Kelantan Red Warriors FC suffered a 0-2 defeat against Brunei’s DPMM FC in the first leg of the Malaysia Cup Round of 16 at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, Kota Bharu, last night.

Head coach Irfan Bakti made five changes to the starting lineup from the team that defeated Selangor FC II, introducing Muhaimin Izzudin, Muhammad, Aikal, and attacking duo Mazwan Che Mat and Fazli Ghazali in hopes of springing a surprise against the visitors.

Strong Start But Missed Chances

KRWFC started brightly, showing aggressive attacking intent. In the third minute, DPMM FC goalkeeper Haimie Abdullah Nyaring was forced into an early save to deny a long-range effort from the Red Warriors.

Just a minute later, a mistake by Jordan Rodrigues nearly gifted Fazli Ghazali an opening goal, but his strike drifted narrowly wide of the right post. Momentum soon shifted as both sides traded attacks in search of the breakthrough.

Set-Piece Breakthrough for DPMM FC

The visitors broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when a corner kick caused chaos inside the KRWFC penalty area, allowing Indonesian forward Ramadhan Sananta to pounce and slot the ball home for DPMM FC’s opener.

That goal separated the sides as the first half ended with the visitors leading 1-0.

Second Half Adjustments

At the restart, Irfan introduced Latiff Suhaimi to reinforce the defensive line. However, DPMM FC came close to doubling their lead in the 51st minute when Azwan Ali Rahman’s free-kick found Ramadhan Sananta, whose header found the net but was ruled offside.

With time running out, Irfan made a triple substitution, bringing on Zuasyraf Zulkiefle, Niam, and Rafie Mat Yaacob in an all-out push for an equalizer. Despite several promising moves, Zuasyraf’s two attempts went wide, while Iskandar Shah’s shot was comfortably collected by Haimie Abdullah Nyaring.

Late Blow for the Red Warriors

In the dying minutes, substitute Syafiq Ahmad sealed the result for DPMM FC with a flying header from a Miguel Oliveira cross, putting the visitors firmly in control of the tie heading into the return leg.

The 2-0 result gives DPMM FC a comfortable advantage as the two sides prepare to meet again in Brunei on January 24 for the decisive second leg.