reading of the game.

LB: Hafiz Abu Sujad (Courts Young Lions)

Despite being on the losing end on Thursday, Hafiz was one Young Lions player who could leave the Jalan Besar Stadium with his head held high.

The Singapore U-23 international held his own against the tricky Subhi Abdilah and gave Sherif El-Masri plenty of support down the left with his tireless running.

RM: Tatsuro Inui (SAFFC)

Inui has been one of the league's most dangerous players this season but he has been fairly quiet of late, a key reason behind SAFFC's poor form.

However, both club and player got back into the groove on Thursday, and in Shimpei Sakurada's absence, his fellow Japanese took it upon himself to be the Warriors' playmaker-in-chief.

Inui regularly drifted between the wings and the middle of the park, but it was during his forays down the right where he had the most impact. First, a dangerous delivery that was headed clear by Daniel Hammond fell straight to Shukor Zailan, who sent a ferocious 30-yard volley into the back of the net, before another cross in the 71st minute was nodded home by Mislav Karoglan.

CM: Park Kang-jin (Balestier Khalsa)

The Balestier defence was absolutely outstanding on Sunday as they repelled everything the White Swans threw at them, but plenty of credit also has to go to Park, who was always ready to drop back and provide a spare man in defence.

Once he had won possession back for the Tigers, the South Korean got them on the front foot immediately with his searching passes, although the yellow card he picked up means he will now miss their next game against SAFFC.

CM: Ivan Jerkovic (DPMM FC)

Given the focus is normally on the strike trio of Shahrazen Said, Basiru Osman and Patrick da Silva, many often forget how effective the likes of Jerkovic and Rosmin Kamis are in the DPMM engine room.

Nonetheless, Jerkovic does not seem to mind one bit as he quietly but effectively goes about his business every week, providing the link between defence and attack. The Croat's work-rate is also second to none and his off-the-ball running was rewarded on Thursday as he popped up in the box to score his side's second after Basiru Osman had capitalised on a mistake by Emmeric Ong.

LM: Qiu Li (Home United)

Qiu has come under his fair share of criticism during his time in the S.League, with many criticising his poor work ethic and attitude. Still, there is no denying he is one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition when on form, and he did not disappoint against Harimau on Saturday.

The Singapore international's blend of pace and skill was too much for the opposition to cope with, and his delivery was impeccable as he played two perfect balls that led to goals for Frederic Mendy.

ST: Ahmed Fahmie (Tampines Rovers)

With Aleksandar Duric, Sead Hadzibulic and Noh Alam Shah all ahead of him in the pecking order, it has become imperative for Fahmie to take whatever chances are thrown at him at the Clementi Stadium.

On Saturday, he did just that and showed why he was awarded his first Singapore cap earlier in the year after playing a starring role against Geylang, opening the scoring from close range in the 10th minute, before delivering a glorious diagonal pass to Ahmad Latiff for Tampines' second.

ST: Frederic Mendy (Home United)

Mendy proved to be Harimau's tormentor once again as he netted a brace and laid on another for Indra Sahdan Daud on Saturday.

Despite the Malaysian outfit dominating in all areas of the park, Mendy put Home ahead in the 37th minute when he headed home a corner from Qiu, before doubling his tally eight minutes after the break when he expertly rounded Izham Tarmizi and fired into an unguarded net.

Deep into injury-time, the Frenchman capped off a memorable day at the office when he found space on the left and floated in the perfect cross for Indra to convert.