Indonesia keen

Indonesia keen
to redeem itself
in tournament' final
against Thailand

Arya Abhiseka
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Indonesia is ready to avenge its defeat in the last tournament
and to lift the cup for the first time when it plays Thailand in
the Tiger Cup 2002 final match at Bung Karno Stadium here on
Sunday.

In the Tiger Cup 2000 final, which was held in Bangkok, the
Thais eased into victory and took the cup for the second time
after routing Indonesia 4-1.

Indonesia beat Malaysia in the semifinal on Friday, after the
tournament's leading scorer Bambang Pamungkas made the only goal
of the game to secure Indonesia's place in the final.

This year's tournament, cohosted by Indonesia and Singapore,
is probably Indonesia's best chance to win the first major
international soccer title since the 1991 Sea Games.

Ivan Kolev, the Indonesian head coach admitted that Thailand
was a strong team after watching its semifinal game, in which the
Thais managed to dismantle the Vietnamese defense and beat them
4-0.

"I am very pleased that we reached the final. It will be very
tough, as Thailand is simply the best team. However, we will rely
on the support of our home supporters. The players need it," said
Kolev.

Bambang, whose goal against Malaysia brought his tally up to
eight at the tournament, confirmed that the support of the
Indonesian fans meant a lot to the team.

"I know that they want us to win and we will try our best to
fulfill their wish," he said.

Meanwhile, Peter Withe, the head coach of the Thai team
acknowledged the power of the fans. "I saw the Indonesian-
Malaysian game and the atmosphere was electrifying. However, I
told my players that we would play against the team and not the
supporters. As the defending champion, we aim to lift the cup for
a record third time," he said.

Despite the fact that the Indonesians have managed to reach
the final, skepticism remains over the quality of the team.

Entering the last game of the tournament, the midfield seemed
to be the biggest problem, with players often making elementary
mistakes and failing to provide enough scoring chances for the
forwards.

"Before the tournament Ellie Aiboy, Imran Nahumarury, and Hary
Syahputra were our starting midfielders and performed well,
however, now they don't seem able to function as expected," said
Kolev.

He added that he was left with few options in his selection of
midfielders. Budi Sudarsono, whose true position was a striker at
his club Persija Jakarta was placed in the attacking midfield
role in a number of games.

"I think our midfield has been performing increasingly better
as the tournament has progressed. I am sure in the last game we
will give it our best shot," said Sudarsono.

Although the midfielders have not fulfilled expectations, the
Indonesian duet strikers of Bambang Pamungkas and Zaenal Arif
stood out with a combined total of 14 goals.

Withe admitted that Bambang in particular had been scoring
well regularly. However the former Aston Villa's striker has
warned his players that the whole team was the threat and not
just one player.

All signaled that this could be a very close game. Indonesia
with the support of its fans could very well surprise many and
lift the cup for the first time.

The Sunday's final game is scheduled at 7 p.m. Indonesia time
after a match between Malaysia and Vietnam for the 3rd-4th play-
off.