| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam fell to a 2-1 defeat to Vietnam in a much improved performance against the same side compared to past editions of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-15 Youth Championship at the Chonburi Campus Stadium 2 in Chonburi, Thailand yesterday.
The current batch of players narrowed the gap both in terms of result and performance from previous editions when they received a 6-1 humbling in 2015 and 11-0 in 2013.
The young Wasps showed that they are no pushovers against last year’s runners-up and two-time winners.
Vietnam opened the scoring after Vo Nguyen Hoang struck an exquisite shot from the edge of the box in the 16th minute.
But a highly-spirited Brunei side battled back as Md Aminuddin Masri robbed the ball from his marker before unleashing a good drive past Vietnam shot-stopper Nguyen Duy Dung in the 36th minute.
However, the young Golden Stars found a late winner after Nguyen Quoc Hoang capitalised on uncertainty in the Brunei defence.
Brunei under-15 national team head coach Stephen Ng was pleased with how his side performed especially in defence.
A Brunei U-15 player vies for the ball against a Thai U-15 player
A group photo of the young wasps before their match. – PHOTOS: THAI FA
“The boys played very well today, carrying out their tactical responsibilities with strong commitment,” said Ng after the match.
“Overall, it was the best game played between a Brunei side with a Vietnam side in recent years. Our Under-15 boys shown their football potential today,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, as of press time, Malaysia notched their second successive win after beating Timor Leste 2-0 through goals by Muhammad Danish Ishak and Harith Naem Jaineh.
The Brunei under-15 team need only a point in any of their remaining games to accomplish the best point tally in their competition’s history.
The under-15 national side’s best showing in the competition came in 2015 when they collected a point after managing a 2-2 draw against Timor Leste.
Their draw against Timor Leste on Monday was also the first time they kept a clean sheet.
The young Wasps will create a new milestone at this age group level with a victory having not been able to do so in each of their last five appearances since 2002.
Brunei will play Malaysia next in the group at the Chonburi Campus Stadium 1 on July 14.
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