TAINAN (Interstat) — Borneo scored three times after halftime to overcome Taiwan Steel 3-1 on Wednesday in the competition. Taiwan Steel took an early lead when Kim Sang-Jun scored in the 11th minute from Kim Sung-Kyum’s assist. Borneo trailed at the break but changed the match after Gabriel Oliveira’s substitution at the start of the second half. Villa J. equalized in the 51st minute, and Kablan N’Goma put Borneo ahead in the 57th. Amar Brkic added the third in the 82nd minute. Borneo’s second-half pressure turned the game after Taiwan Steel had protected its lead through the opening period. The visitors found more room after the interval and converted three chances in the second half.

Juan Ruiz was Borneo’s top performer with a goal and an assist over 90 minutes. Hugo Samir supplied an assist in 67 minutes, and Brkic scored in a 28-minute appearance. Kim Sung-Kyum’s assist set up Taiwan Steel’s goal, while Kim Sang-Jun scored in a 90-minute outing. The goals came in sequence for Taiwan Steel and Borneo as the visitors found space after the interval. Borneo’s attacking play widened after the changes, and Taiwan Steel could not hold the early advantage. Ruiz’s recent form included an assist against Yangon United and an appearance at Java United.

Wilker received a yellow card for Taiwan Steel in the 53rd minute. Taiwan Steel made substitutions with Wu Chun-Ching in the 60th minute and Oh Se-Sim in the 62nd. Borneo’s bench moves included Okada R. in the 62nd, Samir H. in the 67th and the pair of Sonriza D. and Diarra M. in the 72nd. Borneo’s half-time change with Gabriel Oliveira helped shift the match after a first half in which Taiwan Steel defended its lead. Taiwan Steel’s early goal came when Kim Sang-Jun converted Kim Sung-Kyum’s pass, but Borneo’s pressure after the interval produced goals in the 51st, 57th and 82nd minutes. Borneo’s substitutes added fresh legs during the second-half comeback.

Borneo improved to 2-0 in the competition and 2-1-1 across all competitions. Taiwan Steel moved to 0-1-1 in the competition and 0-1-2 overall. Borneo entered the match after a 2-0 win over Yangon United, a 2-1 loss at Java United and a 0-0 draw at Buriram. Taiwan Steel had drawn 0-0 at One Taguig and 0-0 at Tatung. Ruiz had an assist in Borneo’s previous game against Yangon United and played at Java United. Borneo’s win kept its competition record unblemished, while Taiwan Steel remained without a win in the competition. Borneo is set to host One Taguig next in the AFC Challenge League, while Taiwan Steel is set to host Yangon United in the same competition.

The match featured a yellow card to Wilker in the 53rd minute, two minutes after Borneo’s equalizer. Taiwan Steel’s first substitution came in the 60th minute with Wu Chun-Ching, and Oh Se-Sim entered in the 62nd. Borneo brought on Gabriel Oliveira at halftime, Okada R. in the 62nd, Samir H. in the 67th and both Sonriza D. and Diarra M. in the 72nd. Borneo’s goals came from Villa J. in the 51st, N’Goma in the 57th and Brkic in the 82nd. Taiwan Steel’s goal came from Kim Sang-Jun in the 11th. Kim Sung-Kyum assisted Taiwan Steel’s goal, while Hugo Samir and Juan Ruiz recorded assists for Borneo.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Borneo 4, Taiwan Steel 0, and its ELO system gave Borneo an 84.8 percent probability to win. Borneo was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 2.5.