| Fadhil Yunus in Singapore |
BRUNEI Darussalam’s men national team created a milestone after registering a 3-1 victory over Vietnam at the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey World League Round 1 at Sengkang Hockey Stadium in Singapore.
Brunei scored their first goal of the tournament through Mohamad Zulkarnaien Yusup.
Alisam Momin heightened Brunei’s joy with a cool finish after being set up by Andy Karim, who made good work keeping the ball in the danger area from a penalty corner.
Brunei nearly found a third when Afif Sofry’s improvised lob was saved by Vietnamese goalkeeper Lap Luong Luu Phan.
A swift move from Mohammad Firdaus provided a glorious chance for Abdoel Razali but the latter could not convert as the ball rolled harmlessly out of play.
The team pose for a photo before the match. – FADHIL YUNUS
However, the Vietnamese- who were competing for the first time in the tournament- were handed a huge reprieve after Le Quang Nguyen took full advantage of a debatable call by the umpire to direct the ball home.
The Bruneians were ensured of a victory after Mohammad Firdaus Ahmad put the game to bed with a third goal.
Brunei national coach Shaiful Azli bin Abdul Rahman was visibly pleased with the result but admitted the margin of victory would have been bigger had they’ve been more clinical with their finishing.
“Our team played better in the second half but the finishing could have been much better. However, overall they showed a good performance,” said Shaiful Azli in an interview with the Bulletin after the match.
Shaiful Azli said the team could only get better, adding that “they have the potential to go to the next level”.
The victory also served as motivation for the Brunei men’s national team in the placing match, said the coach.
The victory marked Brunei’s biggest result in hockey since the men’s national team drew against the much-fancied Uzbekistan 1-1 in the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup in 2009.
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