Fadhil Yunus
The Brunei Darussalam under-23 team fell to a 3-1 defeat to Timor Leste in their second Group ‘A’ match of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-23 Championship at the Morodok Techno National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia yesterday.
The national team ended a run of seven games without registering a single goal after forward Muhammad Hakeme Yazid bin Said scored in the 17th minute.
It was the 19-year-old’s first under-23 international goal since being part of the setup in 2019 and a first under the reign of current head coach Aminuddin bin Jumat.
The DPMM FC rising star propelled the Young Wasps into a slender lead but a rejuvenated Timor Leste ensured they went to the break with the advantage after netting twice.
An own goal from captain Wafi bin Aminuddin in the 81st minute sealed all three points for the Fabio Joaquim’s young charges.
Hakeme Yazid’s effort managed to squeeze past the Timor Leste goalkeeper Junildo Pereira via a kind deflection off captain Filomeno Junior Da Costa.
The rising star came close to breaking his account after just seven minutes after his free-kick from distance whistled just wide in the seventh minute.
Timor Leste under-23 midfielder Jhon Oliveira was denied by the post in the earliest signs of attacking intent to breach Brunei’s goalkeeper Abdul Mutalip bin Awang Haji Mohammad’s goal.
The team broke Brunei’s resistance as Mouzinho Barreto De Lima struck in the half an hour mark after substitute Paulo Gali Da Costa Freitas’s initial attempt had been saved by Abdul
Mutalip.
Paulo Gali proved to be at the centre of Timor Leste’s comeback as his free-kick caught Abdul Mutalip by surprise through another kind deflection of their own on the brink of half-time.
With Timor Leste pushing for a third, defender Yohanes Gusmao saw his powerful strike rattled against the bar and nearly crossed the line before Abdul Mutalip came in to retrieve
the ball.
Timor Leste came close again but Jhon Oliveira could not believe his luck when another effort brushed against the post.
A succession of opportunities seemed to fall in the favour of Timor Leste as Elias Mesquita was next in line to provide an attempt but Abdul Mutalip dived to make a save.
Timor Leste defender Joao Bosco Halle appeared to send a low pass in the box which took a fortuitous touch off Wafi and into the net, giving his side a two-goal cushion.
