Written by: Phoon Jia Hui
Brunei DPMM were crowned champions of the 2014 StarHub League Cup as they beat Tanjong Pagar United 2-0 in the final at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday evening.
DPMM coach Steve Kean was visibly delighted with the victory which saw him win his first piece of silverware since taking charge of the team at the start of this season.
“I am delighted with the win, it a move forward from last season’s disappointment and they (Tanjong Pagar) were really good but I thought we kept them quiet throughout the match,” said the ex-Blackburn Rovers manager.
“Overall, I am pleased with the performance and we are having a good team who work hard that we can go far from here. We have come a long way and we can go even further.”
However, Kean insists that he did not want to get too carried away with the result and admitted it was difficult playing without the suspended Rodrigo Tosi
“It’s great to win but I think there’s still much more to come from us and I expected to win,” he said.
“But there’s still a lot more business to be done. I want to win the [league] title, it was the first thing that I wanted to do when I came here.
“It was hard to play without Tosi because he is a focal point of play for us. We played the ball up and Roy was alone. Adi Said made late runs and there is little bodies at the right place in midfield to support and we started giving space at the back.
“This was displeasing but we managed to rectify it and it was like a training session to make sure we made that right.”
His opposite number Patrick Vallee was on the other hand, downcast with the result but was otherwise pleased with the team’s performance in the tournament.
“Of course I am sad for my team and my players. Congrats to Brunei, they deserved to win,” the Frenchman said.
“But I cannot blame my team for what happened tonight. It was a good game from both teams and we had chances. If at half-time the score was 0-0, it would have been different but this is part of football.
“What we did in the second-half to push for the equaliser was pleasing. Even though we lost, every game needs one winner and its brunei. I don’t think about the lost. I’m happy to reach the second final in the space of two years because its not easy.
“We played against the likes of Albirex, Brunei DPMM, Warriors FC, Hougang United, all top six clubs [on the way to the final and won] so it’s not bad for Tanjong Pagar.”
