Chonburi: Timor-Leste hold a slender lead over Brunei Darussalam heading into the all-important second leg of the Qualification Round for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 on Tuesday at Chonburi Stadium in Thailand.
The Timorese won last week's first leg 1-0 at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan, with Paulo Gali netting the winner after a solo effort in the 47th minute.
The star winger moved abroad for the first time in his career last season when he signed for PSIS Semarang in Indonesia, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists in an impressive debut season in Liga 1.
The experience of playing at a higher level for Gali, who wore the captain’s armband for the match, paid off representing his nation when he muscled off Brunei full-back Najib Tarif, took the ball towards the touchline and then found the roof of the net from an acute angle.
This was Timor-Leste’s second important win of the year after a 4-1 result against Mongolia in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Playoff, which ultimately booked their spot in the third round of qualifiers for the continental competition.
Chilean head coach Simon Elissetche will now once again be counting on the likes of Gali, Joao Pedro and Zenivio to get them over the finish line on Tuesday as Timor-Leste aim to return to the group stage for the first time since 2020.
Brunei DS, meanwhile, went into the first leg on the back of a highly impressive five-match winning run having beaten Vanuatu, Sri Lanka and Macau during this period.
The Wasps have their own star winger in Hakeme Yazid Said, who already boasts nine goal contributions for DPMM FC in the Singapore Premier League this season.
Against Timor-Leste in the first leg, the 21-year-old did go on a rampaging solo run only to see his effort saved by Timorese goalkeeper Junildo during the first half.
Several other DPMM players such as captain Azwan Ali Rahman, goalkeeper Haimie Nyaring and centre-back Yura Indera Putera will also be key in their bid to turn around the first-leg deficit.
Jamie McAllister’s charges will take confidence from the fact that it was they who triumphed 6-3 on aggregate against Timor-Leste in the Qualification Round two years ago.
The venue for the match will be Chonburi Stadium with the winner of the tie joining two-time defending champions Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia in Group A of the regional tournament showpiece which kicks off on December 8.
Meanwhile, Group B will feature Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar and Laos with the tournament set to run until January 5, 2025.
Qualifiers Second Leg: Timor-Leste vs Brunei Darussalam
Venue: Chonburi Stadium, Thailand
Kick-off: October 15, 7:30 PM (Local Time)
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