Brunei down Sri Lanka 1-0
Brunei defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in the first of the double-header friendly international football match played at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday. Despite making their fullest efforts, Sri Lanka were held back by Brunei Darussalam defenders, thwarting them from going forward.
The halftime ended scoreless with both teams failing to outsmart each other during the first half as Brunei, currently ranked 194 in FIFA rankings, scored the solitary goal of the game during the midway of the second half.
Sri Lanka, currently ranked 204, will meet the hosts again on Tuesday (11) at the same venue, with the match set to kickoff at 5:45pm Sri Lankan time. The upcoming game will be Sri Lanka’s final outing until early September, where they will play against Cambodia, ranked 179, in a home and away game as part of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier.
During March this year, Sri Lanka held Papua New Guinea to a scoreless draw, after the home team beat Bhutan 2-0 in the two games played within the 2024 FIFA World Series at the Racecourse in Colombo.