Indonesia marches to Asia Cup

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two goals from Eduard Ivakdalam and a resilient performance from goalkeeper Jendri Pitoy earned Indonesia a 2-2 draw against Yemen and a place at the 2004 Asia Cup.

Playing their second tie in Group C of the qualifying matches on Wednesday at Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia led twice, but Yemen struck back to even the score each time through Adel Abdullah, and then Ali Aboud.

In the match, aired live by ANTeve, the Indonesian players endured increased pressure in the second half from their opponents and somehow clung on to the crucial point, thanks particularly to Jendri, who made a string of saves in defending the goal.

Manager Andi Darussalam Tabussala gave his team collective credit for their success.

"The players showed a strong fighting spirit during the match. They were under pressure in the second half, but they managed to prevent Yemen from scoring another goal," Andi said as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia, which defeated Yemen 3-0 in the first tie, has collected 10 points from three wins, one draw and one loss to place second following Saudi Arabia, which has a perfect score of 15 points.

The host team pounded Bhutan 4-0 later in the day to earn an overall 25 goals with only one conceded, while Bhutan took 22 goals and has yet to score.

Yemen is in third with four points, followed by winless Bhutan. In the final tie, Indonesia faces Saudi Arabia and Yemen takes on Bhutan, but the results will not change the standings.

There are seven groups in the Asian Cup qualifying stage. The top two teams qualify for the finals, which will be staged from July 17 to August 17, 2004 in China. China as the host and Japan as defending champion are awarded automatic berths.

Group C

P W D L F A Pts Saudi Arabia 5 5 0 0 25 1 15 Indonesia 5 3 1 1 9 7 10 Yemen 5 1 1 3 11 15 4 Bhutan 5 0 0 5 0 22 0