Thursday, December 26, 2013
AFTER coming second in the S-League last season, expectations were high for DPMM FC to go one better this year.
However Brunei’s only professional football team found it difficult this year to maintain the same level of consistency that saw them scale great heights last year.
The team finished the season eighth out of 12 teams, 21 points behind eventual champions Tampines Rovers. They managed 27 points after seven wins and six draws, with nine losses punctuating their patchy league form.
It was in the Singapore League Cup where DPMM FC, defending champions, found a welcome distraction. Putting together a run of strong performances, DPMM FC reached the final of the Singapore League Cup where they faced Balestier Khalsa on September 14.
However it wouldn’t end on a high note with Balestier going on to lift the trophy after a convincing 4-0 win.
In the Singapore Cup DPMM FC only managed to make their way past the first round of the Singapore Cup before being knocked out 5-4 on aggregate by Global FC of the Philippines.
The first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 24 ended 1-0 with Global edging DPMM FC before an epic 4-4 battle took place at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on July 27.
Head coach Vjeran Simunic left the club at the culmination of the season and will be replaced by former English Premier League manager, Steve Kean. The former Blackburn manager signed a one-year contract with DPMM FC, while the club have also brought in defender Boric Raspudic from Bosnia, midfielders Roberto Alviz from Croatia and Joe Gamble from Ireland.
Brazilian Rodrigo Tosi will be the only import player staying at the club after he was given a contract extension.
Meanwhile, in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Brunei's football squad had failed to advance past the group stages after failing to win a single game. Brunei crashed 7-0 to Vietnam, suffering 2-0 defeats to both Malaysia and Singapore, before finally finding the net in a 3-2 to Laos.
Group B’s Thailand eventually went on to the final and defeated Indonesia 1-0 to finish in first for a record 14 times.
In Brunei’s local football scene the DST Super League saw Indera Sports Club lift their first major title in their 30-year history.
Indera left it to the final day of the league to secure their win after defeating the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) 1-0 on March 10.
The win put them on par with MS ABDB at 22 points but Indera had their shooting boots on this season, and managed to edge ahead of the army’s top team with a total of 33 in goals to the armed forces’ 23.
Indera’s Azwan Ali Rahman was the league top scorer with 17 goals to his name.
Kiudang Mungkom FC defeated MEAC Realpower FC 3-1 to lift the 2013 You.C1000 Brunei Chinese League trophy on December 15.
Kiudang went into the game needing a win or a draw to top the seven team table to leap over Old Boyz FC.
Not only did Kiudang walk away as the champions but Liong Hong Ping was crowned the top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals.
Ping told The Brunei Times following the final, “It helped that I was playing with a good team and luckily all the balls came through the midfield to me and I just got lucky.”
“Honestly I just enjoyed all the games I played and treated them as friendly matches.
“I’ve actually got a knee injury right now, which is why I was a bit slow today and I honestly felt like my opening goal was lucky.
“I would also like to thank our sponsor Easyway,” added Ping.
The inaugural Brunei-Muara District Football Association (BMDFA) NBT Cup title was also another addition to the local football tournaments.
Menglait FC found themselves lifting the first title after defeating Plan Batu FC 3-0 to over throw Kasuka FC who were sitting on 14 points by one on the table.
As well as events for the local teams, there were also tournaments for the ministries.
The most recent saw the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) crown themselves champions of the 4th Piala Keputeraan Football Championship after they defeated the Ministry of Education 2-1 on December 6.
MoHA’s Muhd Maududi Hilmi Kasmi took the golden boot after scoring 15 goals in total during the tournament.
The Brunei Times
However Brunei’s only professional football team found it difficult this year to maintain the same level of consistency that saw them scale great heights last year.
The team finished the season eighth out of 12 teams, 21 points behind eventual champions Tampines Rovers. They managed 27 points after seven wins and six draws, with nine losses punctuating their patchy league form.
It was in the Singapore League Cup where DPMM FC, defending champions, found a welcome distraction. Putting together a run of strong performances, DPMM FC reached the final of the Singapore League Cup where they faced Balestier Khalsa on September 14.
However it wouldn’t end on a high note with Balestier going on to lift the trophy after a convincing 4-0 win.
In the Singapore Cup DPMM FC only managed to make their way past the first round of the Singapore Cup before being knocked out 5-4 on aggregate by Global FC of the Philippines.
The first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 24 ended 1-0 with Global edging DPMM FC before an epic 4-4 battle took place at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on July 27.
Head coach Vjeran Simunic left the club at the culmination of the season and will be replaced by former English Premier League manager, Steve Kean. The former Blackburn manager signed a one-year contract with DPMM FC, while the club have also brought in defender Boric Raspudic from Bosnia, midfielders Roberto Alviz from Croatia and Joe Gamble from Ireland.
Brazilian Rodrigo Tosi will be the only import player staying at the club after he was given a contract extension.
Meanwhile, in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Brunei's football squad had failed to advance past the group stages after failing to win a single game. Brunei crashed 7-0 to Vietnam, suffering 2-0 defeats to both Malaysia and Singapore, before finally finding the net in a 3-2 to Laos.
Group B’s Thailand eventually went on to the final and defeated Indonesia 1-0 to finish in first for a record 14 times.
In Brunei’s local football scene the DST Super League saw Indera Sports Club lift their first major title in their 30-year history.
Indera left it to the final day of the league to secure their win after defeating the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) 1-0 on March 10.
The win put them on par with MS ABDB at 22 points but Indera had their shooting boots on this season, and managed to edge ahead of the army’s top team with a total of 33 in goals to the armed forces’ 23.
Indera’s Azwan Ali Rahman was the league top scorer with 17 goals to his name.
Kiudang Mungkom FC defeated MEAC Realpower FC 3-1 to lift the 2013 You.C1000 Brunei Chinese League trophy on December 15.
Kiudang went into the game needing a win or a draw to top the seven team table to leap over Old Boyz FC.
Not only did Kiudang walk away as the champions but Liong Hong Ping was crowned the top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals.
Ping told The Brunei Times following the final, “It helped that I was playing with a good team and luckily all the balls came through the midfield to me and I just got lucky.”
“Honestly I just enjoyed all the games I played and treated them as friendly matches.
“I’ve actually got a knee injury right now, which is why I was a bit slow today and I honestly felt like my opening goal was lucky.
“I would also like to thank our sponsor Easyway,” added Ping.
The inaugural Brunei-Muara District Football Association (BMDFA) NBT Cup title was also another addition to the local football tournaments.
Menglait FC found themselves lifting the first title after defeating Plan Batu FC 3-0 to over throw Kasuka FC who were sitting on 14 points by one on the table.
As well as events for the local teams, there were also tournaments for the ministries.
The most recent saw the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) crown themselves champions of the 4th Piala Keputeraan Football Championship after they defeated the Ministry of Education 2-1 on December 6.
MoHA’s Muhd Maududi Hilmi Kasmi took the golden boot after scoring 15 goals in total during the tournament.
The Brunei Times
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