Brunei advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup following a decisive 3-1 victory over Terengganu on Wednesday, overturning a 2-3 first-leg deficit for a 5-4 aggregate win. The second leg took place at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, where the home side faced a challenging task to maintain their initial advantage.

The match began with Brunei quickly leveling the aggregate score through Danial Asri in the seventh minute. Terengganu regained the lead just before halftime with a goal from Manuel Ott in the 44th minute. However, Brunei’s persistence paid off in the second half, when Miguel Oliveira netted an equalizer in the 54th minute, followed by Australian forward Jordan Murray scoring the decisive goal in the 64th minute. These two second-half goals secured Brunei’s progression into the last eight of the competition.

Brunei’s head coach, Jamie McAllister, attributed the victory to the growing cohesion among his relatively new squad, which includes 10 recent signings. “New signings are going to take time to gel. We had 10 new players and they’ve really started to come together,” McAllister said. He emphasized the team’s improved possession play and fitness levels, noting that despite ongoing areas for development, the players are adapting well to the demands of a competitive league.

“We can see from the last few games how we can be, especially in possession. The boys understand what we want from them. They’re fit and strong,” McAllister added. He highlighted the importance of maintaining composure and effort going forward as the team prepares to face Kuala Lumpur in the quarter-final first leg at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Sunday.

On tactics, McAllister explained that consistent pressure and controlled possession remained key elements in the second half. “I told them just to play the same, create the same chances the same way with possession and control. We needed goals to force extra time, but thankfully we got two in the second half, and that was enough,” he said.

Brunei’s comeback not only showcases their improving team dynamics but also sets up a promising challenge in the next round as they aim to continue their FA Cup campaign.