DPMM FC recorded their 12th consecutive win in the Brunei Super League 2024/2025 following a convincing 6-1 victory against Kota Ranger FC at the Jerudong Park Mini Stadium on Tuesday.
Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim ibni Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah featured as team captain.
The result helped them move two points clear of reigning holders Kasuka FC at the top of the table.
The two sides will square off each other in what has been billed as a potential title decider this Sunday.
The hosts carved the first opportunity of the game but Sergio Mendiguchia Iglesias’s effort was too central for Kota Ranger goalkeeper Mohammad Hendra Putera Idris after receiving a pass from Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman. The title contenders were eager to make a rapid start as Sergio got to the end of a good pass from Muhammad Shahrazen Said, but only managed his shot straight into the path of Mohammad Hendra Putera.
The Kota Ranger defence did not seem to heed the repeated warnings from the Spanish forward as he scored his 30th goal of a stellar campaign in the 14th minute.
The league’s leading goal-scorer was at his clinical best stabbing home from close range after connecting a low cross from Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman just three minutes later. DPMM FC’s Kenshin Ueno delivered a fine cross after a corner was played short but the opposing goalkeeper displayed alertness to deny an attacker in the near post.
Amid the slippery surface owed to the downpour at the Jerudong Park Mini Stadium, Sergio exhibited a piece of skill to leave his marker for dead before applying the finish to complete a hat-trick in the 25th minute.
Kota Ranger pulled one back through Awangku Muhammad Hazmi Pengiran Salleh, handing the visitors a lifeline.
However, the home side eased the pressure against a potential tricky customer as Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman made it 4-1 a minute before the interval.
DPMM FC’s Muhd Haziq Naqiuddin Syamra joined in the act in the 58th minute after appearing as a substitute, further asserting the team’s dominance. Sergio added a fourth to his personal tally of the night with a strike six minutes from time, capping off another monstrous performance in their pursuit of the title. – FADHIL YUNUS
