Unimpressive Indonesia edges Lebanon 1-0<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian under-23 team scraped through for a 1-0 victory
\nover Lebanon in their Asian qualifying match for the 2004
\nOlympics at the Bung Karno Stadium here on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Agus Indra Kurniawan scored the only goal of the match in the
\nsecond half, giving Indonesia a narrow advantage going into the
\nsecond leg of the fixture in Beirut next month.<\/p>\n
However, aside from the result, the host team was not
\nparticularly impressive. Indonesia looked to be on the back foot
\nfor much of the match, particularly on defense, which has caused
\nconcern among team officials for the return match.<\/p>\n
On the other side, Lebanon played a surprisingly fast game and
\ndisplayed good teamwork, forcing the Indonesian players to
\nstruggle on defense. The visitors created a flurry of chances,
\nbut just could not take advantage on the night.<\/p>\n
\"The game was not what we expected. The Lebanese played a bit
\ndifferent (style) from what they did in Jordan,\" Indonesian coach
\nMundari Karya said during the postmatch press conference.<\/p>\n
Mundari was referring to a first-round qualification match on
\nApril 18 in which Lebanon held host Jordan to a 1-1 draw.<\/p>\n
Discussing his squad, Mundari said he was concerned about the
\ndefense and was looking for improvement in the away match.<\/p>\n
\"They panicked when they were put under pressure,\" Mundari
\nsaid of his players.<\/p>\n
Indonesia looked nervous at the start, with a rash of poor
\npasses and crosses. Goal chances in the first half were rare. The
\nbest chance came for the home team at the end of the half, when
\nFirman Utina latched onto a Zaenal Arief cross in the box. The
\nLebanese goalkeeper looked to be stranded but still managed to
\npoke the ball wide.<\/p>\n
The visitors mounted a spirited attack in the second half, and
\nwere nearly rewarded for their effort when Agop Donabidian found
\nhimself unmarked inside the penalty box. But with only Indonesian
\ngoalkeeper Yandri Cristian Pitoy to beat he kicked the ball high.<\/p>\n
In a bit of controversy, Lebanon was denied a penalty after
\nAhmad Ali Elchoum appeared to be tripped inside the box. Even
\nafter the final whistle blew, the Lebanon players were still
\npleading their case with the referee.<\/p>\n
Lebanon coach Richard Tardi refused to comment on the play
\nafter the match, saying: \"I won't talk about the referee. You saw
\nit better than me.\"<\/p>\n
While he was disappointed with his players' failure to take
\nadvantage of their chances, Tardi said he was optimistic his team
\nwould still qualify over Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Indonesia: Zaenal Arief, Yandri Cristian Pitoy, Hermawan, Harry
\nSaputra, Hamka Hamsah, Erik Setiawan\/Maman Abdurachman,
\nSupriyono, Edu Juanda, Syamsul Bachri, Agus Indra Kurniawan\/Eka
\nRamdani, Rahel Tuasalamony\/Firman Utina.<\/p>\n
Lebanon: Mohamad Abdul Salam Santina, Sami Ali Elchoum, Abbad
\nAbdou Kenaan, Hassan Hassan Mezher, Abbad Ali Atwi\/Hemze El
\nMasri, Agop Donabidian, Khaled Ali Hamieh, Ahmad Ali
\nElchoum\/Khoor Salame, Yehia Mohamad Hachem, Paul Rustom\/Rony
\nAzhar, Ali Fouad El Atat.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unimpressive-indonesia-edges-lebanon-1-0-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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