Friday, November 6, 2009
AM Gunners FC 5 - 2 LLRC FT
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THE duel between once rivals AM Gunners FC and Liang Lumut Recreational Club (LLRC) Football Team in last night's DST Group League Cup quarter-final did not live up to expectation.
Early red cards to both teams spoilt the match at the Berakas Sports Complex, and AM Gunners would turn on their class in the second half to come out 5-2 winners.
The two teams battled it out all last season in the DST Group Brunei Premier League (BPL) II but AM Gunners won promotion to the DST Group BPL I at the expense of LLRC, who are looking like title contenders in the BPL II once again this season.
AM Gunners will now have bigger fish to fry since the win sets them up with a mouth-watering clash with defending champions QAF FC in the last four on Monday.
By far the best player on the pitch, Jasriman Johari was instrumental in last night's win, scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 41st, 78th and 83rd minute and proving to be a menace all throughout the 90 minutes.
The match's talking point came in the 17th minute when LLRC's Jasnie Juri came up with a sliding tackle on AM Gunners' Md Najib Hj Tarif.The pair were sent to an early shower after a minor scuffle and it was a move which was met by derision by both sets of fans.
"He (Md Najib) was slid from the back and when he got up after the injury he was given a red," said AM Gunners' head coach Hj Ahmad Hj Husin after the match. "It was definitely not a red, both players and managers know that. It was a decision that spoilt the game for both of us. They came here to give a good fight and if that decision was not a red, I am sure it would have been a different game. I guess luck was on our side and we accept the win."
Md Ikmal Hakim Hj Md Yunos had given AM Gunners a 1-0 lead six minutes before the incident after he fired from a tight angle after controlling a through ball from the right.
Jasriman and Md Ikmal worked well to deal last year's semi-finalists another blow when the former struck four minutes from the half-time break to give AM Gunners a 2-0 lead.
Working the ball deftly outside LLRC's box, Jasriman netted with a shot from inside the box after the LLRC defenders failed to clear their lines.
LLRC pulled one back with the last kick of the first half though, with Mohd Bahrin Hj Sahari making the most of captain Hairoddin Abdullah's cross from the right.
LLRC hardly created any chances in the second half and AM Gunners came out the stronger side, threatening Mohd Fakhrul Amin Sanif's goal several times in the opening few minutes.AM Gunners proved to be a menace on the flanks and substitute Ahmad Eimaduddin Hj Mahrub created the team's third goal when he cut the ball from the right in the 78th minute.
Jasriman was on hand to make it 3-1 and LLRC looked deflated after the goal.Though they were always in the game before that, they were not urgent enough on the ball and failed to find a way through AM Gunners' defence.
Losing their organisation after letting in the third goal, sloppy mistakes started creeping in LLRC's game and it was 4-1 in the 83rd minute.Former DPMM FC midfielder Rosmini Kahar provided a killer pass after launching a counter-attack on the left wing just seconds after a LLRC corner and Jasriman was at the right post to bag his hat-trick.
Ahmad Eimaduddin stole a pass from a LLRC player and delivered a through ball to Edi Ruslan Abd Samad which made it 5-1 in the 85th minute, and Mohd Azri Jebri's goal a minute from time after Abi Yazid Awg Yusof failed to catch the ball was nothing for AM Gunners to worry about.
