The Cambodian U21 team got their 2014 Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy campaign off to a rousing start on Saturday as they battled to a 1-0 victory over reigning champions and hosts Brunei at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan.

On 15 minutes, Brunei keeper Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahim opted to try to catch Chan Vathanaka’s strike from distance only to fumble the ball into his own net. It was to prove a decisive mistake, with both sides failing to add any more goals throughout the fiercely contested game.

Just after the hour mark, a substitution by the home side backfired as stopper Abdul Rahim was forced off with injury and Brunei already had their maximum of three over-age players on the pitch.

Thus outfield player Mohamad Hendra Azam Mohamad Idris was sacrificed for reserve keeper Azman Ilham Hj Mohamad Noor, and they played out the remaining time with 10 men. Lee Tae Hoon’s Cambodia team return to the field tonight t 7:15pm Cambodian time to face Singapore, who were beaten 4-0 by Vietnam on Saturday.