DPMM claim pole position

Shahrazen Said’s superb volley in the 60th minute was enough to lift DPMM FC to the summit of the Great Eastern-YEO’s S.League after he scored the only goal in a tightly contested match played at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

Sengkang Punggol had to face the music, though it wasn’t smooth sailing for DPMM FC.

They struggled to break a formidable defence marshalled by Hiroyuki Yamamoto and Jerry Bartholomeusz, which restricted the home team to long range shots on some occasions.

It was the visitors who controlled the tempo early in the game, and it all seemed familiar whenever DPMM FC play at their home ground by allowing their opposition more possession.

Captain Pg Sallehuddin Damit was outstanding at the back for DPMM FC, reading and foiling every attack thrown by Sengkang. His partnership with Rene Komar has blossomed as the hosts have only conceded a miserly total of three goals in six games.

National striker Indra Sahdan Daud was lively in the first half, creating half-chances many times. However, he was ineffective after the break, and frustration got the better of him as he was booked for aggression in the 69th minute before being substituted.

By then, DPMM FC were already one goal ahead, thanks to Shahrazen’s strike on the hour mark.

Tightly marked for much of the evening, the 22-year-old took full advantage of the one chance he had when the Sengkang defence failed to clear a corner taken by Ivan Jerkovic. The ball fell kindly to the striker, who instinctively volleyed a dipping shot past goalkeeper Fahmy Rahman.

To his relief, Razali’s follow-up pass was judged to be offside, and apart from the minor error, DPMM FC’s backline stood firm as they hold on to their 1-0 victory.

Abdel Hamid Berguiga, who replaced Rosmin Kamis at half-time, had two scoring chances as well, and he almost made goalkeeper Fahmy pay for rushing out of his goal line. The Algerian forward chipped outside the box from a tight angle, but his curling left footer landed on the roof of the net and spared the young custodian’s blushes.

In the end, though, the lone goal earned DPMM FC another three precious points as they maintained their 100% win record at home.

While the home fans might have been disappointed not to see their team finish with a bigger scoreline, coach Vjeran Simunic focused on the positives as he concentrated on getting three important points.

The Croat was also happy to see the increasing number of spectators at the stadium.

“I love what I see and I’m very proud to see many people and the fans come to watch football. I hope the next game (at home), we can have 15,000 people watching DPMM FC. I thank the supporters for coming.”

He joked, “I love 1-0 games instead of 2-0 games. It makes the game more exciting and keeps the adrenalin pumping.

“I rather win 1-0 than winning 2-0. I think Sengkang Punggol is the toughest team we played at home this season and they put up a good fight till the end.”

Take nothing away from DPMM FC, they have earned their place at the top of the league after four good wins and two draws. But they will have to wait until Thursday, when SAFFC and Gombak United play their respective games, to find out if their time at the top of the table will extend beyond 48 hours.