Jerudong punish Wijaya

TOOTHLESS Wijaya FC fell to their second consecutive defeat in the 2010/11 DST Group Brunei Premier League I (BPL I) falling 2-0 at the hands of Jerudong FC last night.

Md Esmendy Brahim and Md Bazli Mohammad Said scored a goal each to give Jerudong FC a perfect start to the new season at the Berakas Sports Complex in Berakas.

Jerudong FC said before the start of the season that their objective this year was to break into the Top 3 and judging by their performance last night they were on the right path.

Their head coach Julkifli Hj Hitam hopes Jerudong FC can keep up the good show for the rest of the season.

"The first match is always crucial to keep the spirit up. Though they did not perform exactly as instructed, they did stick to 80 per cent of the game plan and that was good enough for a start," he said.

"We're still without the services of our three main players, who are out due to personal commitments. I believe we will be a better team when they return," the Jerudong FC head coach added.

Julkifli also praised the 19-year-old Md Bazli, who made it a debut to remember by scoring a goal in the second half.

"He is a new addition to the squad and has justified his selection in the best way possible, by scoring a goal," said Julkifli.

Jerudong FC were the better team last night and the scoreline could have been better if they were more clinical.

Faizul Jefry Hj Zaini presented the first real threat of the match with a long drive that Wijaya FC goalkeeper Md Nashruddin Salamat had to palm away at the far post.

Teammate Md Esmendy could have scored early when he successfully beat the defenders but his shot went wide of the post.

However, he did not make any mistake with his next attempt, drilling the ball into the back of the net with a header in the 26th minute to break the deadlock.

The 22-year-old Jerudong FC player tried to beat Md Nashruddin again soon after with a long range effort, but the Wijaya FC goalkeeper collected comfortably.

Wijaya FC thought they had netted the equaliser when Marhazif Ahmad fired from point blank after Jerudong FC goalkeeper Abdul Hafiz Hj Mursadi had fumbled a save. But the linesman correctly ruled Marhazif offside.

Md Julremi Hj Zaini then tried to level the scores with a free kick from just outside the box, but Abdul Hafiz parried the ball out to keep Jerudong FC 1-0 up after the break.

The second half started in similar fashion for Jerudong FC with Faizul Jefry skipping past two defenders but the Wijaya FC goalkeeper was able to put a hand to the ball.

Failure to clear the ball from the box almost cost Jerudong FC, but Zulkefly Duraman shot straight at the Jerudong FC goalkeeper to their fans' relief.

Wijaya FC started to ramp up the pressure on their opponents with only 30 minutes to go, but a lapse in defence proved to be their undoing.

Dahlan Zainuddin delivered a cross into the Wijaya FC's box and the defenders failed to spot Md Bazli, who snuck in and headed the ball over Md Nashruddin to score Jerudong FC's second goal in the 70th minute.

Defending champions QAF FC will step onto the field for the first time this season today taking on Indera SC at the Berakas Sports Complex at 8.15pm. The Brunei Times