Brunei Darussalam’s forward Nazirrudin bin Haji Ismail bagged a brace to inspire DPMM FC to a 2-0 victory over Young Lions in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Saturday.
The all-local side with the exception of Macedonian goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski ended a three-game winless run and recorded their sixth win of the season.
The Gegar Gegar men benefitted from a loss of possession from the hosts as Nazirrudin broke clear but he skewed his shot wide much to the relief of Young Lions goalkeeper Aizil Yazid.
Young Lions forward Amiruldin Asraf nearly put his team ahead but his inaccuracy somehow saved DPMM FC goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski’s blushes.
A moment of uncertainty ensued as Hanif Hamir’s misplaced pass allowed Young Lions forward Harhys Stewart a route to goal but the captain saw his shot end straight at Naumovski. It was a moment to remember for Naziruddin after opening his account with a well taken goal following an improvised acrobatic effort after his initial shot was saved
by Aizil.
Naumovski made a decent save to deny Young Lions forward Zikos Chua from finding the bottom corner.
The hosts came close to level the match deep into stoppage time but substitute Haziq Kamarudin’s shot drifted wide after reacting to a weighed pass by Jun Kobayashi.
There was still time for DPMM FC to grab a second of the game after Nazirrudin stole the ball off a Young Lions player to brilliantly lob the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.
DPMM FC will turn their attentions to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup Preliminary Round 2 next against Yangon United at the Thuwunna Stadium on August 16. – Fadhil Yunus
