Indonesia grabs point against Kuwait at Asian Cup<\/p>\n
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Agencies): Minnows Indonesia battled to a
\ndeserved 0-0 draw against title hopefuls Kuwait in an
\nentertaining Asian Cup Group B match here on Friday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia -- tipped as the tournament whipping boys --
\nsurprised the Kuwaitis with a spirited display to win a hard-
\nearned point.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko was the hero for the Indonesians,
\nkeeping the Kuwaitis at bay with a string of priceless saves in
\nthe first half.<\/p>\n
Kuwait had threatened to run riot early on with shots flying
\ngoalward at regular intervals.<\/p>\n
Nohayr Al Shammari was the first to test Kartiko, letting rip
\nwith a fine shot after 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later Kartiko pulled off his best save of the
\nmatch, diving full-stretch to dip a 25-yarder from Osama Abdullah
\nover for a corner.<\/p>\n
Shortly afterward Jassem Al Houwaidi got on the end of a
\nfloated through ball and hooked a sweet first-time volley
\nstraight at the Indonesian goal.<\/p>\n
But again Kartiko was equal to the challenge, parrying to
\nsafety.<\/p>\n
As the Kuwaitis grew more frustrated with the limpet-like
\nmarking of the Indonesians, the underdogs grew ever more
\nadventurous and even carved out a few openings of their own.<\/p>\n
On the stroke of half-time Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto skipped
\nthrough a challenge and blasted a shot at Falah Al Majidi, who
\ndid well to clear.<\/p>\n
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Kuwait
\npressuring but failing to find a way through the resolute
\nIndonesian defense.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's head coach, Nandar Iskandar, said his team had
\nplayed well in drawing with the Kuwaitis.<\/p>\n
\"They played short balls to overcome Kuwait's overhead balls
\nas instructed,\" he said in a fax to The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"I had to switch several players for various reasons, mainly
\nbecause they didn't have enough agility,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He also revealed the tournament's organizing committee decided
\nto allow 22 players to a squad, saying it was a tough
\nchampionship.<\/p>\n
\"It was such a relief. There will be no player shortage due to
\ninjury or red cards,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian captain Aji Santoso said the draw bolstered the
\nteam's spirits ahead of matches against China and South Korea.<\/p>\n
\"The result gave us more confidence in facing our next
\nopponents. We believe that we'll play better then. Our target is
\nto play as well as possible.<\/p>\n
\"We didn't have any troubles against Kuwait,\" he said, adding
\nthat he hoped for continuing support from Indonesians back home.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Sidon, Japan, the only team to take the Asian Cup
\naway from Saudi Arabia in the last 16 years, proved it could do
\nit again when it routed the defending champion 4-1 in a group
\nmatch Saturday.<\/p>\n
Forward Atsushi Yanagisawa opened the scoring in the 26th
\nminute, his partner on the forward line Naohiro Takahara added
\nthe second in the 39th, midfielder Hiroshi Nanami made it 3-0 in
\nthe 54th and substitute Shinji Ono completed the victory in the
\n90th. Seconds later, defender Ryuzo Morioka headed in to his own
\nnet for Saudi Arabia's only goal.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia suffered only its third - and worst defeat -
\nsince it won the Asian Cup the first time it entered the
\ncompetition in 1984. (nvn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-grabs-point-against-kuwait-at-asian-cup-1447893297",
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