Chinese players expect easy game
JAKARTA (JP): China's top defender Fan Zhiyi said on Saturday that his team would have an easy contest against Indonesia in their last qualifying match of soccer's 2002 World Cup Group Nine Asia Zone at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Sunday.
Fan said after a practice session that China had studied Indonesia's performance after their first encounter in Kunming, China, on May 13, where the hosts won 5-1.
"It was hard for China when playing at home, but finally we managed to score five to win. Tomorrow will be our last match and we just want to concentrate 100 percent and play good soccer.
"Indonesia is a good team, with good speed and footwork. But for China it's an easy game," said the 31-year-old Shanghai-born player, who will end his contract with England's first division club Crystal Palace in the near future.
Teammate Xie Hui echoed Fan's sentiment.
"Tomorrow will be very nice. It's a good stadium with many spectators. I enjoy it."
The 26-year-old striker, who plays for a second division club in Aachen, Germany, said that he would try to score more goals to retain his position as the group's top scorer, currently having scored six goals.
"I'll try my best to do it. I never make any promises (to score many goals). If I don't make it, that's all, it's life," Xie said.
Head coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic is expected to field the same team as in Kunming. Xie and Yang Chen will spearhead the attack. Shen Si, Li Tie, Ma Mingyu and Li Ming will be in the midfield backed up by four defenders, Wu Chengying, Fan, Li Weifeng and Xu Yunlong, and the 1.98 meter goalkeeper Jiang Jin.
Sunday's match will be another test of Bora's competence. The Yugoslav-born coach was condemned by Chinese press because his team only beat Indonesia 5-1 and Cambodia 3-1 in May.
The AFC-Net official web site of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), reported that he has had a love-hate relationship with the Chinese media and fans since taking over from Englishman Bob Houghton in January 2000.
The web site also said that Chinese fans turned on Bora after the low-scoring win over Cambodia. Fans chanted 'Bora Out' as China failed to impress against the lowly-ranked southeast Asian side.
But Bora, who built his reputation coaching four different national teams -- Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States and Nigeria -- into World Cup finals rounds, has pushed the criticism aside and moved forward with his work.
"I have always found problems wherever I work. But I'm a professional. All the problems are nothing. I enjoy my job. It's impossible to expect something perfect in this life," he told The Jakarta Post and Jawa Pos at Mulia Hotel on Saturday.
Without saying a word, Indonesia's head coach Benny Dolo is certainly faced with a dilemma: whether Indonesia could surprise China or be crushed at home.
He must avoid completely defensive football should Indonesia want to produce goals, but his players might not be physically fit to play offensively.
Although he promised a different team formation from the side fielded in Kunming, Benny is likely to set a lineup that includes one striker, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto; four midfielders: Ronny Ririn, Bima Sakti, Uston Nawawi, and Seto Nurdiyantoro or Yaris Riyadi; and six defenders: Aples Tecuari, Sugiantoro, Eko Purjianto, Ismed Sofyan and Agung Setyobudi.
Benny has said that, whatever the result, the Indonesian team should give a good fight to satisfy the fans.
"China is stronger than us, but we will play differently to how we did in Kunming," he said.
Indonesia has to score at least five goals without conceding any to take over China's top ranking and progress with the other nine Asian zone group champions to the final qualifying round. (ivy)