Timor Leste Football

April 15, 2015

Singapore to meet Indonesia; Thais face Malaysia, Vietnam

Hosts Singapore’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals of the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games were handed a boost on Wednesday after they were handed a fairly favourable draw.

Seeded as hosts for the Under-23 tournament, the Lions were drawn in Group A alongside Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Philippines.

With only the top two progressing to the last four, it looks like Singapore will be battling for qualification with the Indonesians and Myanmar.

Nonetheless, Cambodia will be confident in their prospects having recorded a 2-1 win over Singapore just last month, while Philippines have taken huge strides in recent years and are now considered a legitimate threat in the region.

But it appears most of the drama will come in Group B after defending champions Thailand were pitted against 2011 winners Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste.

Under Kiatisuk Senamuang, who also guided the senior team to victory at the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, the Thais are favourites to finish top with Malaysia and Vietnam expected to battle it out for the second qualifying berth.

However, with the likes of Soukaphone Vongchiengkham and Ketsada Souksavanh to call upon, Laos could just spring an upset or two along the way.

2015 Southeast Asian Games Draw

Group A: Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines

Group B: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste

March 17, 2015

Cambodia, Timor-Leste through to second round; Brunei ousted

Cambodia are through to the second round of qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Macau on Tuesday was enough to send them through 4-1 on aggregate.

Following a 3-0 win over Macau in last Friday’s first leg, the Royal Khmers only need to avoid defeat at the Macau Olympic Complex to guarantee their place in the next round.

However, just for good measure, they took the lead two minutes before the half-hour mark when Thierry Chantha Bin netted his first goal in international colours.

Macau did equalise on the night in the 52nd minute when Leong Ka Hang netted from the penalty spot but it was little more than a consolation, as the Cambodians held out to advance.

The other Southeast Asian side that will be joining them in the second round are Timor-Leste¸who beat Mongolia 1-0 at the MFF Football Centre to record a 5-1 aggregate triumph.

The only goal of the game arrived after just nine minutes Patrick Fabiano found the back of the net, which ultimately proved enough to seal their place in the next stage.

However, there was no such joy for Brunei Darussalam as they were eliminated by Chinese Taipei 2-1 on aggregate following a 2-0 defeat at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

Despite leading 1-0 from last Friday’s first leg, Tebuan fell behind in the 37th minute through a Wang Rui strike, before Chu En-le added a second eight minutes after halftime to win it for the visitors.

March 12, 2015

Brunei claim historic triumph; wins for Cambodia, Timor-Leste

Brunei Darussalam claimed their first-ever win in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday after beating Chinese Taipei 1-0 in the first leg of their first-round clash.

The only goal of the game at the National Stadium in Kaohsiung arrived in the 36th minute and was credited to Adi Said, although he appeared to make little contact with Awangku Fakharrazi’s right-wing cross which sailed all the way past Chin Yu-hung.

The victory puts in a good position to qualify for the group stage in the second round, as long as they avoid defeat in next Tuesday’s second leg.

Over at the Army Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia also took a big step towards advancing to the next round when they beat Macau 3-0.

Chan Vathanaka fired the Angkor Warriors ahead in the 64th minute when the opposition defence’s failure to clear their lines allowed him to pounce on a loose ball, and skip past Ho Man Fai before firing into the unguarded net.

Vathanaka then doubled his and his team’s tally nine minutes from time when he lined up a freekick on the edge of the box, and curled a brilliant effort in off the far post.

And in the fourth minute of injury-time, Khoun Laboravy sealed the win for Cambodia after he was left unmarked inside the box, and met Rous Samoeun’s left-wing cross with a deft header into the far corner.

Timor-Leste, the final Southeast Asian side involved in Thursday’s qualifiers, were also victorious after beating Mongolia 4-1 at the National Stadium in Dili.

Chiquito do Carmo got the Timorese off to a dream start after netting twice in the opening seven minutes, but they had to wait till the 84th minute to put the result beyond doubt when Rodrigo Silva made it 3-0.

Jairo Neto added a fourth for O Sol Nascente a minute later cap off the rout, although the visitors did manage a consolation effort in the 87th minute through a Batmonkhiin Erkhembayar strike.

October 18, 2014

Laos, Myanmar complete AFF Suzuki Cup line-up

The line-up for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup was completed on Saturday after Laos and Myanmar both claimed victories in the qualification round.

Laos, who have been in dominant form since the opening day, stayed top and sealed a top-two finish after cruising to a 2-0 win over Timor Leste.

Thim Xad took the lead in the 32nd minute after a fantastic counter saw Vilayout Sayyabounsou burst free down the left before playing the ball into the path of Soukaphone Vongchiengkham, who in turn picked out Khonesavanh Sihavong.

Although the winger could have gone for goal himself, he unselfishly laid it off to the rampaging Phoutthasay Khochalern, who proceeded to send a powerful drive past Ramos Maxanches.

And four minutes after the hour mark, they went on to seal the victory when Vilayout played an inch-perfect pass for Soukaphone Vongchiengkham to latch onto; the 22-year racing towards goal before coolly placing his shot into the bottom corner.

The result also meant Myanmar, who beat Cambodia 1-0 in Saturday’s earlier game, are through given there is no way they can finish lower than second.

Despite at times toiling against their unfancied opponents, the White Angels ultimately did enough for a narrow win when Kyaw Ko Ko sent Sou Yaty the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute, after Sok Sovan had been penalised for handling Khin Maung Lwin’s cross inside the box.

 Saturday’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying Results

Cambodia 0-1 Myanmar

Laos 2-0 Timor Leste

October 16, 2014

Myanmar up and running; Cambodia stun Timor Leste

Myanmar’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying campaign is up and running after they cruised to a 3-1 win over Brunei at the New Laos National Stadium on Thursday.

After struggling to break down the opposition defence in the first half, the White Angels finally took the lead three minutes after the break when Min Min Thu was perfectly placed to smash home the rebound after Kyaw Ko Ko’s low drive had been parried by Azman Ilham.

They then doubled their lead in the 54th minute and this time there was no denying Kyaw Ko Ko as he beat Ak Yura Indera Putera in a one-on-one battle before racing through and finishing into the back of the net.

To their credit, the Bruneians refused to give in and pulled one back with 12 minutes remaining after Adi Said latched onto Hendra Azam’s visionary pass, before rounding Thiha Sithu and smashing his shot into the unguarded goal.

But just four minutes later, Myanmar went on to seal the win as Kyi Lin ran onto Nay Myo Aung’s long pass before sending a delicate chip over the onrushing Azman.

With the victory, Radojko Avramovic’s charges climbed up to second and are now two points behind leaders Laos, while Brunei’s hopes of qualification were ended in the process.

In Thursday’s earlier game, Cambodia produced a stunning fightback to beat Timor Leste 3-2 for their first points of the campaign.

Anggisu Barbosa had put the Timorese ahead in the 25th minute when he made a late run into the box and scored on the rebound, after Diogo Santos’ freekick had been saved by Sok Vaty.

And it looked as though O Sol Nascente were cruising to victory when Filipe Bertoldo made it 2-0 in the 51st minute; meeting Diogo’s right-wing cross with an outrageous back-flick into the bottom corner.

However, Sok Chanrasmey came off the bench to hand Cambodia a lifeline five minutes after the hour mark when he turned home Prak Mony Udom’s low cross from inside the six-yard box.

Chanrasmey was at it again in the 78th minute and this time, the disbelief in the Timorese camp was evident as the Tri Asia Phnom Penh attacker scored the equaliser by meeting Chan Vathanaka’s inch-perfect delivery with an exquisite header into the far corner.

Eight minutes from time, the comeback was completed as Chanrasmey completed his hat-trick with an emphatic finish on the follow-up – after Vathanaka’s initial header had come back off the bar – to win it for his side.

Thursday’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying Results

Timor Leste 2-3 Cambodia

Brunei 1-3 Myanmar

October 14, 2014

Myanmar held by Timor Leste; second win for Laos

Myanmar’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification began on Tuesday with a 0-0 draw against Timor Leste at the New Laos National Stadium.

Radojko Avramovic’s charges came closest to taking the lead in the first half two minutes after the half-hour mark; Kyaw Ko Ko receiving a layoff from Yan Aung Kyaw and curling an excellent attempt back off the bar.

However, it was the Timorese who looked the more dangerous of the two sides as they game wore to a close, although they were just unable to find a way past Thiha Sithu and his resilient Myanmar defence.

In the earlier game at the New Laos National Stadium, hosts Laos made it two wins in a row as they saw off Brunei with a 4-2 victory.

The Bruneians gifted their opponents the opener after only three minutes when Shahrulrizal Abdul Rahman’s failure to control a high ball allowed Khampheng Sayavutthi to run through on goal.

Although his initial attempt drew a smart save from Azman Ilham, there was little the Brunei custodian could do to prevent Soukaphone Vongchiengkham from tapping home on the rebound.

Just three minutes later, Soukaphone struck again – this time after a moment of inspiration – as he cut inside Helmi Zambin before sending a bullet of a shot into the top corner.

Awangku Fakharrazi did however pull one back for Tebuan in the 33rd minute and on this occasion, it was a Laos player who made a costly mistake after goalkeeper Soukthavy Soundala was caught out of position and allowed a looping cross-cum-shot to end up in his goal.

Nonetheless, Shahrulrizal made another mistake four minutes into the second half when he was caught out by Khampheng, who made his way past Azman before restoring his side’s two-goal cushion with an easy finish.

And eight minutes after the hour mark, the result was put beyond doubt when Thim Xad added a fourth; Soukaphone initiating a well-worked move that ended with him getting on the end of Khonesavanh Sihavong’s return pass and firing into the bottom corner.

To their credit, Brunei refused to give in and reduced the deficit again in the 88th minute when Soukthavy’s failure to deal with an Azwan Saleh freekick allowed Shahrazen Said to send a glancing header into the back of the net.

Still, it proved to be little more than a consolation as Laos held out for the win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Suzuki Cup firmly on track.

Tuesday’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying Results

Brunei 2-4 Laos

Myanmar 0-0 Timor Leste

October 12, 2014

Hosts Laos, Timor Leste off to winning start in qualifiers

Laos kicked off their 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-2 victory over neighbours Cambodia at the New Laos National Stadium in Vientiane on Sunday.

Following a goalless first half, the hosts took the lead ten minutes after the break when Khonesavanh Sihavong escaped the clutches of Say Piseth and Rous Samoen to latch onto a long ball and fire past Sou Yaty.

They then doubled their advantage 15 minutes later when Khampheng Sayavutthi timed his run to perfection to meet Soukaphone Vongchiengkham’s left-wing cross and finished into the far corner.

However, the Cambodians pulled one back in the 73rd minute after Khoun Laboravy received possession and cut inside Ketsada Souksavanh, before lashing his shot into the back of the net.

And just two minutes later, the Royal Khmers remarkably pulled level as Laboravy turned provider; causing all sorts of problems for the opposition defence before squaring the ball for Sok Chanrasmey to turn home with his knees.

But just when it looked like a draw was on the cards, Laos went on to claim maximum points as Khampheng emerged as the hero by lining up a freekick on the edge of the box and unleashing a stunning strike into the bottom corner for the winner.

In Sunday’s earlier game, Timor Leste claimed top spot after recording a 4-2 triumph over Brunei.

The Timorese had initially edged ahead through Murilo de Almeida’s sixth-minute opener, only for Adi Said to cancel it out with a goal of his own five minutes after the half-hour mark.

Tebuan then went in front four minutes before halftime after Awangku Fakharazzi was left with a simple finish past Ramos Maxanches, but their opponents were able to respond in the 70th minute when Murilo struck again after latching onto an over-the-top and slotting past Wardun Yussof.

Murilo then completed his hat-trick ten minutes later as he once again raced in behind the opponents’ defence to score, before Patrick Fabiano made sure of the victory with a neat finish two minutes from time.

Sunday’s 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying Results

Timor Leste 4-2 Brunei

Laos 3-2 Cambodia

September 22, 2014

Thailand crush Indonesia; Vietnam finish top at Games

Thailand finished their Group E campaign at the 2015 Asian Games in Incheon with a perfect record after claiming a dominant 6-0 win over Indonesia on Tuesday.

The War Elephants took the lead at the Incheon Football Stadium after seven minutes when Charyl Chappuis raced through down the right before unselfishly playing the ball back to Chananan Pombuppha, who made no mistake in slotting into the bottom corner.

Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 after Adisak Kraisorn received a cutback from Nurul Sriyankem and lashed an unstoppable first-time shot into the back of the net.

Despite their healthy advantage, the Thais showed no signs of taking their foot off the pedal and Chanathip Songkrasin was next to strike; reacting quickest after Kurnia Meiga Hermansyah had punched a cross clear to the edge of the box and sending a low volley past the floored custodian.

Chanathip then turned provider in the 75th minute when he found space inside the box and played a perfectly-weighted cross to the back post for Kroekrit Thaweekarn to sweep home, as Thailand effectively put the result beyond doubt.

Still, they continued to push forward relentlessly and added a fifth six minutes later after Pinyo Inpinit beat the offside trap and raced through before dispatching his shot into the bottom corner.

And in the 90th minute, the rout was completed as Adisak grabbed his second of the evening after making his way in behind the opposition defence and beating Meiga with another emphatic finish.

Thailand will now meet China in an enticing last-16 tie, while the Indonesians will face off against Group F winners Korea DPR.

In the group’s other clash, Timor-Leste’s tournament came to an end with no points to their names after they were defeated 3-2 by Maldives at the Ansan Wa~ Stadium.

Things were initially looking good for them when Diogo Rangel fired them in front from the spot in the 20th minute, only for Amdhan Ali to equalise for Maldives seven minutes later.

Timor-Leste edged ahead once more two minutes before the hour mark when Ricardo Sousa netted, only for their opponents to hit back again through a Moosa Yaamin strike in the 62nd minute.

11 minutes later, the Maldivians completed their comeback as Mohamed Irufaan struck the winner to hand them maximum points and inflict a third consecutive loss on O Sol Nascente.

Meanwhile, Vietnam also completed their group-stage campaign with an unblemished record after beating Kyrgyzstan 1-0 at the Ansan Wa~ Stadium to make it two wins in a row.

Following a goalless first half, the Vietnamese were handed the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock when they were awarded a penalty after Vu Minh Tuan’s right-wing cross had been handled by Azamat Baimatov inside the box.

And it was Minh Tuan who stepped up to the plate and clinically beat Valery Kashuba from 12 yards, which was ultimately enough for maximum points.

Next up for Vietnam in the Round of 16 are United Arab Emirates, who qualified after finishing behind Jordan as runners-up of Group G.

Tuesday’s 2014 Asian Games Results

Group B

Hong Kong 2-1 Bangladesh

Afghanistan 0-5 Uzbekistan

Group E

Maldives 3-2 Timor-Leste

Indonesia 0-6 Thailand

Group F

China 1-0 Pakistan

Group G

India 0-2 Jordan

Group H

Vietnam 1-0 Kyrgyzstan

September 18, 2014

Thailand, Indonesia advance to Asian Games Round of 16

Thailand are through to the knockout round at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon after claiming a 3-0 win over Timor-Leste on Thursday evening.

The War Elephants took the lead at the Incheon Football Stadium in the 22nd minute when Pakorn Prempak was left in acres of space inside the box but unselfishly cut the ball back to Chanathip Songkrasin, who lashed a powerful volley into the bottom corner.

A minute before the hour mark, it was 2-0 and this time Chanathip turned provider after pouncing on a loose ball inside the area and squaring it to Kroekrit Thaweekarn, paving the way for the midfielder to drill an unstoppable effort past Ramos Maxanche.

And with 11 minutes remaining ,they went on to wrap up the three points after Pinyo Inpinit forced his way past the last defender to latch onto a neat flick by Chanathip, before advancing on goal and coolly finishing.

Although there is still one game remaining in the group stage, Thailand are now guaranteed a top-two finish in Group E along with fellow Southeast Asian side Indonesia, who booked their spot in the last 16 with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Maldives.

Ramdhani Lestaluhu got Merah Putih on their way after 12 minutes when he beat the offside trap to break free just outside the six-yard box and blasted the opener into the roof of the net.

The Indonesians then doubled their lead four minutes into the second half when Fandi Eko raced down the right and played a cross right at the feet of Ferdinand Sinaga, who eased inside a defender before firing past Mohamed Jazlaan.

The contest was effectively over eight minutes when Bayu Gatra Sanggiawan added a third for his side; exchanging a lovely one-two with Sinaga inside the area before sending a looping shot into the back of the net.

But just for good measure, Indonesia added a fourth eight minutes from time when Sinaga grabbed his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot, after Alfin Tuasalamony had been shoved over by Samdhooh Mohamed inside the box.

Although they were not in action on Thursday, Vietnam are also through to the knockout round after Kyrgyzstan’s 1-1 draw with Iran secured them a top-two spot in Group H.

Having beaten the Iranians 4-1 in their opening game, Vietnam are safely through to the last 16 and only need to avoid defeat against Kyrgyzstan on Monday to finish top.

Thursday’s 2014 Asian Games Results

Group B

Hong Kong 2-1 Afghanistan

Uzbekistan 3-0 Bangladesh

Group E

Maldives 0-4 Indonesia

Thailand 3-0 Timor-Leste

Group F

Pakistan 0-2 Korea DPR

Group G

Jordan 1-0 United Arab Emirates

Group H

Kyrgyzstan 1-1 Iran

September 15, 2014

Vietnam stun Iran at Games; Indonesia rout Timor Leste

Vietnam got off to a flying start at the 2015 Asian Games in Incheon after claiming a stunning 4-1 win over Iran at the Ansan Wa~ Stadium on Monday.

Although they entered the Group H match as huge underdogs, Vietnam edged ahead in the 24th minute when Mac Hong Quan cleverly broke free down the right before playing the ball to the back post for Vo Huy Toan to smash home.

Four minutes later, it was 2-0 when Hong Quan brilliantly skipped past Mohammadreza Khanzadeh twice before lashing his shot past Hojjat Segdhi.

Iran did pull one back six minutes after the hour mark through a Mohsen Mosalman penalty, which was awarded after Mehdi Sharifi had been hacked down by opposition keeper Tran Buu Ngoc just inside the area.

However, it took the Vietnamese just three minutes to restore their two-goal cushion as Tran Phi Son broke into the box after exchanging a neat one-two before rifling the ball into the back of the net.

The rout was then completed in the 82nd minute when Ngo Hoang Thinh lined up an indirect freekick and smashed the ball home from eight yards, after Segdhi had been penalised for catching a back-pass.

And to make matters worse for the Iranians, they finished the game with ten men following a red card to Khanzadeh, who was booked for clattering into Buu Ngoc before being shown a second yellow moments later for shoving over an opponent.

With only three teams in their group, Vietnam are almost certain to qualify for the knockout round and are in action again on September 22 when they take on Krygyzstan.

Over in Group E, Indonesia got off to a flyer as they claimed an emphatic 7-0 triumph over neighbours Timor Leste at the Goyang Stadium.

Ferdinand Sinaga opened the scoring after seven minutes when he was left with a simple tap-in, after Bayu Gatra Sanggiawan had hit the byline and cut the ball back to him.

Merah Putih then doubled their lead four minutes later when Syakir Sulaiman touched a cross into the path of Sinaga to leave him with another close-range finish.

The Persib Bandung forward then completed his hat-trick five minutes after the half-hour mark when he raced through after beating the offside trap, before firing away a left-footed shot that took a wicked deflection and looped over a hapless Ramos Maxanches.

Despite holding a comfortable lead, the Indonesians were in no mood to take their foot off the pedal and added a fourth in the 75th minute; Alfin Tuasalamony converting from 12 yards after his side had been awarded a penalty.

Novri Setiawan was next to get in on the act as he skipped past Maxanches after being played through by Fandi Eko’s lovely pass before slotting into the unguarded net six minutes later.

Sinaga was also not done yet and notched his fourth of the evening in the 83rd minute after skipping inside Paulo Cesar da Silva Martins and firing into the back of the net.

And the rout was completed five minutes before the end as Sinaga’s blistering drive could only be parried by Maxanches, leaving Fandi with the simple task of volleying home on the rebound.

Group E’s second game saw Thailand also kick off their campaign with a win after they defeated Maldives 2-0.

Following a goalless first half, the War Elephants broke the deadlock when Narubodin Weerawatnodom climbed highest inside the six-yard box to head home Kroekrit Thaweekarn’s corner.

Nonetheless, they were unable to seal the win until the 85th minute when their second goal arrived after Adisak Kraisorn met a right-wing delivery and clinically swept a first-time effort into the far corner.

Monday’s 2015 Asian Games Results

Group B

Bangladesh 1-0 Afghanistan

Uzbekistan 1-1 Hong Kong

Group E

Timor Leste 0-7 Indonesia

Thailand 2-0 Maldives

Group F

Korea DPR 3-0 China

Group G

United Arab Emirates 5-0 India

Group H

Iran 1-4 Vietnam