Written by: Zack Rahim

An efficient Brunei DPMM dismantled Woodlands Wellington 8-1  to send shockwaves rippling across the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League with this season’s largest margin of victory.

The table toppers were simply no match for the visitors, wrapping the game up even before they started the second half with their comfortable 4-0 cushion at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan – their four-point lead over defending champions Tampines Rovers all but guaranteed by this point.

League Cup champions DPMM take on Tanjong Pagar United in their last second round game on Saturday, and the Bruneians are firm title favourites heading into the six-team third round – with last night’s thrashing breaking a run of two draws in their last two games.

Roy O’Donovan had an early chance when he eased past Woodlands goalkeeper Ahmadulhaq Che Omar in the 13th minute but found the angle too tight.

But the floodgates opened four minutes later when Rodrigo Tosi won the ball in midfield and sent it through to Roberto Alviz, who hit it past Ahmadulhaq’s top left corner.

DPMM FC’s slick movement and crisp passing meant they dominated the midfield, and it was 2-0 in the 30th minute when Adi Said – who had scored four goals in his last three games for the club – finished off a one-two with O’Donovan.

Irish striker O’Donovan made it 3-0 after latching onto a mistake by Fadhil Noh and cutting inside to the left past him and another player to lash home a shot from outside the box.

O’Donovan turned provider once again after receiving a Helmi Zambin pass from the right and pulling off a reverse pass to Azwan Ali Rahman, with the midfielder rolling the ball past Ahmadulhaq in the 40th minute.

Woodlands were flat-footed and second to the ball in almost every challenge, exemplified when centre back Walid Lounis received a 41st minute yellow card for a deliberate handball – knowing that if he didn’t, the long ball over the top would have allowed Adi to run through on goal.

Woodlands grabbed a consolation after substitute Moon Soon-ho put the ball past an onrushing Wardun Yussof in between the DPMM FC sticks in the 58th minute, but defence-splitting passes which led to the goal were few and far between.

A  64th minute corner was met by a headed attempt by DPMM FC defender Boris Raspudic, but Woodlands failed to clear their lines and Adi did not need another invite to poke the ball home from close range.

A raking diagonal pass from Tosi to Alviz opened space inside the area for the latter to shoot, and though Ahmadulhaq was at hand, he could only palm the ball to the onrushing O’Donovan – who made it 6-1 in the 80th minute.

Two more goals in the last 10 minutes added shine to the scoreline, which if not for Ahmadulhaq, would have been in double digits.

Raspudic powered in a strong header in the 85th minute off an Alviz corner, and Tosi rounded off the scoring after chesting down a pin-point pass from Azwan Salleh and netting his 19th goal of the season – a strike which made the Brazilian the league’s joint top-scorer with Albirex’s Kazuki Sakamoto.