Indonesia outclasses RP in Tiger Cup's Group A opener

Indonesia outclasses RP in Tiger Cup's Group A opener

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Agencies): Indonesia banked on its
superior skills and a relentless pace to shut out the Philippines
3-0 Monday in the first of the Tiger Cup matches staged in this
northern city while host Thailand began its campaign with a 3-1
victory over a surprisingly strong Myanmar side.

After a tentative first half, the Indonesians poured on the
pressure to dominate the second half in scoring their first
victory in the four-team Group A field.

The Filipino booters were able to hold their own for a third
of the match but failed to keep up with their rivals the rest of
the way, absorbing their first loss in the elimination series.

Despite the relatively easy victory, Indonesian coach Nandar
Iskandar was far from satisfied.

"Indonesia is often compared with Thailand in performance. But
we still have a lot of work to do. We're far from there yet," he
said, referring to the tournament favorites which is also playing
in Chiang Mai.

"Indonesia didn't beat us, we beat ourselves," lamented
Filipino coach Rodolfo Alicante. "All of their goals were scored
due to very basic errors on our part."

The Philippine team, barely formed two months before the
tournament, Alicante added, was still far from being in top
physical shape and couldn't keep up with its rival in the second
half.

For the first 30 minutes, Indonesia found the Philippine
defense a hard nut to crack until veteran skipper Aji Santoso saw
an opening in the 32nd minute, chipping a 20-footer over Filipino
goaltender Edmundo Mercado inside the penalty box on the right
side of the net.

The Filipinos had their share of opportunities in first half,
although their best try came in the 40th through midfielder Ali
Ngo, whose 40-yard blast on a direct free kick grazed the top of
the crossbar before going out.

Indonesia settled down to dominate the second half while the
Philippines seemed to wilt under the driving tempo of the
opposition.

Right-winger Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto scored his team's second
goal in the 60th, slotting a 15-yard roller during a goalmouth
scramble that signaled the beginning of the end for its
outclassed rivals.

Eko Purdjianto settled the issue on the 84th, heading the ball
on the right side of the net from a cross-pass.

The scoreline could have been bigger if not for the many
foiled attempts by goalie Mercado who virtually fought a one-man
battle to contain the Indonesians.

The lone yellow card was slapped on Filipino player Pergan
Temporosa who was caught tackling Gendut Doni Christiawan from
behind.

Both Indonesia and Thailand are hoping this year's Tiger Cup
will erase the shame of a match they played at the previous
tournament two years ago, when both sides were desperately trying
to lose in a bid to secure an easier semifinal berth.

Thailand started well in front of a vocal home crowd by
winning 3-1. Kiatisuk Senamuang firing a cracking shot into the
corner of the net after just five minutes.

Myanmar controlled play for long spells in the first half, but
just after the interval it went two down when a defensive blunder
allowed Sakesan Pituratana to score.

It pulled one back in the 62nd minute when Aung Kyaw Tun took
advantage of poor Thai defending to drill a low shot into the net
from the edge of the box.

But Surachai Jirasirichote made sure of victory for Thailand
when he scrambled the ball in after 75 minutes.