DPMM's title if Tampines can't beat Home
Bruneian side will be champions if Tampines fail to beat Home
WARRIORS FC 1
(Brian McLean 80-og)
BRUNEI DPMM 3
(Paulo Sergio 8, Rafael Ramazotti 23, Boris Raspudic 58)
Brunei DPMM could celebrate winning their first Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League title on Sunday (Nov 8) without even kicking a ball.
If Tampines Rovers - the only team capable of pipping DPMM to the title - fail to beat Home United on Sunday, the Bruneian side will be crowned champions.
DPMM put themselves in the driver's seat for the title after their 3-1 win over defending champions Warriors FC at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Friday (Nov 6) night.
To snatch the title from the Wasps' grasp, Tampines must win their three remaining matches - against Home, Albirex next Friday (Nov 13) and Harimau Muda on Nov 20 - and hope that DPMM do not beat Balestier Khalsa in their last match in Bandar Seri Begawan on Nov 21.
"We're getting closer," said DPMM manager Steve Kean after the win against the Warriors.
"We're not there yet, but we've taken a big, big step. Tampines have games in hand, but they have a tough schedule ahead."
Christmas might be more than a month away, but the Warriors were in charitable mood last night as they presented DPMM with two goals in 23 minutes.
First, goalkeeper Daniel Ong miskicked his clearance straight into Paulo Sergio's path, and the Portuguese winger made no mistake to put his side ahead after eight minutes.
Then, Warriors midfielder Emmeric Ong was caught in possession, and DPMM hotshot Rafael Ramazotti was played through to stab home his 20th goal of the season.
Boris Raspudic made it 3-0 in the 58th minute with a header from a corner.
The Warriors never looked likely to mount a comeback, even after DPMM defender Brian McLean deflected the ball into his own goal 10 minutes before the end.
BOOST
Former Blackburn Rovers manager Kean said Tampines' slip-up on Thursday (Nov 5) night - the Stags were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller against Balestier - gave his team the boost they needed.
When asked what the key to beating Warriors was, the Scot said: "Realising we had another chance because of the result last night.
"You don't always get chances like that, but it put us in a position to put a bit of space again between ourselves and the other teams."
The S.League's bottom-four teams took on each other in the two other matches played on Friday (Nov 6) night.
The Courts Young Lions rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Geylang International at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Bruno Castanheira (24th) and Shawal Anuar (62nd) put the Eagles in a commanding position, but Irfan Fandi pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute, before Huzaifah Aziz scored an own-goal six minutes later to give the Young Lions a share of the spoils.
Over at the Hougang Stadium, Hougang United fell to a 2-1 defeat by Harimau Muda, where a double by Syafwan Syahlan (35th and 78th) cancelled out Nurhilmi Jasni's first-minute opener.
- WARRIORS: Daniel Ong, Syaqir Sulaiman, Daniel Bennett, Marin Vidosevic, Irwan Shah (Hamqaamal Shah 88), Tom Beattie, Emmeric Ong, Miroslav Pejic, Kevin McCann, Hafiz Rahim, Fazrul Nawaz
- DPMM: Wardun Yussof, Helmi Zambin, Boris Raspudic, Brian McLean, Sairol Sahari, Maududi Hilmi (Aminuddin Zakwan 89), Rosmin Kamis, Joe Gamble, Paulo Sergio, Azwan Ali (Azwan Saleh 79), Rafael Ramazotti
- TNP Man of the Match: Paulo Sergio (DPMM)
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