Football
Gabriel Tan 8y

Spirited Home see off Brunei DPMM to seal Singapore Cup final berth

Home United are through to the RHB Singapore Cup final after a 2-0 win in Tuesday's semifinal second leg at the Yishun Stadium saw them advance 4-3 on aggregate.

Azhar Sairudin got them on their way in the 22nd minute with a close-range finish, before Imran Sahib came off the bench to score with ten minutes remaining to seal a resounding victory for the Protectors.

They will now meet Albirex Niigata (S) in Friday's final at the Jalan Besar Stadium, after the Japanese outfit claimed a 3-1 aggregate win over Philippines' Global FC in the other semifinal clash.

Trailing 3-2 from the first leg and coming up against the newly-crowned Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League champions, it did look as though the odds were firmly stacked against Philippe Aw's charges.

Nonetheless, they got off to a bright start and created the better opportunities between the two sides.

And eight minutes before the half-hour mark, they duly opened the scoring on the night -- and levelled the aggregate score -- when Azhar capitalised on a goal-mouth scramble after Ken Ilso's initial shot was blocked, calmly placing a loose ball into the back of the net.

Stunned at falling behind, DPMM nearly managed an instant reply but Aminuddin Zakwan's 20-yard piledriver sailed inches over the bar, before an unmarked Paulo Sergio failed to connect with Joe Gamble's pinpoint cross in the 32nd minute.

The visitors continued to build after the break and it looked only a matter of time before they would strike, but -- against the run of play -- Home grabbed a second in the 80th minute.

Running onto Azhar's lovely lob, Stanely Ng did well to race down the left before squaring a pass into the path of Imran, who made no mistake to finish past Wardun Yussof.

DPMM then thought they had forced extra-time when they equalised on aggregate with three minutes left when Shahrazen Said bundled home an Azwan Saleh free kick, only for the strike to be chalked off for offside.

The incident sparked fierce protests from the DPMM camp but it did little to change the decision, allowing the Protectors to hold out for their place in the final.

Expressing pride at the hunger his charges displayed, Home coach Aw challenged them to go all the way and get the job done.

"I thought we were very good in the first half... we were very dominant," he said.

"In the second half, DPMM did cause some problems for us but the boys were fantastic.

"They really showed how much they wanted to go to the final and I want to give credit to every one of them.

"Everyone in the team knows the whole of Singapore is behind us as they would wish to see a local team in the title, and all of them are very motivated by this."

Meanwhile, DPMM coach Steve Kean praised his side's display despite them failing in their bid to win the league and cup double.

"It's very disappointing because we were sensational in the second half," he said. "We created many chances and Home scored (their second goal) from the only chance they created.

"I can't fault the players, especially considering the fixture schedule which I'm still bemused about."

Home United: Shahril Jantan, Juma'at Jantan, Abdil Qaiyyim, Sirina Camara, Sufianto Salleh (Nur Hizami 83'), Yasir Hanapi, Kamel Ramdani, Stanely Ng, Azhar Sairudin, Fazli Ayob (Imran Sahib 67'), Ken Ilso

Brunei DPMM FC: Wardun Yussof, Helmi Zambin (Najib Tarif 87'), Boris Raspudic, Brian McLean, Sairol Sahari (Azwan Saleh 5'), Rosmin Kamis, Aminuddin Zakwan, Joe Gamble, Paulo Sergio, Maududi Hilmi (Shahrazen Said 87'), Rafael Ramazotti

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