On the evening of June 2, the Timor-Leste team made an important step on the journey to win the right to participate in the ASEAN Cup 2026 when defeating Brunei with a score of 3-0 in the first leg of the play-off.
Despite having to play at Brunei's Hassanal Bolkiah stadium, Timor-Leste was still the team that controlled the game. Coach Simon Elissetche's students controlled the ball better and continuously created pressure on the home team's goal.
After many missed opportunities, Timor-Leste had the opening goal in the 27th minute. From a combination on the left wing, João Rangel finished accurately, putting the away team ahead.
The turning point of the match came in the 41st minute when Mohammad Kasyful of Brunei received a direct red card after a foul situation considered by VAR. Playing with one less player, the home team quickly conceded another goal. From the penalty spot, Zenivio successfully converted to increase the score to 2-0 for Timor-Leste.
In the second half, Brunei tried to push up the squad to find an equalizer. However, playing with one less player caused this team many difficulties in deploying attacks and could not make a difference.
When the match entered injury time, Oatnasio Da Silva scored to seal a 3-0 victory for Timor-Leste, thereby helping this team get very close to a ticket to the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026.
The second leg between the two teams will take place on June 9. With a three-goal difference, Timor-Leste is in a big advantage, while Brunei needs a special comeback if they want to advance.
According to the draw results, the winning team in the match between Brunei and Timor-Leste will participate in Group A of the ASEAN Cup 2026 with the Vietnamese, Indonesian, Singaporean and Cambodian national teams.
If they maintain their advantage in the second leg, Timor-Leste is likely to become the last opponent of coach Kim Sang-sik's team in the ASEAN Cup 2026 group stage.
