| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam’s national under-18 head coach Takao Fujiwara will not get carried away with their current status as Group ‘B’ leaders in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-18 Youth Championship ahead of their clash against Vietnam at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar today.
The young Wasps currently hold top spot by virtue of goal difference with Indonesia winning 2-1 in their match against hosts Myanmar.
Fujiwara indicated that it is too early to think too far ahead while acknowledging the valiant efforts from his young charges.
“We can’t think too much about topping the group now because this has only been one game,” said the Japanese.
“About the game against Vietnam, I cannot tell you my plan… But against the Philippines, I am proud of the players for winning the game and working hard.
“They played good but were very tired after the game, so recovery is important,” the Japanese added.
The head coach, who guided Tabuan ‘A’ to domestic titles last year, is determined to make others raise questions and stir a positive reaction in the region after minimal queries of them.
“Not many asked about us during the pre-tournament press conference, so I was kind of disappointed with that,” continued Fujiwara.
“So I want this win to demonstrate to Bruneians that if we work hard, we can get something- and I am not just talking about results,” he stressed.
Brunei have not been able to register more than three points at this level since the inception of the tournament in 2002 but are already on the verge of producing their best ever performance.
The national under-18 team will accomplish their best points tally after six attempts if they steal a point against one of the region’s dark horses.
Vietnam won the competition in 2007 and have been widely tipped to reach at least the semi-finals with Indonesia and Myanmar also having a say in sealing knock-out progress.
In the other Group ‘B’ game, Indonesia, 2-1 winners against Myanmar, will be hoping to record a second straight win against Philippines who are desperate to get into the win column.
Brunei’s remaining group stages matches are against two-time winners Myanmar and 2013 champions Indonesia after completing the Vietnam tie.
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