| Fadhil Yunus |
MINISTRY of Home Affairs (MoHA) made a successful return to the final after edging Ministry of Defence (MinDef) 3-2 in an enthralling encounter in the Inter-Ministry Football Championship Keputeraan Cup in conjunction with the 71st Birthday Celebration of 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 at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex last night.
MoHA’s star man Hamizan Aziz bin Sulaiman grabbed the match winner on the hour mark after MinDef have pulled level twice including a good team move in the opening seconds of the second half.
Hairol Azaman Shah opened the scoring for MoHA in the fourth minute but MinDef responded after Haneef bin Zainal belted a stunner in the 16th minute.
Haneef threatened again merely minutes later after taking aim and struck a good drive which flew just wide.
Hamizan received a neat ball in the box who stroked a decent effort but MinDef goalkeeper Abdul Latip bin Haji Omar tipped the ball away to safety.
MoHA regained the lead after Muhammad Abu Bakar bin Mahari dribbled from the centre circle before unleashing a stunning strike and sent the net bulging.
The goal-scorer made some nice touches in the box coolly taking a player out but was unable to keep his cool as he fired wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.
With the second half barely starting, MinDef showed real hunger and desire to get back into the game as the lethal combination between Dahlan bin Haji Zainuddin and Haneef proved effective as the former calmly latched on to the latter’s assist.
The reigning holders looked to hit back instantly as Hamizan found space at the edge of the box before firing his shot just wide off the left-hand post.
A MoHA player had a poor first touch after receiving a long ball but somehow kept the ball in and managed a decent cross at the same time as Hamizan who had a slight but sufficient touch to direct the ball home past Abdul Latip.
MoHA head coach Sairol Sahari highlighted that it is their main target to defend the title from the start of the tournament. The team boast a number of experienced players representing clubs in the DST Super League which Sairol indicated that could help them translate their series of appearances there towards reaching the last four and subsequently the final.
“It is good that the players show good character and deliver well,” Sairol told the media.
The head coach also shared they will analyse their own performance as part of the preparations for the final and added they will focus on their own team than their potential opponents.
Ministry of Home Affairs will meet the winner of the semi-final between Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Development tonight in the title showdown.
The post MoHA return to Keputeraan Cup final appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.