Qantas Joeys win ASEAN U/16 Youth Championship

The Qantas Joeys have won the ASEAN Under 16 Youth Championship, after a nailbiting 5-4 sudden death penalty shootout against Bahrain at the Lebak Bulus Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Qantas Joeys have won the ASEAN Under 16 Youth Championship, after a nail biting 5-4 sudden death penalty shootout against Bahrain at the Lebak Bulus Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Scores were locked at one apiece at the end of full time, with Marc Warren grabbing a late goal to send the match into extra time. With no further goals in extra time, it was down to penalty kicks and goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas and striker Kerem Bulut proving the heroes, in sudden death of penalty kicks.

Each team had scored four of their regulation five penalties, with Thomas saving the first of Bahrain-s sudden death penalties and then Australia-s leading goalscorer at the tournament, Bulut, stepped up to blast his shot past the Bahraini keeper.

It was a slow start however by Australia, with Bahrain coming out firing with Thomas forced to makes successive a little over 10 minutes into the match.

Nikola Stanojevic had Australia-s first chance after 18 minutes, his first time shot going just over the crossbar.

Bahrain took the lead near the end of the first half, when they scored a terrific goal on the counter-attack, with Ali Muneer supplying the finish.

The goal sparked Australia into action in the second half, as they applied constant pressure on the Bahrain defence, which was holding out well.

But the pressure finally told in the 83rd minute, when substitute Marc Warren met a corner by Kamal Ibrahim, his header looping over the keeper for a deserved equaliser.

Extra time saw Australia dominate, but again the finishing let them down and also a very good Bahraini keeper.

Into penalties it went and after Brendan Hamill and his opposing captain both missed their penalty attempts, it was locked at 4-4 after five kicks each, with Thomas and Bulut doing the rest to win it for Australia.

Match Details

Qantas Joeys 1 (Marc Warren 83-) Bahrain 1 Qantas Joeys win 5-4 on penalties

Australian line-up: Lawrence Thomas (gk); Nathan Farrell, Petar Franjic, Brendan Hamill, Koh Satake (Marc Warren 70-), Nikola Stanojevic, Chris Bush (Tedros Yabio 77-), Jared Lum, Kamal Ibrahim, Joseph Costa (Million Butshiire 65-), Kerem Bulut Subs not used: Robert Kolak (gk); Chahine Noujaim, Ben Kantarovski, Ben Harrington

Cautions: Bulut, Warren, Farrell