Laos send Brunei crashing out of AFC U-16 C'ship

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 28, 2013

THE national under-16 football team bowed out of the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Under-16 Championship on a losing note.

They recorded their third consecutive loss after falling to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Laos last night.

According to the AFC official website, Aphixway Thanakhanty gave Laos the lead after he found the back of the net in the 24th minute at the National Sports Complex in Vientiane.

The hosts doubled their lead through Soulivanh Nivone in the 36th minute after he beat Muhammad Ishyra Asmin Mohd Jabidi in between the Brunei sticks.

Laos would hold on to a 2-0 cushion at halftime.

The Sultanate managed to hold their ground in the second half before Salath Vilayphanh got his name on the scoresheet in the 84th minute to complete the victory.

The result means that Brunei finished Group H with one win and three losses.

Brunei started out their campaign on the right track after defeating Guam 4-1 last Saturday giving new coach Stephen Ng Heng Seng a winning debut.

Muhammad Syahmi Rashid netted a hat-trick while Nazirrudin Hj Ismail was the only other Bruneian to get his name on the scoresheet at the competition.

The Sultanate were brought back down to earth after losing 8-0 to Malaysia two days later before getting thrashed 9-0 by two-time champions South Korea on Wednesday.

In the earlier game, Malaysia defeated South Korea 2-0 at the same venue.

Muhammad Najmuddin Samat scored the first goal for Malaysia in first half stoppage time before Ashraf added another in the 61st minute.

Laos currently lead the five-team table over Malaysia based on goal difference. They are both on seven points from three games.

South Korea are in third with six points while Brunei will finish fourth in the group unless basement dwellers Guam pulls off an upset over Malaysia with a barrage of goals.

Brunei is one of 40 nations, divided into 10 groups, participating in the Sept 21-29 tournament.

The Brunei Times
 

DPMM FC tame Young Lions

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 28, 2013

DPMM FC got the third round of the Singapore League (S-League) off to winning ways.

Brunei's only professional team edged the Young Lions (Singapore Under-23 national team) 3-2 last night at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Hendra Azam Md Idris scored the opener with his second goal in DPMM FC colours after netting a freekick in the ninth minute.

The duo of Azwan Salleh and Rosmin Hj Kamis had played decoy on the deadball situation before the midfielder launched his attempt from just outside the box to beat Syazwan Buhari in between the Young Lions sticks.

DPMM FC doubled their lead through Shahrazen Said just two minutes later after a defensive lapse by the Young Lions to see the forward blast home from inside the box.

Abdul Aziz Tamit gave away a penalty after he handled the ball inside the box.

The Young Lions got back in the game after Raihan Rahman scored the ensuing penalty kick in the 24th minute.

DPMM FC regained a two-goal cushion after Brazilian Rodrigo Tosi got on the scoresheet for back-to-back games after heading home a Rosmin freekick in the 54th minute.

Hj Md Subhi Abdilah Hj Bakir was whistled for a careless tackle inside the box allowing Sherif El-Masri to convert another spotkick for the Young Lions in the 81st minute.

The pressure was on for the Bruneian side but they defended well and held on to collect all three points.

Hendra felt that it was heart and team effort that allowed them to claim the win.

"Yet again tonight (Friday night) showed how Bruneian players performed with 150 per cent to win the game even with only one import player. Everyone motivated each other on the field," said Hendra in an interview with The Brunei Times after the triumph.

"To me those who were full hearted and wanted to play deserved to be on the field because they gave their best," he added.

"I thought that after we scored the second goal it would have dampened the mood of our opponents. Instead they kept the pressure on us till the end. Luckily everyone on the team worked hard to get the win," continued the midfielder.

Shahrazen was glad to end his goal drought and is hoping to keep his scoring form for the remainder of the season.

"I can't remember the last time I scored but I'm happy to be back and I hope to score for the remaining matches," said the forward, whose last goals came against Hougang United back on March 1.

"The match tonight was very tough. We were lucky that we managed to hold till the final whistle," he added.

"Now we must focus on building our fitness and stamina," concluded Shahrazen.

The win puts DPMM FC in second spot of the six-team bottom half table with 30 points.

Warriors FC currently lead the table with 31 points while Harimau Muda are in third with 28.

Geylang International FC are fourth with 25 points while Hougang United are one point behind.

The Young Lions are rooted at the basement of the table, having collected only nine points from 23 games played.

The Brunei Times

U-19s suffer Vietnam loss

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, September 19, 2013

THE national under-19 football team ended their ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-19 Championship 2013 without a point to their name.

They were hammered 6-1 by Vietnam in Group B last night at the Petrokimia Gresik in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The result means that Vietnam complete the group flawless and on maximum of 15 points.

It is another disappointing outing for the Sultanate having let in a total of 30 goals and only getting on the scoresheet once in their five matches.

Brunei opened their campaign with a 5-0 loss to Indonesia before getting demolished 8-0 by Thailand.

They were then hammered 6-0 by Myanmar on before falling 5-0 to Malaysia on Monday.

In the earlier game, Myanmar and Thailand played out to a 4-4 draw. Timor Leste are the winners of Group A while joining them in the semi-finals are Laos.

Hosts Indonesia also advanced into the last-four after coming from behind to draw 1-1 against Malaysia last night at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo. The semi-finals will be contested tomorrow.

The Brunei Times

DPMM FC tame Harimau Muda

Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, September 19, 2013

DPMM FC came from a goal down to defeat Harimau Muda 3-1 in the S-League second round final match at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas last night.

This year, the S-League has introduced a new "two-and-a-half" round format in which the league will be divided into two tiers at the end of the second round of fixtures.

A brace from Rodrigo Tosi and a goal from substitute Abdul Aziz Tamit helped the Sultanate's only professional club replace Harimau Muda in eighth place in the twelve-team table with 27 points.

"I am very happy we won today especially these past few days, it has been bitter for us after losing in the S-League Cup final," said DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic after the match.

DPMM FC lost 4-0 to Balestier Khalsa in the S-League Cup final at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Saturday.

"Harimau Muda is a fantastic team, they defeated Tampines Rover FC, and I respect them a lot.

"I am happy (with how) the Bruneians played tonight, Tosi was the only import player in the game. We played with four to five imports when we lost to Harimau Muda in May, but we won tonight with only one import, I think this is good for Brunei football," added Simunic.

The Malaysian side found the net early in the sixth minute when Akmal Ishak rose above DPMM FC's players to head home a corner kick from the left

Tosi levelled the score in the 27 minute with a brilliant goal, blasting the ball from outside the penalty box to beat Harimau Muda's goalkeeper Hafizul Hakim in the goal.

The Brazilian midfielder almost put DPMM FC ahead just before the break, when he was picked by Azwan Salleh from the right, but the latter would head the ball just wide.

DPMM FC pushed for a winner in the second-half and looked dangerous with their set-pieces.

Tosi and striker Shahrazen Said were on target in the second-half causing a lot of problems to Harimau Muda's backline.

Abdul Aziz who came on for Shahrul Rizal Abdul Rahman in the first-half put DPMM FC ahead for the first time in the 54th minute when he headed home captain Rosmin Hj Kamis' corner from the left.

Tosi would add another goal in the 72nd minute with a penalty kick after he was brought down by Ashmawi Yakin.

"I am disappointed with the game today. I think we didn't play well in the second-half, and we failed to defend their set-piece," said Harimau Muda coach Razip Ismail.

"I think we scored too early in the game. I think DPMM FC's number eight (Tosi) played very well tonight, he gave us a lot of trouble," he added.

The new league format splits the teams into two tiers, with the top six teams forming the "upper tier" and the bottom six teams forming the "lower tier".

They will play another round of matches against teams in their own pool, but the seventh-placed team will not be able to move up the table even though they might end up with more points than the sixth-placed team at the end of the additional half round.

After the game last night DPMM FC and Harimau Muda will be grouped in the bottom half with Warriors FC, Hougang United FC, Geylang International FC, Courts Young Lions.

Meanwhile, Tampines Rover Fc, Albirex Niigata FC (S), Home United FC, Tanjong Pagar United FC, Balestier Khalsa FC and Woodlands Wellington FC will still be in the running for the title in the top half.

DPMM FC will face Hougang United FC in their next home game on October 19.

The Brunei Times

S- League Cup : Balestier Khalsa Fc 4-0 DPMM Fc

Balestier Khalsa win 4-0 against DPMM Fc in S League cup today.

National U-19 team suffer 0-8 defeat from Thailand

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 14, 2013

THE national football under-19 team suffered back-to-back heavy defeats in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-19 Championship 2013.

Brunei were hammered 8-0 by Thailand in their second Group B match at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo in Surabaya, Indonesia, on Thursday night. They have let in 13 goals without finding the back of the net after two games to sit at the bottom of group.

According to a report on the AFF website, the Sultanate had the worst of starts after first choice goalkeeper Abdul Hafiq Abd Rahim picked up an injury during the pre-match warm-up session.

The only other keeper on the squad, Md Burhanuddin Edy Esmady, was handed the gloves in between the posts. It was a nightmare in his debut after Thailand grabbed the lead just seconds into the encounter.

Supravee Miprathang raced in and blasted his shot which bounced off a defender and sailed into goal.

Ratchanon Phunklai doubled their lead after heading home a cross from Kullachat Jeentanorm in the 12th minute.

Chenrop Samphodi got his name on the scoresheet after forcing his way through to goal and Kullachat scored his first of the game from the penalty spot to put his team up 4-0 at halftime.

Kullachat notched a hattrick after scoring two quick goals in the 47th and 54th minutes.

Brunei suffered a scare on the hour mark after Md Burhanuddin was involved in a clash with Piyapong Homkhajon.

Fortunately the Bruneian was alright and Piyapong was booked for his reckless tackle.

It didn't really matter in the end as Atthawit Sukchuai and Kandanai Thawornsak added to the tally in the 77th and 88th minutes to complete the rout.

The win brings Thailand up to third spot and a chance to make it to the semi-finals after losing their opener to Vietnam.

Hosts Indonesia made it two wins out of two to top Group B after beating Myanmar 2-1 at the Petrokimia Gresik.

Vietnam are hot on their laurels also with two wins after edging Malaysia 1-0 at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo in an earlier match.

Brunei will continue their campaign today with a meeting against Myanmar at the Petrokimia Gresik.

The Brunei Times

DPMM FC set for 3rd title

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Continued on Page A40

Saturday, September 14, 2013

DEFENDING champions DPMM FC have a shot at winning a record third Singapore League Cup crown tonight, though they'll have to go up against a Balestier Khalsa side brimming with self-belief after losing only one of their last 17 games.

Promising a "dramatic" clash, DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic knows his men have their work cut out for them in a final that promises to be both physical and entertaining.

Despite their form, Balestier have less "big-game" experience, with tonight's tie at the Jalan Besar Stadium their first major cup final though they did clinch the second-tier plate event last year.A win for Brunei's most popular club, who won the inaugural edition in 2009 and made it a double last year, will mean that this season hasn't been a complete disaster after starting the campaign with such promise.

DPMM FC were beaten to the S-League title by one point last season last season but are currently 10th in the 12-team table, with the Tigers five spots above them in fifth.

Injury worries to three of the DPMM FC's four imports Portuguese striker Joao Moreira, Brazilian defender Tales Ricarte dos Santos and Lithuanian striker Arturas Rimkevicius combined with the suspension of veteran defender Pg Sallehuddin Pg Hj Damit means that the visitors will not be at full strength tonight.

All this, coupled with DPMM FC's current run of S-League results, looks to have has taken a toll on Simunic over the last few months and he sounded none too confident when asked to talk about his team's biggest game of the year.

"I hope we have a little chance," he said.

"We have many players injured but I don't want to talk about the line-up.

"I have something secret up for tomorrow.

"We play with 10 Bruneians and one import, and Salleh is suspended so that's a big problem... But I think we've survived because of our big motivation and the atmosphere (within the team) is fantastic," the Croatian insisted.

Simunic and his Australian counterpart Darren Stewart have already faced off three times this year, though the results provided little indication as to how tonight's match might turn out especially in a cup final where the form book is thrown out the window.

The sides were drawn in the same League Cup group and their June 6 encounter ended with Balestier enjoying a 2-1 result.

Their most recent outing in the S-League on Aug 25 needed a late wonder goal from dos Santos to claim a 1-1 draw, with their first S-League clash in April seeing DPMM FC beat the Singaporeans 1-0.

"This is the decider," insisted Stewart, who went on to praise DPMM FC's "magnificent" striking partnership of brothers Shahrazen and Adi Said who he felt had a big impact on their 1-0 win over Woodlands Wellington in the last-four.

"We had a lot of players who couldn't play for various reasons in that game in August, including Cunningham (striker Paul Cunningham), but we have a full squad available now.

"Going by the league table... I'm not saying we're going to win it and I can't say they're favourites because they won it twice.

"But in terms of consistency, we are better.

"They have that experience playing cup finals but we've got leadership and if we play like we did against Albirex in the semis (where Balestier edged Japanese outfit Albirex Niigata (S) FC 1-0) it's going to be near impossible to beat us.

"If we play with the same commitment like that game, I'll have nothing to do.

"They are tough, but we are tough as well."
The Brunei Times

Tough tests ahead for U-19 squad

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, September 7, 2013

THE national under-19 football team are in for a tough campaign at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-19 Youth Championship 2013.

The team of 20 players, which includes Faiq Jefri Bolkiah, and five officials departed yesterday for the September 9-22 event in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The Sultanate have been drawn with hosts Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand in Group B.

Head coach Dayem Hj Ali knows the task at hand and is looking at the positive side of things despite the difficult draw."It is going to be tough but we have to try our best regardless. We want the boys to get more experience and exposure playing in such big tournaments," said Dayem in an interview with The Brunei Times before their departure at the Brunei International Airport in Berakas.

"We are working as a team and we are looking to build from the experience we get.

"We haven't set a target for this tournament but we will take it one game at a time. We know how tough our opponents are and of course everyone wants to win," he added.

"We have been preparing for almost two months but the biggest problem is that we haven't had any sparring games.

"We are looking to be competitive and to give our opponents a good challenge. We need to hustle on each play and ensure we keep possession to disallow our opponents many chances," continued Dayem.

The team were only finalised two weeks ago and they managed to get their first taste of team football by competing in the recently concluded Six Corners Football Competition.

They were winless in the tournament after losing 2-1 to the Royal Brunei Police Force, followed by a 5-1 thrashing to Liang Lumut Recreation Club Football Team (LLRC FT).

Dayem also felt that match fitness might be an issue heading to the competition.

"I'm afraid that our game fitness might not be enough at the moment... Just like in our last tournament, we could keep up in the first half but we lost our focus in the second half and made mistakes," said Dayem.

The Sultanate will open their campaign against the hosts at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo on Tuesday.

There are five teams Laos, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Singapore and Cambodia in Group A after the withdrawal of Australia.

Present to bid farewell to the team was Pehin Datu Indera Sugara Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Yusof Abu Bakar, NFABD deputy-president.

The Brunei Times
 

NFABD appoints new Under-16 coach

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Thursday, September 5, 2013

THE National Football Association of BruneiDarussalam (NFABD) wishes to announce that due to poor performances by the Under-16 team at the recent ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-16 Championship held in Myanmar and the resignation of Awang Ali Haji Ismail as head coach of the Under-16 team, the NFABD has appointed Stephen Ng Heng Seng, a qualified Football Coach from Singapore, as the new head coach of NFABD's Under-16 team for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship which is going to be held in Vientiane, Laos from 21st to 29th September 2013.

The appointment will take effect from 5th September 2013.

Stephen Ng Heng Seng will be responsible for the development of grassroot football in Brunei and will also be part of the team for the overall development of football in Brunei Darussalam.

Courtesy of NFABD