How the DPMM FC bench beat Negeri Sembilan FC 3-1

DPMM FC beat Negeri Sembilan FC 3-1 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan on 30 October, and the last two goals came from players who started the match on the bench. For most of the evening the scoreline was far tighter than the one that went into the Malaysia Super League table.

How the game went

DPMM FC went ahead in the 12th minute, Murray scoring with Robertson credited with the assist. Makan Bola also reported Murray’s goal in the twelfth minute. Luqman Hakim equalised for Negeri Sembilan FC in the 34th minute. From there the score stayed 1-1 for the rest of the first half and deep into the second.

Negeri Sembilan FC made changes in the 59th minute, and Luqman Hakim was among the players taken off, Mutalib replacing him. DPMM FC answered in the 74th minute, sending on Dalberto for Aspegren. In the 88th minute Dalberto scored, Oliveira providing the assist. In stoppage time Santis came on for Oliveira at 90+1’. At 90+2’ Santis scored, and the assist was Dalberto’s.

Why it ended that way

The first easy reading is that the score shows a gap in class between the two sides. It does not: for the long stretch between the 34th minute and the 88th minute, neither side could find a goal. The second is that Negeri Sembilan FC arrived short of players. In his preview on the club’s own website, head coach Daniel Gimenez said Mio Tsuneyasu, Ryan Sanizal and Wai Lin Aung had not recovered from injury, but that every other player was available and nobody was suspended. He also called DPMM FC dangerous, and said his side’s target was to go home with three points.

The real reasons are two, and the first matters far more than the second.

First, the DPMM FC bench. Dalberto came on in the 74th minute and had a hand in both late goals, scoring one and setting up the other. Santis scored at 90+2’, moments after his own arrival at 90+1’. This was not a one-off for Dalberto either: he had scored twice in the 3-2 win over Kuching City FC on 18 October. StraitScore’s view: a substitute who changes games like this is a weapon, and DPMM FC used it well.

Second, the changes at the other end did not work. Negeri Sembilan FC took off their scorer in the 59th minute, and the score did not move again until DPMM FC scored in the 88th minute. One bench produced two goals; the other produced none.

So was 3-1 harsh on Negeri Sembilan FC? On the scoreboard it was level from the 34th minute until the 88th minute, so the margin flatters DPMM FC. But late goals count the same as early ones, and the points went where the goals did.

What it means

At kick-off DPMM FC had 9 points, fourth in the table, while Kuching City FC had 12. At the final whistle DPMM FC had 12 points, level with Kuching City FC. What separates them is goals: Kuching City FC have scored 17 and conceded 7, DPMM FC have scored 9 and conceded 8. Above them, Selangor FC had 15 points from five matches at the final whistle, and Johor Darul Ta’zim 18 from six.

The win was the third in a row in the league for DPMM FC, after a 2-1 win at Sabah FC on 13 September and the 3-2 over Kuching City FC. Before that run they lost 1-0 to Kuala Lumpur City and 3-0 to Johor Darul Ta’zim.

For Negeri Sembilan FC the picture is the reverse. Their last league win was the 3-0 over Kuala Lumpur City on 22 August. Since then they have lost three and drawn two. They stayed on 5 points, level with Terengganu FC and Star City FC, who have each played one match fewer.

The two previous meetings between these clubs, on 2 November 2025 and 12 April 2026, both ended 2-2. This time there was a winner.

DPMM FC visit Terengganu FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Nerus on 20 November. The same day Negeri Sembilan FC host Kuching City FC at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Seremban.

Verdict

DPMM FC did not outplay Negeri Sembilan FC by two goals; between the 34th minute and the 88th minute neither side scored. They won it with their substitutions, and three straight league wins have put them level on points with Kuching City FC. Negeri Sembilan FC held on for most of the match and still left with nothing, which is why they are five league matches without a win.