Caption: Azwan Ali Rahman (C) dribbles through the Tampines defence. Picture: Courtesy of AKK Design.
Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TEN-MAN DPMM FC defeated nine-man Tampines Rover FC 2-1 in the Singapore Premier League last night to keep their chances of finishing second alive.
The result puts the Brunei side on 37 points with two games remaining while Tampines are two points ahead having played one more.
Home United are also on 39 points and will face Warriors FC today.
Volodymyr Priyomov bagged a brace, for the second consecutive game, in the victory while Daniel Bennet scored a consolation for Tampines late in the game at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
DPMM FC got off to a bright start with Azwan Ali Rahman and Volodymyr linking up very well in the attack with the former coming close to scoring early in the game.
Yasir on the other side was a constant menace for the DPMM FC defence, but the striker could not put his shots on target everytime.
Azwan Ali fired a thunderous shot outside of the penalty box just before half-time but his effort went just inches wide.
The hosts moved the ball well in the opening minutes of the second-half and their effort paid off in the 49th minute when Hendra Azam Idris brilliantly picked Volodymyr at the far corner to beat goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari in between the sticks.
The visitors were presented with another problem just minutes later when Fahrudin Mustafic, who was playing his last game in Brunei after announcing his retirement at the end of the season, was given the marching order for a foul commited on Volodymyr.
Volodymyr doubled DPMM FC's lead in the 63rd minute with another header, this time connecting with a cross from Adi Said.
Bennet pulled one goal back in the 78th minute to inspire a comeback but it was made difficult after Yasir was shown a red card to reducing the Stags to nine players on the field.
The biggest blemish for the hosts was when Azwan Ali commited an unnecessary foul late on and was sent to the showers early as his team mates held on to secure the three important points on the night.
