AZWAN HAT-TRICK PUTS INDERA ON TOP
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An Indera SC player (L) heads the ball as a LLRC FT player looks on during last night's DST Super League match at the Balapan Track and Field at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Indera's Mohammad Azwan Ali Rahman hit a hat-trick as the club crushed LLRC FT 5-1 to top the standing. Picture: BT/Yusri Adanan
BY AK FAUZI PG SALLEH
Mohammad Azwan Ali Rahman hit a hat-trick as a ruthless Indera Sports Club crushed Liang Lumut Recreational Club Football Team (LLRC FT) 5-1 to move to the summit of the DST Super League after toppling the Belait-based side last night.
"I am happy that I managed
to help my team to win tonight," said Azwan who already has five goals to
his name in the league this season.
"I scored three goals in the
game but it does not matter ... As long as we get three points I am very happy.
"My duty as an Indera player
is to help them win. I want to help Indera to win the first DST Super League,
so it is very important we won tonight.
"I also think that it is
important to score as many goals as possible as the other teams are doing well
in the competition," he added.
Azwan put Indera in front in the
first minute when he latched on to a through ball from Mohd Khayrun Salleh
before calmly slotting the ball into the net at the Balapan Track and Field at
the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.
LLRC almost replied immediately
when Safuan Juhar put Md Amirul Jafrey Md Norshaney through on goal two minutes
later, but the LLRC striker was denied by a fine sprawling save from Indera's
goalkeeper.
But LLRC managed to get back on
level terms in the 15th minute when another timely pass from Safuan sent Md
Amirul Jafrey through the middle of the Indera SC defence and allowed him to
nudge the ball gently past the goalkeeper.
Azwan put Indera back in front in
the 23rd minute when he took advantage of some slack marking from LLRC to tap
Mohd Nazirul Nazreen Abdullah's cross past the goalkeeper from close range.
LLRC's narrow back-line invited
raids on the outside, and there was little security being offered up by Md
Amirul Hamrey Md Norshaney and Amy Amizan Gudang in central midfield — and this
allowed Azwan to add his third on the night when he pounced on Mohd Khayrun
shot's to beat LLRC goalkeeper Firman Taufik Nugraha at the near post a minute
before the break.
LLRC still had plenty of time to
mount a comeback but were denied at every turn as Safuan, Md Amirul Jafrey and
Nur Hazwan Khan Asmah Khan could find no way through Indera's defence.
LLRC's frustration at not being
able to get into the game in the second half manifested itself in some wild
challenges, and Ak Abd Faiz Fadhullah Pg Zaidi and Mohd Hafizan Hasnal were
both being booked for fouls on Azwan.
Their only genuine scoring chance
of the second-half fell to Safuan, but it was squandered horribly.
Left free when Mohd Amirul Jafrey
flicked on Mohd Hafizan's long ball from the right, the striker lifted his shot
over the crossbar.
Indera's Hamizan Aziz and Mohd
Nurikhwan both found the net in the 47th and 84th minutes to seal the win and a
place at the top of the table.