At the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024, Timor-Leste will be returning to the group stage of the most prestigious international tournament in Southeast Asia for the fourth time.
They secured a place in the main event by edging Brunei Darussalam 1-0 in a two-legged qualifiers tie in October and will now rub shoulders with some of the best teams in the region in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia in Group A during the 15th edition of the ASEAN Championship.
Tournament Record
Group stage (3): 2020, 2018, 2004
Tournament Highlights
Timor-Leste will be looking for their first point in the ASEAN Championship as they prepare for their fourth appearance in the competition – having made their tournament debut 20 years ago when they came within touching distance of a famous win against the Philippines in the group stage.
They took the lead through a Januario goal but went on to lose 2-1 to two stoppage-time goals and finished at the bottom of their group. O Sol Nascente had to wait 14 years to make a return to the competition in 2018 when they put on valiant displays against Indonesia and the Philippines.
After another group stage appearance in 2020, they were denied a place in the tournament proper by Brunei DS two years later. But they avenged the defeat last month when a Paulo Gali goal in a hard-fought qualifiers earned them a berth in the 2024 edition at the expense of Brunei DS.
Head Coach: Simon Elissetche
Simon Elissetche is in his second stint at the helm of Timor-Leste, having managed them during a brief spell in 2017. The Chilean tactician has vast experience in Southeast Asian football, carrying out various coaching roles in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, including at Persita Tangerang and Lalenok United.
Under his management, Timor-Leste posted a 4-3 aggregate win over Mongolia in a playoff tie in September to book their place in the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. He will hope to build on that momentum as he gets his first taste of the ASEAN Championship.
One to Watch: Paulo Gali
Timor-Leste's hottest prospect, Paulo Gali emerged as the hero for his nation in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 qualifying round playoffs against Brunei DS coming up with a moment of individual brilliance in a 1-0 first leg win, which ultimately proved decisive.
The winger who plies his trade for PSIS Semarang in Liga 1 Indonesia had featured in four matches in the 2020 edition and this time around O Sol Nascente will be looking towards Gali for the spark in a bid to upset the applecart in Group A.
The Legend: Rufino Gama
Rufino Gama made his debut for Timor-Leste at the age of 17 in an AFC Asian Cup qualifiers tie against Malaysia in 2016, before scoring his maiden international goal against Chinese Taipei in the competition in October. He would go on to lead the line for the national team for a number of years.
Gama would go on to score twice in the 2018 ASEAN Championship in defeats to Indonesia and Singapore. He continues to bag goals in the domestic circuit, netting the winner for Sao Jose against B2B to guide them to Copa FFTL triumph earlier this year.
Did You Know?
Timor-Leste are one of the newest members of the ASEAN Football Federation, joining the association in 2004 before going to make their ASEAN Championship debut the same year. Their first international fixture ended in a 3-2 defeat to Sri Lanka in 2003 while their first win came in 2012 when they beat Cambodia 5-1.
Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ Fixtures
Timor-Leste vs Thailand (8 December, 2024)
Malaysia vs Timor-Leste (11 December, 2024)
Timor-Leste vs Singapore (14 December, 2024)
Cambodia vs Timor-Leste (17 December, 2024)
Photo: FFTL
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