Indonesia marches to Asia Cup

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