Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
THE national football team had their five-game winning streak come to an end after falling 1-0 to Timor Leste in the first leg of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 qualifiers on Tuesday.
Paulo Domingos Gali Da Costa Freitas netted two minutes into the second half to separate the two sides at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
The Wasps will look to overturn the deficit when the two teams meet again in the second leg at the Chonburi Stadium in Thailand on October 15.
Hakeme Said cut to his right before unleashing a shot but Timor Leste custodian Junildo Manuel de Castro Pereira was not to be beaten at the near post 15 minutes into the encounter.
He put up an acrobatic save to stop Md Hariz Danial Hj Khallidden's attempt in the 24th minute.
The ball got to as far as Naziruddin Hj Ismail but he headed over the bar.
Moments later Claudio Gomes Osorio tried to curl one into the top right corner but was just inches wide.
It was end to end with both teams searching for the opener.
The visitors were patient with their play by playing from the back and inviting the pressure.
Brunei should have taken the lead into the break after good work by Azwan Ali Rahman inside the area.
He scuffed his first attempt but worked to keep ball possession.
The Brunei skipper then found Hakeme but the latter somehow missed from point blank range.
In turn, Timor Leste ended Brunei's streak of four consecutive cleansheets through their own skipper after the restart.
Paulo with pace down the right before losing his marker to fire past Haimie Nyaring in between the Brunei sticks.
The Wasps chased for the equaliser and came close but saw the ball denied by the upright and cleared off the line.
Junildo misjudged a cross from the left and the ball slipped through his hands allowing a trailing Azwan Ali to get a touch to it from behind only to watch it go narrowly wide.
Timor Leste remained resolute and kept their discipline at the back.
The Wasps had one last chance to tie the game through Hakeme's freekick from 25 yards out six minutes into stoppage time only to see it go over.
