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.