SEA GAMES 2011: BRUNEI HOPE TO CREATE MORE THAN JUST HISTORY

JAKARTA (4 Nov 2011) – Brunei’s match against Timor Leste tomorrow evening will mark their return to SEA Games football – after 10 long years.

And they are hoping that their appearance in the finest Under-23 regional competition will make more than just history where they are also looking to make an impact after being suspended by FIFA for the last two years.

To do that, they will have to look to win the full points when they open their campaign in Group B of men’s football against Timor Leste that will be played at the Lebak Bulus Stadium.

“We are not here to make up the numbers,” said Dayem Ali, the chief coach of Brunei. “Our target is the semi-final and I feel confident that with the players that we have, we will be able to spring a surprise or two.

Among the players which chief coach Dayem can rely on are captain Azwan Mohd Salleh, Adi Mohd Said – the younger brother of Shahrazen – and Mohd Hendra Azam Mohd Idris to provide some experience in a squad which will also feature four players who will be playing in their first international competition.

In the meantime Timor Leste are playing things down, preferring to just concentrate on the task ahead.

With the 5-0 loss in a recent friendly to their Indonesian counterparts still fresh on their minds, Timor Leste know that they will have their work cut out in the group which  also feature 2009 runners-up Vietnam, 2009 semi-finalists Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

“We can ill afford to underestimate anyone, least of all Brunei, whom we will be playing against in our first match,” said Antonio Vieira, the chief coach of Timor Leste.

“We do not know much about our opponent and that can be very tricky. But I believe that the players are all psyched up for this game and we will be playing a more attacking option. It is certainly one game which we cannot drop points.”

With a handful of players who have experience of playing in Australia and Portugal, the Timorese will be anxious to prove that their game is on the up.

SEA GAMES 2011 RESULTS and FIXTURES

GROUP B