It will be a tough match tomorrow for Brunei Darussalam national under-22 football team against Singapore. – AFC
BRUNEI Darussalam national under-22 football team are in danger of heading towards a third successive Southeast Asian (SEA) Games campaign without a point to their name after they were defeated 3-0 by Laos in a Group ‘A’ match at the UM Arena Stadium yesterday.
The national football team have to go back to the 2011 SEA Games edition in Jakarta for the last time they tasted a victory, in a 2-1 victory over the Philippines.
Since then, Brunei have gone on 11 games without a single point in the regional competition, which has been extended to 12 yesterday.
Brunei lost four group matches in Naypyidaw in Myanmar in 2013 and five group games in Singapore in 2015.
The young Wasps face a difficult task to overcome the odds in their next match against Singapore. The chances of upsetting Singapore, who thumped them 4-1 in the Asian Football Confederations (AFC) qualifiers, has been made difficult by the fact that Brunei’s performance against Laos was worse off compared to a 2-1 loss two years ago.
With pride to play for – both sides have been eliminated from the competition – Laos, coached by former Brunei national coach Mike Wong, scored in the 64th, 72nd and 86th minute to seal a comfortable win.
Yesterday’s match was the fourth consecutive time in the SEA Games Brunei and Laos had met with the latter winning three of them.
Brunei’s under-22s will conclude their group stage campaign against Singapore at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium tomorrow.
