| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam under-15 national team manager Morni Zakaria emphasised his team played with discipline during the goalless draw against Timor Leste in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-15 Youth Championship at the Chonburi Campus Stadium 1 in Chonburi, Thailand yesterday.
“The boys, playing in their first international tournament, performed well with good tactical, discipline in both attack and defend,” said the team manager.
The young Wasps currently lie third place in the group after collecting a single point with Malaysia and Vietnam above them.
“Although the first half was a little rushing by both teams with the high transitions in game, we dominated with better play and good possession in the second half,” continued Morni.
“We created enough chances to win the game including a penalty miss, unfortunately, we couldn’t convert these chances.
“The team will mature with more games and continual development,” the team manager said.
Brunei Darussalam will be aiming to accomplish the best point tally in the competition since the 2015 edition when they earned a point against Timor Leste in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The juniors also kept their first clean sheet in six tournaments since making their first appearance in 2002.
The team include players who boast experience in the domestic scene with the quartet of Md Aisan Aisamuddin Abdullah Md Aiman, Iman Mahdi Suhaimi, Md Aminuddin Haji Masri and Md Aisan Aizuddin Abdullah Md Aiman tasked to be the driving force in the team.
Brunei Darussalam Under-15 and Timor Leste Under-15 team captains exchanging mementos prior to kick-off. – THAI FA
The hardworking Md Aisan Aizuddin Abdullah was combative in midfield and enjoyed a tussle with Timor Leste’s defender Tonito T Ximenes Belo.
The team will also be pleased with the performance of goalkeeper Md Riyan Aiman Jali who was voted the man of the match.
According to NFABD’s Instagram, the under-15 national team slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Bangkok Glass Under-15 and narrowly lost 3-2 to Chonburi FC Under-15 during their warm-up games last week.
Meanwhile, Brunei’s next opponents, Vietnam, snatched a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Cambodia after Vu Tien Long cancelled Sieng Chanthea’s opener before Nguyen Ba Duong broke Cambodian hearts with a winner.
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