The first team line-up for DPMM FC against Balestier Khalsa FC last night

BRUNEI DPMM FC 3 (Adi Said 50, Rodrigo Tosi 65, 73)

Report by REDZWAN KAMARUDIN (Correspondent for rano360.com)

DPMM FC returned to action by coming back from two goals down to snatch a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Balestier Khalsa at the Toa Payoh Stadium last night.

The league leaders were clearly missing their captain Rosmin Kamis and marquee signing Roy O’Donovan through suspensions, as the team clearly lacked the hunger and bite in front of goal.
After the match, head coach Steve Kean said he was impressed by how hard his team fought to come back from behind, but admitted his defense could have done better.

He said, “We put too much pressure on ourselves, if we have to score four goals away from home, that’s not good.

“We were slow in the first half, and we conceded poor goals. The back four were quiet and we let ourselves get bullied in the air and in the box.

“When you miss your most experienced player like Bobby it’s difficult because you look to him for guidance and we really missed him tonight.

“We normally score goals, but we’ve got to stop leaking the goals. We’ll need to work on our defensive showing for the future games.”

The Tigers were up 2-0 at half time courtesy of goals from Kim Min Ho and Goran Ljubojevic, but like they’ve done so many times before, they stormed in the second half, and managed to score three goals.

Right after the second half whistle, DPMM came out of the blocks with all guns blazing, with Adi Said, who replaced Awangku Fakhrulrazi at half time, opened the scoring in the 47th minute and Rodrigo Tosi’s looping header in the 65th minute leveled the scores. For Adi, he has bagged 8 goals in 6 games where the last five matches were from his heroic performances in the recent Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2014 tournament.

Ljubojevic thought he had sealed all three points for his side after scoring Balestier’s third goal in the 70th minute, but Tosi again denied the home side as he rifled in his second goal of the night, and DPMM’s equalizer just three minutes later.

It was a pity that the game ended with a sending off of Syed Taha of Balestier and Joe Gamble of DPMM FC. This would mean a suspension for Joe Gamble in the next game.

While the result strengthened DPMM’s lead atop the Great-Eastern Yeo’s S.League with 40 points, title rivals and defending champions Tampines Rovers are only two points behind and have a game in hand. They could take over Steve Kean’s charges if they beat Tanjong Pagar tonight.

“I’m pleased that we changed our game from the very first minute of the second half. We could have won the game, but we need to improve our defending. We need to get those clean sheets again.” Kean added.

Photos taken by Alfie Lee of S•League.

Balestier keeper in action

A six goal thriller between Balestier and DPMM FC

Rodrigo Tosi, once again, proving to be a threat upfront for DPMM FC

Catch DPMM FC vs Balestier Khalsa FC this Friday at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium

Can DPMM FC’s Azwan Ali head for another victory tonight?

DPMM FC is aiming for their fourth win in a row after overcoming the likes of Courts Young Lions, Harimau Muda and Hougang United FC in their last three outings. Scoring a healthy 14 goals in the three games, DPMM FC host another tricky opponent Balestier Khalsa FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium tonight. Yea, it has been a mini break for DPMM FC after their last game but DPMM FC head coach Steve Kean believes that they can carry the momentum forward.

With DPMM FC on the second of the S•League, Kean was not surprised that previous league Tampines Rovers dropped points. “No, not at all. I think the schedules have taken a lot for Tampines as they have to more games (in AFC) and a lot of traveling involved. We even know what traveling is like even on a short haul flight. And when you start traveling around the world, traveling can catch with you and I told the boys to keep getting the points and Tampines will surely drop some points.”

However, the surprised package of the season has to be Warriors FC who are now on the top of the S•League by one point though DPMM FC can leapfrog to first if they draw or beat Balestier Khalsa FC tonight. Warriors FC and DPMM FC are the only team to have lost once this season.

All key players should be back for this match tonight. Sairol Sahari and Rosmin Kamis who missed the previous game will be featured tonight and this is a major boost for DPMM FC to claim all three points. Kean is also targeting another clean sheet and he stresses how defence is the key to victory.

However, the team selection has been causing some headaches to Kean because the bench players have also been performing while deputising for the first team players who were injured. This shows the maturity of the squad of DPMM FC. Kean praised one individual, Azwan Ali, as he’s learning new things and adapting them during the competitive matches. Kean said Azwan has great strength in his legs and that made the difference when he scored for a leaping header against Hougang United FC for the winner.

You can read more about Azwan’s interview in today’s The Brunei Times and he has been instrumental in DPMM FC’s attacking formation. Even Kean praised that Azwan Ali can play in any team in the world. Let’s hope Azwan Ali can repeat the same performance that he has delivered in the past few games.

So guys, do catch DPMM FC tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium and you can also stand a chance to win a flight to KL or JKT (sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines) and the winners will be announced by half-time.

Wardun in training. Let’s hope for another clean sheet and of course, it’s a team effort too.

Steve Kean has been instrumental in guiding the team – mentally and physically – on and off the pitch