DPMM FC seeking first win of season
| Jake Ten |
VJERAN Simunic and his charges take to the pitch at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore tonight sharing the same objective as their inexperienced Courts Young Lions counterparts; a first win of the season.
The Bruneian outfit squandered a glorious chance at bagging their first three points of the season when they drew 3-3 with a stubborn Hougang United FC, in a game where the early title contenders missed two penalties and failed to capitalise on the sending-off of Cheetahs skipper, Lau Meng Meng, in the 80th minute.
In their season opener, they managed to grind out a 0-0 draw with Home United, whilst in stark contrast, Courts Young Lions have failed to pick up any points in their opening two games, let alone score.
However, the Young Lions were unlucky to lose on both occasions, edged by Hougang United FC 1-0 in their curtain-raiser, before going down 2-0 to defending champions, Tampines Rovers, the following week.
The inclusion of skipper Al-Qaasimy Abdul Rahman in the Team of the Week for Round 2 speaks volumes for a team which is yet to record a win, and they will be hoping that their captain is on song again when they come up against the S League runners-up.
DPMM FC will be missing new signing, Ivan Bosnjak, who was brutalised by the Cheetahs backline and was left with a skull fracture after a challenge from Syaqir Sulaiman in the 37th minute.
The Croatian has confirmed that he will miss DPMM FC’s next two games, but hopes to return to action, albeit with a face mask, when the Sultanate’s only professional team play host to Woodlands Wellington on March 31.
Two wins out of two against Courts Young Lions suggest that another three points should be on the cards when they lace up for action tonight.
The Young Lions proved to be a stubborn opposition in the reverse fixture last year, and DPMM FC had to rely on an Azwan Saleh’s screamer to seal the points at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
In the corresponding fixture, however, the Young Lions managed to keep the visitors quiet for majority of the game, taking the lead through Benjamin Kristoffersen Lee in the 64th, but DPMM FC responded by scoring three goals in the space of fifteen minutes to wrap up the victory.
Despite having yet to record a single point in their first two matches, the Young Lions have proven that they are capable of giving any team a run for their money, and are to be treated with caution should DPMM FC want to take anything away from Singapore.
