Jason Thomas
JAKARTA
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
10-man Brunei scuppers a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute
Laos coach praises 'fantastic' Adis Said
ADI Said lifted 10-man Brunei on his shoulders last night, scoring a brace to ensure a 2-2 stalemate against Laos and their first point of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games football competition.
A striker who is probably worth his weight in gold for the Sultanate right now, Adi the younger brother of DPMM FC hitman Shahrazen netted a 30th minute equaliser and bagged his brace in the 56th minute to give Brunei a lead their fatigued legs would surrender in the 80th minute.
Brunei was down a man in the 15th minute when centre-back Reduan Petara was show a straight red for bringing down Lamnao Singto the Laos captain who was straight through on goal after a long ball from midfield.
But with Adi leading the team's attack, and the midfield slowly rising to the fore, Brunei did not quit believing.
"I didn't think we would lose," said Adi of playing with a man down.
"The most important thing is teamwork. If one man is off, we all raise our game. Individual play is not important. We played well despite being down one player. Our only problems were our finishing and fitness.
"I could have scored three or four but I tried my best," said the 21-year-old, who had two chances to bag his hat-trick and had certain fans in the stadium calling his name whenever he touched the ball.
With Timor Leste upsetting the Philippines 2-1 in yesterday's tie at the Lebak Bulus Stadium, Brunei's draw puts them fifth in the six-team Group B. Though they are even on points with Laos and have the same goal difference, the Laotians have scored a goal more.
Only the Philippines, who suffered two straight losses, have yet to earn a point. Brunei faced Timor Leste in their first game last Saturday, losing 2-1 after initially taking the lead.
Though Laos didn't score off the free-kick when Reduan was sent off, they did take the lead three minutes later through Lamnao, who capped off a superbly swift attacking move.
Sangvone Phimmasen stole the ball off Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris in midfield and passed it to Keoviengpheth Lithideth, who then laid it off to Lamnao. He unleashed a beautiful curler to Junaidi Akim's top-left corner.
But keeping their heads up and starting to string more passes together, Brunei got back into the game and a long ball from captain Azwan Muhd Salleh found Adi who cut past his two defenders and found the net from inside the box and celebrated with his trademark back-flips.
In the second half, Mohd Hendra Azam made up for his earlier mistake by delivering the free-kick into the box which made it 2-1 with a glancing header from Adi.
The substitute goalkeeper, Junaidi, took full use of the opportunity handed to him by the shoulder sprain Ak Omar Nur Aqammadin Pg Hj Sallehuddin picked up against Timor Leste to prove himself by keeping Brunei in the game with some key saves down the stretch.
In the end though, Brunei's tiring midfield wavered and their defenders were satisfied with simply booting the ball to safety.
A through ball to Sangvone on the left flank caught Brunei's back-line off guard, and the striker would square the ball to Sopha Saysana who netted past an open goal.
Through it all, Brunei's commitment to attacking football and their courage will be what most neutrals will take away from the match.
They face Myanmar tomorrow, who are third in the six-team Group B. Tomorrow's other game pits leaders Timor Leste against second-placed Vietnam.
After last night's stirring performance, all three points against Myanmar don't seem too much to ask.The Brunei Times
08 November 2011
07 November 2011
SEA GAMES 2011: LAOS HOLD TEN MAN BRUNEI
EBAK BULUS (7 Nov 2011) – Laos seem to find it difficult to play against teams with ten men and tonight, they were lucky not to concede a second loss in the competition when they held Brunei to a 2-2 draw at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.
On the first match day of Group B the Laotians, the 2009 semi-finalists failed to take advantage of Myanmar playing with ten men, when they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat.
And tonight, Brunei’s hopes of picking up their first win was stuttered as early as the 15th minute when defender Reduan Petara was red carded by Indonesian referee Oki Putra for a foul on Laos captain Lamnao Singto.
And while Laos’ Ketsada might have missed the upright with the ensuing freekick, there was no stopping them from clinching the lead when Lamnao after cutting in from the left, unleashed a well-placed shot in the 18th minute to punish the Brunei lackadaisical defence.
Laos then stepped up the pressure in search of the second goal but it was to be Brunei who found the back of the net when striker Adi Said, found the time and space for the equalizer in the 33rd minute.
The score at the end of the first half was 1-1.
It was Brunei who started brighter after the restart and in the 56th minute, they put their noses in front for the first time in the match – with Adi again on top of his game to punish some hesitant Laos defence.
Certainly, Brunei were not expecting such a score line when they were playing with ten men but not too long afterwards, the change for the nippy Manolom for Laos would change the pace and also the outcome of the game.
Ten minutes to the end, Manolom poked in a mad scramble inside the Brunei box when keeper Awangku Omar Sallehudin came off his line to put the score at 2-2.
Both teams then stepped on the gas after that looking for the winning goal but to no avail as the score stood for them to share the spoils.
aseanfootball
On the first match day of Group B the Laotians, the 2009 semi-finalists failed to take advantage of Myanmar playing with ten men, when they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat.
And tonight, Brunei’s hopes of picking up their first win was stuttered as early as the 15th minute when defender Reduan Petara was red carded by Indonesian referee Oki Putra for a foul on Laos captain Lamnao Singto.
And while Laos’ Ketsada might have missed the upright with the ensuing freekick, there was no stopping them from clinching the lead when Lamnao after cutting in from the left, unleashed a well-placed shot in the 18th minute to punish the Brunei lackadaisical defence.
Laos then stepped up the pressure in search of the second goal but it was to be Brunei who found the back of the net when striker Adi Said, found the time and space for the equalizer in the 33rd minute.
The score at the end of the first half was 1-1.
It was Brunei who started brighter after the restart and in the 56th minute, they put their noses in front for the first time in the match – with Adi again on top of his game to punish some hesitant Laos defence.
Certainly, Brunei were not expecting such a score line when they were playing with ten men but not too long afterwards, the change for the nippy Manolom for Laos would change the pace and also the outcome of the game.
Ten minutes to the end, Manolom poked in a mad scramble inside the Brunei box when keeper Awangku Omar Sallehudin came off his line to put the score at 2-2.
Both teams then stepped on the gas after that looking for the winning goal but to no avail as the score stood for them to share the spoils.
aseanfootball
06 November 2011
Brunei fall 1-2 to Timor Leste in opener
Jason Thomas
FROM JAKARTA
Sunday, November 6, 2011
BRUNEI blew a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 to Timor Leste in what was nevertheless an encouraging performance from the side in their Southeast Asian (SEA) Games football competition opener here yesterday.
Making a return to the tournament after 10 years, the Sultanate took a 1-0 advantage mid-way through the first half when Mohd Najib Hj Tarif slammed the ball home after a smart back-heel from striker Hamizan Sulaiman following a free kick which caused havoc in the box at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.
Though Timor Leste were toothless in the first half it was a different story in the second, where a brace from Murilo Ribeiro de Almeida helped them secure a comeback in what was the first game for both sides.
Pressing the Bruneians from the get-go, the second 45 minutes was a stark difference from the first where Brunei's nifty one-two passing game saw them on top.
De Almeida made it 1-1 after pouncing on a free-kick into the box in the 64th minute, bagging the winner eight minutes later after tapping in a square pass from strike partner Alan Leandro da Silva Pinheiro.
With 2009 silver-medalists Vietnam held to a 0-0 draw by Myanmar in yesterday's second game, the result means Brunei now sit fifth in the six-team Group B with Vietnam's 3-1 win over the Philippines keeping the Filipinos rooted at the bottom of the table.
The only other game of the tournament saw Myanmar edge Laos 3-2.
De Almeida's second strike was a frustrating goal for Brunei to let it, coming from a long-ball which caught the entire defense napping and creating a two-on-one situation which ultimately cost Brunei the match.
"We were careless and conceded through our own mistakes," admitted assistant coach Pg Serfuddin Pg Hj Mohd Salleh.
"Our defence worked hard to defend the line but .... It was hard luck. I think we will improve and learn from these mistakes.
"We had chances but at the end of the day we didn't convert enough of them. We played well in the first half with our short passing and we showed our skill," he added.
With fatigue taking its toll on the players, Brunei's passing game suffered in the second half and they failed to reproduce their fine form in the first half.
Timor Leste's relentless pressure right after the break gave Brunei the jitters, and their taller and more physical opponents also wore Brunei's players down.
Stray passes started creeping into Brunei's game as the match progressed, with their support play also found to be lacking.
In the end they were left thinking about what could have been, with captain Azwan Muhd Salleh testing Timor Leste custodian Emerson Carlos Cesario as early as the sixth minute and Hamizan, Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris and Adi Said also guilty of missing chances in what was a bright first half for Brunei.
Adi looked especially threatening in front of goal and could have won the game for Brunei had he been more clinical.
The team will enjoy a day of rest today before facing Laos tomorrow, the match set for the Lebak Bulus Stadium at 5pm Brunei time.The Brunei Times
FROM JAKARTA
Sunday, November 6, 2011
BRUNEI blew a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 to Timor Leste in what was nevertheless an encouraging performance from the side in their Southeast Asian (SEA) Games football competition opener here yesterday.
Making a return to the tournament after 10 years, the Sultanate took a 1-0 advantage mid-way through the first half when Mohd Najib Hj Tarif slammed the ball home after a smart back-heel from striker Hamizan Sulaiman following a free kick which caused havoc in the box at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.
Though Timor Leste were toothless in the first half it was a different story in the second, where a brace from Murilo Ribeiro de Almeida helped them secure a comeback in what was the first game for both sides.
Pressing the Bruneians from the get-go, the second 45 minutes was a stark difference from the first where Brunei's nifty one-two passing game saw them on top.
De Almeida made it 1-1 after pouncing on a free-kick into the box in the 64th minute, bagging the winner eight minutes later after tapping in a square pass from strike partner Alan Leandro da Silva Pinheiro.
With 2009 silver-medalists Vietnam held to a 0-0 draw by Myanmar in yesterday's second game, the result means Brunei now sit fifth in the six-team Group B with Vietnam's 3-1 win over the Philippines keeping the Filipinos rooted at the bottom of the table.
The only other game of the tournament saw Myanmar edge Laos 3-2.
De Almeida's second strike was a frustrating goal for Brunei to let it, coming from a long-ball which caught the entire defense napping and creating a two-on-one situation which ultimately cost Brunei the match.
"We were careless and conceded through our own mistakes," admitted assistant coach Pg Serfuddin Pg Hj Mohd Salleh.
"Our defence worked hard to defend the line but .... It was hard luck. I think we will improve and learn from these mistakes.
"We had chances but at the end of the day we didn't convert enough of them. We played well in the first half with our short passing and we showed our skill," he added.
With fatigue taking its toll on the players, Brunei's passing game suffered in the second half and they failed to reproduce their fine form in the first half.
Timor Leste's relentless pressure right after the break gave Brunei the jitters, and their taller and more physical opponents also wore Brunei's players down.
Stray passes started creeping into Brunei's game as the match progressed, with their support play also found to be lacking.
In the end they were left thinking about what could have been, with captain Azwan Muhd Salleh testing Timor Leste custodian Emerson Carlos Cesario as early as the sixth minute and Hamizan, Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris and Adi Said also guilty of missing chances in what was a bright first half for Brunei.
Adi looked especially threatening in front of goal and could have won the game for Brunei had he been more clinical.
The team will enjoy a day of rest today before facing Laos tomorrow, the match set for the Lebak Bulus Stadium at 5pm Brunei time.The Brunei Times
05 November 2011
SEA GAMES 2011: ALMEIDA’S BRACE GIVES TIMOR WIN OVER BRUNEI
LEBAK BULUS (5 Nov 2011) – Timor Leste fought back from being a goal down to beat Brunei 2-1 on the second match day of the Group B of men’s football that was played at the Lebak Bulus Stadium this evening – courtesy of a double from Murilo de Almeida.
Both teams were playing in their first game of the competition following the first match day of the group two days earlier.
And this evening, Brunei showed none of the chink or the uncertainty of being absence from this competition which they last took part in 2001 when they took the game to the Timorese.
With Timor Leste choosing to play a more offense-minded game by opting to put in three forwards in Antonio Sousa, Alan Pinheiro and Murilo de Almeida, it was Brunei who actually created the early chances.
Captain Azwan Muhd Salleh’s tested Timor goalkeeper Emerson Cesario with a sixth minute shot before further attempts from Hamizan Sulaiman and Mohd Hendra Mohd Idris were both thwarted.
Timor then replied through de Almeida in the 25th minute but beating two defenders, he poorly shot the ball out. That failure to score saw Brunei taking the advantage where after a poor clearance; Mohd Najib Tarif slammed the ball in for the lead.
The score at the end of the first half was 1-0 to Brunei.
Timor Leste were more determined in the second half and they kept up the pressure on Brunei with a double from captain Jesse Pinto but both times, he was denied by the woodwork just before the hour mark.
But there was no stopping Timor from clinching the equaliser in the 64th minute when off a free kick, de Almeida sets off a grounder to beat Brunei custodian Awangku Omar Salehudin.
In the 72nd minute, de Almeida then gave Timor the lead for the first time in the match when he had made good on a cross from Pinheiro after beating the offside trap earlier.
Two minutes to the end, de Almeida was presented with the chance for a hat-trick but he totally muffed his attempt with only the goalkeeper to beat.
“The result was good but we need to tighten up our game if we want to make past the group stage,” offered Pinto after the match.
aseanfootball
Both teams were playing in their first game of the competition following the first match day of the group two days earlier.
And this evening, Brunei showed none of the chink or the uncertainty of being absence from this competition which they last took part in 2001 when they took the game to the Timorese.
With Timor Leste choosing to play a more offense-minded game by opting to put in three forwards in Antonio Sousa, Alan Pinheiro and Murilo de Almeida, it was Brunei who actually created the early chances.
Captain Azwan Muhd Salleh’s tested Timor goalkeeper Emerson Cesario with a sixth minute shot before further attempts from Hamizan Sulaiman and Mohd Hendra Mohd Idris were both thwarted.
Timor then replied through de Almeida in the 25th minute but beating two defenders, he poorly shot the ball out. That failure to score saw Brunei taking the advantage where after a poor clearance; Mohd Najib Tarif slammed the ball in for the lead.
The score at the end of the first half was 1-0 to Brunei.
Timor Leste were more determined in the second half and they kept up the pressure on Brunei with a double from captain Jesse Pinto but both times, he was denied by the woodwork just before the hour mark.
But there was no stopping Timor from clinching the equaliser in the 64th minute when off a free kick, de Almeida sets off a grounder to beat Brunei custodian Awangku Omar Salehudin.
In the 72nd minute, de Almeida then gave Timor the lead for the first time in the match when he had made good on a cross from Pinheiro after beating the offside trap earlier.
Two minutes to the end, de Almeida was presented with the chance for a hat-trick but he totally muffed his attempt with only the goalkeeper to beat.
“The result was good but we need to tighten up our game if we want to make past the group stage,” offered Pinto after the match.
aseanfootball
03 November 2011
Brunei football team set sights on semis
Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, November 3, 2011
CONFIDENCE is coursing through the Under-23 national football team which left for Jakarta to compete at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games yesterday and probably no one's more optimistic than Azwan Muhd Salleh.
"A medal might be hard but I want to make it to the second round (semi-finals) at least," said the captain.
"A good result in our first match against Timor Leste (on Saturday) will surely give us confidence ahead of our other games.
"The team has a good understanding among each other and our teamwork is strong. Compared to the other teams, we didn't have any friendly matches against international sides, so that might be a problem for the first game.
"Of course, I am proud to be selected as captain. This will be my second time leading the team after the 2006 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kedah," added the 23-year-old DPMM FC midfielder.
Brunei's only professional club, DPMM FC have three players in the 20-man squad which departed for the Indonesian capital for the biennial tournament striker Adi Said and midfielder Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris are the other two.
Making a return to the SEA Games football event after 10 years, the Sultanate's second Group B match is against Laos next Monday.
They take on Myanmar two days later and 2009 runners-up Vietnam are penned in for next Saturday.
Brunei meet the Philippines in their final group stage match on Nov 15, with the semi-finals set for Nov 19 and the final two days later.
It is arguably the country's biggest test in a decade, with Brunei's last appearance at the regional meet coming at the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
Pride is on the line and that's definitely what was on Ahmad Hafiz Said's mind when asked about what he felt heading into the competition especially after being told that Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) chairman Nguyen Trong Hy had said "Brunei is not a strong team".
"That's only going to motivate us more! I want us to show (people) that Brunei can play," smiled Adi's brother.
"We've had enough training, our teamwork is good, and I'm confident as well," chipped in Adi, who has been rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the land while playing for Majra.
Netting the winning goal in their 2-1 win over the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) in July's DST Group Brunei League Cup final, he earned the Man of the Match award for his heroics.
His eye for the goal is no surprise considering his brother Shahrazen who also plays for DPMM FC is just as deadly.
After all, Shahrazen led DPMM FC in scoring during their debut Singapore League season in 2008/2009 with nine goals and finished joint top scorer during the 2006/2007 Malaysian Super League campaign with 21.
Also in a positive mood was Adi's strike partner Mohd Nazirul Nazreen Abdullah, who along with Hamizan Sulaiman, make up the team's trio in attack.
"The three of us have a good understanding and have no problems communicating with each other. I'm sure we can work well together (in Jakarta)," he said.
"We will need some luck in our matches and when we are in Jakarta we will have to stay focused, be committed during training and get enough rest," added the 22-year-old.
Luck has already been on the team's side after they were handed an easier group during the draw held on Oct 19.
Group A pits titleholders Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia against each other in what will be an extremely tough pool to say the least. The two best teams from each group advance to the semi-finals.
Vietnam takes on the Philippines in today's tournament opener at 5pm (Brunei time) while Laos face Myanmar at 8pm.
Both games will be held at 88,083 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Only four of the Brunei team are first-timers to an international competition the rest enjoying playing time at the 2007 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (a competition between national Under-21 teams from the Asean region), the 2008 Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Asean Schools Football Tournament.
Though the side which was formed in July was only able to call their 2-2 draw against DPMM as their sternest test ahead of the Games, the other countries have enjoyed a better build up to the event.
The Filipinos just returned from a week-long stay in Japan while Myanmar faced Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam at last month's Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Cup in Vietnam, where they lost 2-1, 2-1 and 5-0 respectively.
Also in the VFF Cup, Malaysia held Vietnam to a 1-1 draw and lost 3-1 to Uzbekistan.
Semi-finalists at the SEA Games which they hosted in 2009, Laos lost 4-1 to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Indonesia held their senior counterparts 1-1 in a recent game and breezed past the Timor Leste Under-23 squad 5-0.
Brunei's tie against Timor Leste might seem the easiest but the players aren't taking anything for granted.
"Every team has its strengths we can't look down on any of them," insisted defender Md Enddy Zulyadi Awg Sapar.
With 13 wins to their name, Thailand are the most successful team in the competition. Malaysia and Myanmar have five titles to their name a statistic that stretches back to 1959 when the event was known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.
Malaysia won gold at the last edition when they defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final when Vietnam's Mai Xuan Hop put the ball into his own net to hand the Asean champions their first SEA Games title in 20 years.
Including the footballers, Brunei is set to send 62 athletes to the Nov 11-22 Games where they will compete in 10 other sports; 10-pin bowling, cue sports, fencing, karatedo, kempo, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, taekwondo and wushu.
Co-hosted by Palembang and Jakarta, the Games officially kick off at the Jakabaring Stadium in Palembang, where according to Bernama, 6,000 athletes from 11 countries will be present at the ceremony.The Brunei Times
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, November 3, 2011
CONFIDENCE is coursing through the Under-23 national football team which left for Jakarta to compete at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games yesterday and probably no one's more optimistic than Azwan Muhd Salleh.
"A medal might be hard but I want to make it to the second round (semi-finals) at least," said the captain.
"A good result in our first match against Timor Leste (on Saturday) will surely give us confidence ahead of our other games.
"The team has a good understanding among each other and our teamwork is strong. Compared to the other teams, we didn't have any friendly matches against international sides, so that might be a problem for the first game.
"Of course, I am proud to be selected as captain. This will be my second time leading the team after the 2006 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kedah," added the 23-year-old DPMM FC midfielder.
Brunei's only professional club, DPMM FC have three players in the 20-man squad which departed for the Indonesian capital for the biennial tournament striker Adi Said and midfielder Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris are the other two.
Making a return to the SEA Games football event after 10 years, the Sultanate's second Group B match is against Laos next Monday.
They take on Myanmar two days later and 2009 runners-up Vietnam are penned in for next Saturday.
Brunei meet the Philippines in their final group stage match on Nov 15, with the semi-finals set for Nov 19 and the final two days later.
It is arguably the country's biggest test in a decade, with Brunei's last appearance at the regional meet coming at the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
Pride is on the line and that's definitely what was on Ahmad Hafiz Said's mind when asked about what he felt heading into the competition especially after being told that Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) chairman Nguyen Trong Hy had said "Brunei is not a strong team".
"That's only going to motivate us more! I want us to show (people) that Brunei can play," smiled Adi's brother.
"We've had enough training, our teamwork is good, and I'm confident as well," chipped in Adi, who has been rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the land while playing for Majra.
Netting the winning goal in their 2-1 win over the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) in July's DST Group Brunei League Cup final, he earned the Man of the Match award for his heroics.
His eye for the goal is no surprise considering his brother Shahrazen who also plays for DPMM FC is just as deadly.
After all, Shahrazen led DPMM FC in scoring during their debut Singapore League season in 2008/2009 with nine goals and finished joint top scorer during the 2006/2007 Malaysian Super League campaign with 21.
Also in a positive mood was Adi's strike partner Mohd Nazirul Nazreen Abdullah, who along with Hamizan Sulaiman, make up the team's trio in attack.
"The three of us have a good understanding and have no problems communicating with each other. I'm sure we can work well together (in Jakarta)," he said.
"We will need some luck in our matches and when we are in Jakarta we will have to stay focused, be committed during training and get enough rest," added the 22-year-old.
Luck has already been on the team's side after they were handed an easier group during the draw held on Oct 19.
Group A pits titleholders Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia against each other in what will be an extremely tough pool to say the least. The two best teams from each group advance to the semi-finals.
Vietnam takes on the Philippines in today's tournament opener at 5pm (Brunei time) while Laos face Myanmar at 8pm.
Both games will be held at 88,083 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
Only four of the Brunei team are first-timers to an international competition the rest enjoying playing time at the 2007 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (a competition between national Under-21 teams from the Asean region), the 2008 Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Asean Schools Football Tournament.
Though the side which was formed in July was only able to call their 2-2 draw against DPMM as their sternest test ahead of the Games, the other countries have enjoyed a better build up to the event.
The Filipinos just returned from a week-long stay in Japan while Myanmar faced Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam at last month's Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Cup in Vietnam, where they lost 2-1, 2-1 and 5-0 respectively.
Also in the VFF Cup, Malaysia held Vietnam to a 1-1 draw and lost 3-1 to Uzbekistan.
Semi-finalists at the SEA Games which they hosted in 2009, Laos lost 4-1 to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Indonesia held their senior counterparts 1-1 in a recent game and breezed past the Timor Leste Under-23 squad 5-0.
Brunei's tie against Timor Leste might seem the easiest but the players aren't taking anything for granted.
"Every team has its strengths we can't look down on any of them," insisted defender Md Enddy Zulyadi Awg Sapar.
With 13 wins to their name, Thailand are the most successful team in the competition. Malaysia and Myanmar have five titles to their name a statistic that stretches back to 1959 when the event was known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.
Malaysia won gold at the last edition when they defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final when Vietnam's Mai Xuan Hop put the ball into his own net to hand the Asean champions their first SEA Games title in 20 years.
Including the footballers, Brunei is set to send 62 athletes to the Nov 11-22 Games where they will compete in 10 other sports; 10-pin bowling, cue sports, fencing, karatedo, kempo, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, taekwondo and wushu.
Co-hosted by Palembang and Jakarta, the Games officially kick off at the Jakabaring Stadium in Palembang, where according to Bernama, 6,000 athletes from 11 countries will be present at the ceremony.The Brunei Times
02 November 2011
'Fair' draw for Brunei in SEA games: coach
Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
DAYEM Hj Ali (pic) said Brunei has a "fair" draw at this week's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia, which is arguably the country's biggest event in a decade.
Making their return to the Under-23 football competition after a 10-year-absence, the team's head coach was happy to have been drawn in Group B alongside Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Timor Leste.
Group A consists of defending champions Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia so the Sultanate can breathe a sigh of relief after being handed an easier task.
"It's also good because we will be able to know how strong we are after not playing for 10 years we last played at the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur," he said on Monday, referring to the fact that potentially poor results against the stronger Group A opponents would not be a true test of the team's standard.
"The games against Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos will be tough ... Vietnam were runners-up in 2009 and Laos were semi-finalists. (But) we want to make sure we play our best and make the country proud," the coach insisted.
Brunei's 20-man squad, which will leave for Jakarta today, face Timor Leste in their opener on Saturday. They take on Laos next Monday, Myanmar next Wednesday and Vietnam next Saturday.
Brunei will meet the Philippines in their final group stage match on Nov 15, with the semi-finals set for Nov 19 and the final two days later. The two best teams from each group advance to the semis.
Brunei's match against Vietnam, which was penned in for a what would have been a historic 8am kick-off next Friday because of the Games' opening ceremony on the same day, has now been rescheduled to 7pm the next day.
Vietnam takes on the Philippines in tomorrow's tournament opener, with the SEA Games proper set for Nov 11-22.
Trials were held in July to select Brunei's footballers for the 26th edition of the biennial tournament. Their training sessions in the fasting month only ran from 9-11pm but the team has been at work twice a day since a four-day break for Hari Raya.
Only four of them are first-timers to an international competition the rest enjoying playing time at the 2007 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (a competition between national Under-21 teams from the Asean region), the 2008 Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Asean Schools Football Tournament.
The team's captain, midfielder Azwan Muhd Salleh, is one of the three from DPMM FC with striker Adi Hj Md Said and midfielder Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris the other two.
Though the team might be physically ready, their lack of quality friendly matches might be their undoing in the Indonesian capital where the other countries have been preparing against some top-level opposition.
The Philippines squad just returned from a week-long stay in Japan while Laos gave Malaysia a run for their money after taking an early lead before falling 4-1 in a friendly in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.
Malaysia also saw action at last month's Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Cup, where they lost 3-1 to Uzbekistan, beat Myanmar 2-1 and held hosts Vietnam to a 1-1 draw. Myanmar were on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline against Vietnam in the same tournament, where they also lost 2-1 to Uzbekistan.
The Indonesians held their senior counterparts 1-1 in a recent game and breezed past the Timor Leste Under-23 squad 5-0.
Brunei, in comparison, have had to settle for DPMM FC.
Though Brunei's only professional club are the 2009 Singapore League Cup champions, DPMM FC are still in the process of getting their players fit and finalising imports for the upcoming season and matches against countries in the region would have been a better test.
"We have had friendly games against some local teams but they weren't really good gauges for us - except for our 2-2 draw against DPMM FC (on Oct 15)," said Dayem.
"Going up against their (DPMM FC's) imports, we were able to learn that we can not play long balls (to the forwards) because the defenders are tall.
"That's why we have been training a lot on our one-two passing ... That's one of our weapons," he added.
Thailand have won the SEA Games a record 13 times, followed by Malaysia and Myanmar with five a statistic that stretches back to 1959 when the event was then known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.
Malaysia won the last edition in Laos when they defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final, where an own goal by Vietnam's Mai Xuan Hop handed the Asean champions their first SEA Games title in 20 years.
The Brunei Times
.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
DAYEM Hj Ali (pic) said Brunei has a "fair" draw at this week's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia, which is arguably the country's biggest event in a decade.
Making their return to the Under-23 football competition after a 10-year-absence, the team's head coach was happy to have been drawn in Group B alongside Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Timor Leste.
Group A consists of defending champions Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia so the Sultanate can breathe a sigh of relief after being handed an easier task.
"It's also good because we will be able to know how strong we are after not playing for 10 years we last played at the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur," he said on Monday, referring to the fact that potentially poor results against the stronger Group A opponents would not be a true test of the team's standard.
"The games against Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos will be tough ... Vietnam were runners-up in 2009 and Laos were semi-finalists. (But) we want to make sure we play our best and make the country proud," the coach insisted.
Brunei's 20-man squad, which will leave for Jakarta today, face Timor Leste in their opener on Saturday. They take on Laos next Monday, Myanmar next Wednesday and Vietnam next Saturday.
Brunei will meet the Philippines in their final group stage match on Nov 15, with the semi-finals set for Nov 19 and the final two days later. The two best teams from each group advance to the semis.
Brunei's match against Vietnam, which was penned in for a what would have been a historic 8am kick-off next Friday because of the Games' opening ceremony on the same day, has now been rescheduled to 7pm the next day.
Vietnam takes on the Philippines in tomorrow's tournament opener, with the SEA Games proper set for Nov 11-22.
Trials were held in July to select Brunei's footballers for the 26th edition of the biennial tournament. Their training sessions in the fasting month only ran from 9-11pm but the team has been at work twice a day since a four-day break for Hari Raya.
Only four of them are first-timers to an international competition the rest enjoying playing time at the 2007 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (a competition between national Under-21 teams from the Asean region), the 2008 Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Asean Schools Football Tournament.
The team's captain, midfielder Azwan Muhd Salleh, is one of the three from DPMM FC with striker Adi Hj Md Said and midfielder Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris the other two.
Though the team might be physically ready, their lack of quality friendly matches might be their undoing in the Indonesian capital where the other countries have been preparing against some top-level opposition.
The Philippines squad just returned from a week-long stay in Japan while Laos gave Malaysia a run for their money after taking an early lead before falling 4-1 in a friendly in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday.
Malaysia also saw action at last month's Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Cup, where they lost 3-1 to Uzbekistan, beat Myanmar 2-1 and held hosts Vietnam to a 1-1 draw. Myanmar were on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline against Vietnam in the same tournament, where they also lost 2-1 to Uzbekistan.
The Indonesians held their senior counterparts 1-1 in a recent game and breezed past the Timor Leste Under-23 squad 5-0.
Brunei, in comparison, have had to settle for DPMM FC.
Though Brunei's only professional club are the 2009 Singapore League Cup champions, DPMM FC are still in the process of getting their players fit and finalising imports for the upcoming season and matches against countries in the region would have been a better test.
"We have had friendly games against some local teams but they weren't really good gauges for us - except for our 2-2 draw against DPMM FC (on Oct 15)," said Dayem.
"Going up against their (DPMM FC's) imports, we were able to learn that we can not play long balls (to the forwards) because the defenders are tall.
"That's why we have been training a lot on our one-two passing ... That's one of our weapons," he added.
Thailand have won the SEA Games a record 13 times, followed by Malaysia and Myanmar with five a statistic that stretches back to 1959 when the event was then known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.
Malaysia won the last edition in Laos when they defeated Vietnam 1-0 in the final, where an own goal by Vietnam's Mai Xuan Hop handed the Asean champions their first SEA Games title in 20 years.
The Brunei Times
.
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