A Brunei A player (in yellow)
in action against Berau during
the final of the 5th Special
Olympics Borneo Cup 5-a-side
football tournament at the
Hassanal Bolkiah National
Stadium in Berakas yesterday.
Picture: BT/ Yee Chun Leong

It was heartbreak for Special Olympics (SO) Brunei A after losing 1-0 to Berau (Kalimantan, Indonesia) in the final of the 5th Special Olympics Borneo Cup 5-a-side football tournament at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas yesterday.

It seemed to be a repeat of history after both sides met in the final in the last edition in 2009 where Berau won 2-1 on their home ground.

Brunei A were flawless in the group stage and easily defeated Brunei B 6-0 in the semi-finals.

On the other hand, Berau booked their berth in the final with a 1-0 victory over Sabah in the other semi-final.

Brunei A got off to a hot start and were going on the attack. They dominated possession and barraged the Berau posts. It was the Berau goalkeeper Arianto who kept things at bay saving numerous shots that saw the teams tied 0-0 at halftime.

It remained the same affair after the breather but it took just one chance for Berau to pounce. They scored off a corner with Tri Hariyanto tapping in for a 1-0 lead.

However, right after the restart he was booked for his second offence, sending him for early showers.

Brunei A then continued to put pressure on their opponents and spurned chance after chance. They even hit the sticks twice and were unlucky that none would go in that saw Berau defend their title.

The Berau Head of Delegate Ardiansyah Ramli felt that it was their defence that won the game.

"We knew we had to keep defending. We were lacking in skills compared to our opponents, but we did manage to adjust and play better today (Saturday)," said Ardiansyah in an interview with The Brunei Times after the triumph.

Brunei A had defeated Berau 4-0 in the group stages on Friday and head coach Hj Wahid Ismail felt that luck was not on their side in the final.

"I thought our team were better but we just couldn't find the back of the net. We dominated possession and had many chances but just couldn't convert," said Hj Wahid.

Sabah (Malaysia) bagged the bronze after they defeated Brunei B 4-0 in the third place playoff.

Courtesy from Brunei Times