Discipline key for Brunei Darussalam against Mongolia, says Servais

Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei Darussalam head coach Robbie Servais wants a disciplined approach from his players for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Preliminary Round 1 Qualifier against Mongolia.

---

Dutchman Servais said Mongolia are the favourites for the two-leg tie but believes Brunei Darussalam have a chance provided they stick to the game plan.

The first leg will be played in Ulaanbaatar on June 6 with the return match in Bandar Seri Begawan five days later.

“I think Mongolia are the favourites. Especially when we are playing away, we need to be very well-organised. I expect discipline from the players during the game so they should stay in their position and they should stay in the formation that we are going to play,” said Servais, the former Singapore U-19 head coach.

The Dutchman, however, is confident of getting his players ready despite the tough conditions that await them in Ulaanbaatar.

“The situation there is high altitude, the oxygen is less and the players are not used to the temperature over there. We need to be very disciplined and that is what I expect from the players," said Servais to local media.

The Southeast Asians will head to China PR on Monday for a training camp, which will also include a friendly against Beijing State University.

http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/latest/news/discipline-key-for-brunei-darussalam-against-mongolia-says-servais

DPMM FC look to go nine points clear in Singapore league

by Fadhil Yunus   

DPMM FC will look to establish a nine-point lead at the top of the table in the AIA Singapore Premier League with victory over Geylang International FC when they visit the Our Tampines Hub in Singapore tonight.

Defending champions and second-placed Albirex Niigata (S) will not be in action this weekend and will only feature against the Brunei-based club on May 24.

The Gegar Gegar men moved eight points clear after their 2-0 home win against Home United at the start of the second round fixtures at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium during their previous league appearance.

But a 2-0 win for Albirex against DPMM FC’s future opponent a day later reduced the lead to six points, highlighting the interest of the White Swans in the title race.

The Brunei-based outfit, still undefeated this season, are on a purple patch highlighted by three of the players leading the goals, assists and clean sheets departments.

DPMM FC foreign import Andrei Varankou is enjoying a prolific run after bagging 12 goals to lead the scoring charts and also topped the list for assists with five. The Belarussian has developed good chemistry with local

forward Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman in attack.

Meanwhile, DPMM FC goalkeeper Wardun Yussof made five clean sheets in nine league appearances, helping the club to a league low in goals conceded with six so far this term.

The league leaders will be without the services of midfield maestro Azwan Ali Rahman who is serving a suspension following his dismissal in the game against the Protectors.

Geylang will be boosted by the return of Shawal Anuar, who came off the bench in their last league game for his first appearance of the season, having recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament tear injury last season.

However, Geylang head coach Mohd Noor Ali will miss key personnel with the quartet of Barry Maguire, Syahiran Miswan, Muhd Noor Ariff and Darren Teh suspended for the clash.

The Eagles are on the back of three consecutive defeats and currently lie seventh in the table, but could catapult to the top five if they walk away

with three points against Adrian Pennock’s men.

DPMM FC could extend their unbeaten run on the road to 10 games in the league this season if they register their eighth victory tonight.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/dpmm-fc-look-to-go-nine-points-clear-in-singapore-league/

Robbie Servais new head coach of Brunei football team

by Fadhil Yunus

FORMER Singapore Under-19 head coach Robbie Servais has been appointed as the new national head coach of Brunei Darussalam football team on a short-term basis for six weeks.

Servais will take charge of the senior national team for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 two-legged match against Mongolia on June 6 and 11.

The national coach, from the Netherlands, will be introduced to the players where he will assess his options on selecting them for inclusion as part of his immediate tasks. The majority of players in the national pool list compete in the Brunei Super League.

The players will attend a training session next week with Servais and is also expected to visit DPMM FC games, where most of Brunei internationals currently play.

After the confirmation of a 23-man squad which is likely to be announced at the end of May, the national team will undergo a training camp in China where they will play one or two friendly matches against Chinese professional clubs.

“We go there not only to get used to the climate but also the opponents as well. Mongolian players are a little bit stronger than us so we need to have one or two games against similar teams,” said Servais in an interview with the media at NFABD House yesterday.

The Wasps will play Mongolia in an away leg in Ulaanbaatar in June 6 with the home leg taking place at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on June 11.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/robbie-servais-new-head-coach-of-brunei-football-team/

Brunei to play Mongolia in first round of World Cup qualifying

by Fadhil Yunus 

BRUNEI Darussalam national football team have been drawn against Mongolia in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 following a draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday.

The Wasps will begin their qualifying campaign in an away leg in Mongolia on June 6 before hosting the Blue Wolves in the home leg at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on June 11.

The other ties saw Macau being paired with Sri Lanka, Laos with Bangladesh, Malaysia with Timor Leste, Cambodia with Pakistan and Bhutan with Guam.

Brunei last participated in the first round of World Cup qualifying in 2015 when they lost 2-1 in aggregate against Taiwan.

The 12 lowest ranked teams in the AFC rankings were divided into six pairings of two teams where they will play home and away matches with each other, with the winners qualifying for the preliminary joint qualification round 2.

During the draw, the first drawn ball corresponded to the team that will host the first leg match while the second ball drawn to the host team for the return leg match of the preliminary joint qualification round 1.

Six teams ranked from 35 to 40 in the first pot were drawn into the position of Team A while another six teams ranked from 41 to 46 in the second pot were drawn into the position of Team B.

The draw mechanism explained that the first team to be drawn from the first pot was positioned as Team A of pairing 1 while the first team to be drawn from the second pot was positioned as Team B of pairing 1. The same procedure applied for all remaining teams.

The six winners in the first qualification round will join the AFC nations ranked from 1 to 34 in the second round to make it a pool of 40 teams.

Qualification for the 2022 World Cup will also double as a qualifying stage for the 2023 Asian Cup, with teams advancing from the second round of the qualification process booking a ticket to the Asian Cup finals.

National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) Technical Director John Whittle offered his thoughts on the draw against Mongolia.

“Obviously the draw is always going to be a difficult one regardless who we play. Every game is difficult these days.”

He said, “I’m sure it is a big challenge for us but we’ll be up for it and we’ll be ready for it.”

Whittle, appointed in his current role since August 2018, also shared his thoughts on the Mongolia national team.

“In recent years, they brought in a German coach who has done a very good job, changing the foundations there with the national team. They had reasonable results of late so as I’ve said, it will be a challenge for us.

“Previously, the Suzuki Cup was our last result losing to Timor Leste. But we’re going through a new time, a new era and hopefully things can change.”

He added, “We can change little bit of the culture and little bit of the national team environment and work in a positive manner towards this game.”

Football’s top brass has also wished the 12 qualifying participants who will kick off a long campaign the best of luck with FIFA President Gianni Infantino leading the way.

The President in a special message said, “The road to Qatar starts in less than two months and it will bring us to the second World Cup in history being played in Asia.

“A World Cup which will unite the entire world, the Gulf region, Asia and all the continents in friendship, sportsmanship and fair play.”

“I wish all Asian teams the very best of luck in this qualification campaign.”

Meanwhile, AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said, “For only the second time in history, the world’s biggest footballing stage returns to Asia in Qatar 2022.

“On behalf of the Asian football family, I wish all our teams the very best of luck and I am confident we will witness another thrilling qualifying campaign.”

Panel experts expressed their views on the first round battles especially Malaysia, which has been the central focus of the first round qualifying.

Indonesia head coach Simon McMenemy said, “I think a lot of the interest will circulate around Malaysia seeing how they get on against the supposedly smaller nations. This is going to be hotly contested and it will be a cup final for all of the small teams.”

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/brunei-to-play-mongolia-in-first-round-of-world-cup-qualifying/

FIFA World Cup Qualifier : Brunei vs Mongolia !

Seeded teams Malaysia, Cambodia, Macau, Laos, Bhutan and Mongolia were handed challenging fixtures for a place in the next qualifying round.

Mongolia, who edged Timor-Leste in the previous edition to earn their place in the second round, will face a Brunei Darussalam side who were defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Chinese Taipei in the 2018 Qualifiers.

The match-up between Macau and Sri Lanka will be a rematch of their 2016 AFC Solidarity tie, where both teams settled for a 1-1 draw with Macau going on to top the group and finish runners-up behind eventual winners Nepal.

Laos and Bangladesh will add spice to the mix when they face each other for a place in the second round. Both teams are beginning their qualifying campaign in Round 1 for the first time after usually starting from Round 2.

http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/latest/news/road-to-qatar-2022-asian-teams-discover-round-1-opponents

Road to Qatar 2022: Asian teams set to discover opponents

Malaysia, Cambodia, Macau, Laos, Bhutan and Mongolia have been seeded as the draw’s top six sides who have the challenging task of facing possible opponents – Bangladesh, Guam, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for a place in the next qualifying round.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “For only the second time in history, the world’s biggest footballing stage returns to Asia in Qatar 2022. As we have seen in the last year, Qatar is leaving nothing to chance in staging a truly magnificent spectacle.

“And what better way to kick-start this exciting journey, than right here in our great Continent. On behalf of the Asian football family, I wish all our teams the very best of luck and I am confident we will witness another thrilling qualifying campaign.”

http://www.the-afc.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/latest/news/road-to-qatar-2022-asian-teams-set-to-discover-opponents

Five-star Varankou shines in 7-1 win as DPMM FC top Singapore league

by Fadhil Yunus

ANDREI Varankou bagged five goals as DPMM FC romped to an emphatic 7-1 win against an injury-ravaged Balestier Khalsa FC to claim top spot in the AIA Singapore Premier League at the Bishan Stadium in Singapore last night.

The result marked the Gegar Gegar men’s biggest win since a 7-1 drubbing of Young Lions in the league at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in October 2017.

The depleted Tigers faced a tall order against a rejuvenated DPMM FC side after missing nine personnel through a combination of suspensions and injuries.

DPMM FC handed a first start for young defender Wafi Aminuddin who deputised for the absent Yura Indera Putera.

The visitors looked to gain the upper hand in the early proceedings as Azwan Ali swung in a fine cross which Blake Ricciuto nodded over under pressure by the Balestier defence.

The pair of Hazzuwan Halim and Akbar Shah combined to apply pressure through good pressing and gave DPMM FC goalkeeper Wardun Yussof a nervy moment but the away side steered clear of danger.

When Abdul Azizi Rahman somehow scuffed his cross, the threat should have disappeared but the ball rolled nicely for his brother Azwan Ali Rahman who fizzed a shot over the bar.

The lead duly arrived as Helmi Zambin floated a cross as Varankou applied a deft touch with his header past Balestier goalkeeper Zacharial Leong for the opening goal of the game.

DPMM FC foreign import Blake Ricciuto joined in the act with a quick-fire double in a space of four minutes before Varankou struck in the 39th minute to end the half with an unassailable 4-0 lead.

Varankou completed his hat-trick a minute before the hour mark after planting his header home following another inch-perfect delivery from Helmi.

The visitors played a quick free-kick to Varankou who sent a cross into the area but Ricciuto’s header landed safely into the arms of Leong.

Hendra Azam pinged a cross to Helmi who knocked the ball down to Varankou and the forward received heavy contact by Sufianto Salleh leaving the referee no hesitation but to award a penalty. The Balestier Khalsa player was also cautioned for his troubles.

Varankou sent the Balestier goalkeeper the wrong way for his fourth goal of the game, taking his tally to seven this season in just five league appearances.

The Belarussian had the ball in the back of the net but was deemed to have fouled Illyas Lee while challenging for the ball in mid-air.

Two Balestier substitutes had a hand in their consolation. Sameer Alassane initiated the attacking threat with a beautiful cross field ball.

Hazzuwan Halim spotted the run of Sanjin Vrebac and picked out his teammate who placed the rebound into the top corner after his initial attempt forced a good save from Wardun.

Varankou scored his fifth goal of the game after connecting Hendra’s corner with a firm header seven minutes from time.

https://borneobulletin.com.bn/five-star-varankou-shines-in-7-1-win-as-dpmm-fc-top-singapore-league/