Well done, Brunei Darussalam for last night’s important victory

A well deserved victory for the host nation

After a nervy start to the tournament, Brunei Darussalam bounced back against a tougher opponent, this time against a powerhouse Thailand with a 2-1 victory at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium last night. I’m pleased to see Ak Yura Indera Putera Pg Yunos getting on the scoresheet and scoring the winner in injury time. He was a colossal in defence when Brunei lost to Timor Leste 1-0 in the opening match and he kept the backline composed throughout the game.

Even with a scoreline deadlock by half time, the host nation kept pressuring the visitors and looked more of a different force – alive and hungry.

Naziruddin Hj Ismail scored the opening goal with an assist from captain Faiq Jefri Bolkiah after 60 minutes which brought the strong 25,000 crowd into a frenzy celebration. Thailand managed to equalized minutes later through their captain Paso Sittichok. However, Brunei maintained their momentum from the first half and Ak Yura snatched a winner through a corner kick late in injury time.

The question beckoned on where was this solid, impressive performance that was missing in the first game? The head coach was probably right when he previously mentioned that Brunei was over excited before the tournament kicked off.

Azim Suhaimi, Brunei’s midfielder, had a good piece of advice to the fans especially those who were quick to judge the players [in a negative manner] on social media. I recently came across the comments on @brusportnews and they were definitely uncalled for. It’s important for us to learn to give constructive feedback with a nicer tone rather than totally bashing the players which can in turn demoralized the players.

Come Monday, Brunei has another hurdle to overcome with the likes of the defending champion Myanmar in the final match of the group A in the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy. This will definitely be a crowd puller even on a Monday evening and I won’t be surprised if the attendance will break the 25,000 strong crowd from last night.

Kudos once again to the Brunei team. Let’s continue the morale support and believe in our team that they can be the best team and the team to beat after last night’s performance. Images courtesy of @infodept.bn

Captain Faiq Jefri Bolkiah was instrumental with an assist for Brunei’s opener

Brunei Darussalam kept piling the pressure on the two times champion, Thailand

Naziruddin Hj Ismail (No.8) scored Brunei’s first goal in the tournament

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown prince and Senior Minister, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah and His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah during the Brunei National Anthem at the opening of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2018 at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

His Majesty the Sultan officially launching HBT 2018

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam officially launched the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, HBT, for ASEAN Youths Football Tournament 2018. The ceremony took place at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Berakas.

Upon arrival, His Majesty was greeted by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, President of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam as the Advisor of the Executive Committee of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, HBT, for ASEAN Youths Football Tournament 2018. Also present to greet His Majesty’s arrival was Yang Berhormat Retired Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports as well as members of the Executive Committee.

Soon after arrival, His Majesty received junjung ziarah from the sponsors.

Also present were His Majesty’s sons and brothers, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel; His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah and His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah as well as members of the Royal family.

His Majesty then declared the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy for ASEAN Youths Football Tournament 2018 officially opened.

The opening ceremony was enlivened with firework display and Human LED performance.

His Majesty was then introduced to the team managers, coaches and team captains. Seven countries are taking part in the tournament. Group ‘A’ comprises teams from Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste, Myanmar and Thailand; while Group ‘B’ are Lao PDR, Singapore and Cambodia. His Majesty also presented souvenirs to team managers of the participating nations.

His Majesty then received a pasambah from the HBT 2018 Organising Committee.

The Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy Football Tournament is jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam, NFABD. The tournament aims to uphold the Titah of His Majesty to involve the best teams in the ASEAN Region to compete in the ASEAN or South East Asian Football league. Press release by RTB and image courtesy of Infofoto.

His Majesty received junjung ziarah from the sponsors

His Majesty receiving a token from Yang Berhormat Retired Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports

Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah binti Pengiran Haji Salleh Ab Rahaman, Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim ibni Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah binti Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah

Members of the Royal Family and invited VIPs

The marching ceremony

The flag bearers

Faiq Jefri Bolkiah, the national team captain of Brunei Darussalam

The Brunei Darussalam National team. Back – Ak Yura Yunos, Ammar Syafie Hassanuddin, Muhammad Abdul Syakir, Martin Haddy Khalilidden, Azim Izamuddin Hj Suhaimi, Faiq Jefri Bolkiah (Captain). Front row – Ishyra Asmin Babidi, Naziruddin Hj Ismail, Haziq Kasyful Azim, Amin Sisa, Hanif Aiman Adanan. Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Team Timor Leste National team. Back row – Fagio Augusto Da Silva, Henrique Wilson Da Cruz, Osvaldo Lucas Baptista, Rufino Walter Gama, Gumario Augusto Fernandes, Jorge Sabas Victor (Captain). Front row – Indio Ricardo Ferreira Alves, Silverio Da Rusereicao, Jose Maria Dos Reis, Candido Monteiro, Nelson Sarmento Viegas. Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Not the start we wanted as a Brunei supporter and they were some mixed feelings about the performance last night at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Our host nation took on Timor Leste in the opening match of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy and fell to a 1-0 narrow lost to the visitor on home turf.

Timor Leste benefited from a solitary goal from the penalty spot in the first half after a Timor Leste player was alleged to have brought down in the box. Jose Maria Dos Reis cooly converted the penalty and held on till the final whistle.

Brunei had great performances in their friendly matches leading to the first match against Timor Leste. However, the intensity and the cohesiveness of the team left more room for improvements. Sloppy passes and poor possession, Brunei struggled to hold the ball and hardly last after 4-5 passes whereas Timor Leste looked more controlled on and off the ball. This was apparent in the first half.

Nonetheless, there were some players that helped help to calm the team down whenever Timor Leste began to threaten in attack. Ak Yura Yunos (No.23) in defence and Naziruddin Hj Ismail (No.8) in midfield help to hold the fort for Brunei throughout the 90 minutes. Another player that brought more purpose to the game was Faiq Jefri Bolkaih (No.9), the team captain in attack. Brunei’s best chances came from Faiq whose both efforts were cleared off the line, one a well struck left footer while the other, a guided header off a corner.

The second half was a slightly better in terms of possession for Brunei though Timor Leste showed more confidence in all departments. The visitors were restricted to long shots and none of their efforts troubled Ishyra Asmin Jabidi in goal. Timor Leste was also good when countering and almost doubled their lead when substitute Muhammad Ramie Ramlli gave away a sloppy pass in midfield but Timor Leste failed to capitalize.

Fabio Augusto Da Silva (No.20), Timor Leste’s goalkeeper, had little workout in the second half as Brunei failed to muster any form of chance to trouble the keeper. A long ball strategy would have benefited the isolated Faiq upfront due to his physique and the ability to hold the ball. However, Timor Leste were so disciplined at the back and their larger body physique gave more advantage against our local players. Kudos to Timor Leste on a professional display on the pitch and deserved the narrow victory over the host nation.

Mario Riviera Campesino, head coach of Brunei Darussalam, commented that Brunei showed nervousness in the first half and this is due to the over excitement leading to the tournament and forgetting to be focused on the match. He is confident that Brunei will improve in the upcoming matches and win the remaining matches to qualify for the semi-finals.

Brunei now have a huge task in the group of death. They are up against two times defending champion Thailand and the defending champion Myanmar. Will this be difficult? Yes. But is it impossible? No. Brunei did show some promise and let’s put our trust in the players selected by the head coach in the upcoming matches. I believe we have the quality and the desire to be better than we were last night.

Myanmar will take on Thailand in a mouth watering match at Belapan Sports Complex tonight. Brunei will have two extra days before they face Thailand at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium on Friday evening.

Naziruddin Hj Ismail of Brunei Darussalam skipped a tackle during the match. Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Hanif Aiman Adanan attempting to win a challenge. He gave away possession cheaply especially in the first half. I hope he can bounce back against Thailand this coming Friday.

Faiq Jefri Bolkiah holding the ball against Nelson Sarmento Viegas. He had two great chances to equalize but his efforts were cleared off the line. A promising talent for the national team. . Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Faiq Jefri Bolkiah had a subdued second half as his team mates weren’t able to supply him the ball in the final third. Kudos to Timor Leste for their discipline in defence and as a unit. . Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Ak Yura Yunos helped Brunei’s defence and also calmed the storm from Timor Leste. It would have been a different story without the presence of Ak Yura Yunos. . Image courtesy of Infofoto.

The HBT supporters sang and chanted during period of the match to boost the morale of the players. Timor Leste head coach Gelasio Da Silva Carvalho even said that his players couldn’t hear his instructions from the bench due to the overwhelming chants from the supporters.

It wasn’t a full house but I could say almost 90% of the stadium was filled up. . Image courtesy of Infofoto.

I can see my friends 😀 . Image courtesy of Infofoto.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah, President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (centre), Faiq Jefri Bolkiah (right) and Yang Berhormat Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports earlier this morning at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium

The hype is gaining momentum. Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy is just around the corner (this coming Monday) at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The last time Brunei won was back in 2012. The defending champions are Myanmar. Will Brunei use their home ground to their advantage once again and regain back the trophy in front of their home supporters?

This time round, only seven countries are participating in the upcoming HBT 2018 tournament. Notably missing are powerhouse Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. I will definitely miss the presence of Malaysia and Indonesia as they bring exciting flavour and aura whenever Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia play against each other.

Brunei Darussalam are in the group of death in my opinion, being in the same group as Thailand and the defending champion Myanmar. Timor Leste made up the group of death and the host Brunei will take on Timor Leste in the opening match this coming Monday, 23rd April 2018.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, will grace the opening of HBT 2018 this coming Monday.

The working committee has been working their best in order to make flow of the opening ceremony as smooth as possible. Info department under the Prime Minister’s Office has been helpful in providing access for the local media and also giving updates on events leading to the opening opening ceremony.

HBT 2018 doesn’t have an official Instagram account but their coverage will be featured on Info Department’s instagram account.

It was made known that there will be lucky draws, conducted on every match of HBT 2018 and the final grand prize will be the latest Vios Rush, a seven-seater vehicle. The good news is that the entry is FREE. You will be handed out coupons upon entry. More incentives for you to come over and support the event brought to you by  The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports with the support of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam.

All I can is that it’s good to see HBT tournament again in Brunei.

A press conference was held hosted by MCYS, NAFBD and other related agencies

The youngest player in the HBT team

The team coach and the assistant coach for HBT Brunei team

Team Thailand earlier being received by the Brunei delegates at Brunei International Airport

Team Myanmar earlier being received by the Brunei delegates at Brunei International Airport

The head coach of Myanmar being interviewed by the local press. Even though Myanmar is the defending champion, the head coach shared that the current team is completely new from the previous one but remains confident that Myanmar will do well once again in the tournament.