PETALING JAYA: Brunei coach Jamie McAllister hailed his players’ “character and spirit” after they battled to a dramatic 3-2 win over Kuching City in the FA Cup round of 16 first leg on Saturday, but he was quick to stress that the tie is far from over.
“We’ve got to enjoy the moment – it’s a good victory, but it’s only half-time in the tie,” said the Scotsman after Brunei’s first win of the season.
“I asked the boys to be brave in possession, and I thought we were excellent at times. We showed character, we showed quality, and I was so proud of how the players competed.”
In front of their home crowd at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium, Brunei made a dream start when Indonesian forward Ramadhan Sananta slipped a pass through for skipper Azwan Ali Rahman, who calmly tucked home in the fifth minute.
Kuching responded before the break through Cameroonian striker Ronald Ngah, who finished off Joao Pedro’s cutback in the 42nd minute, before Nigerian defender James Okwuosa put them 2-1 ahead just after half-time.
But Brunei hit back instantly, Portuguese winger Miguel Oliveira weaving through defenders to level the score at 2-2.
The decisive moment came in the 78th minute when substitute Jordan Murray, still nursing an ankle problem from recent weeks, punished a Kuching error with a composed strike that sent the home crowd into raptures.
“It was fantastic for Jordan,” said McAllister.
“He’s been struggling with his ankle the last two weeks, but he came on with real desire and got his reward. That’s what it means to the fans and the players – it’s just nice to finally get that first win.”
The game ended in controversy when Kuching were awarded a late penalty after a six-minute VAR check for a foul by Fairuz Zakaria.
Before the call, striker Gabriel Nistelrooy already scored, which means advantage could be automatically played, but the referee decided to award a penalty.
Gabriel stepped up, only to be denied by Brunei goalkeeper Kristijan Naumovski’s brilliant save.
Despite the setback, Kuching coach Aidil Sharin remained upbeat about the return leg.
“This is football – anything can happen. Even if we scored the penalty, maybe we still missed other chances.
“The important thing is we are still in the tie. It’s 3-2, not over for us.
“With our home crowd behind us, I believe we can come back.”
