Indonesia soccer win to motivate others
Indonesia soccer win to motivate others
JAKARTA (JP): Defeating archrival Malaysia 3-0 in the 18th SEA Games soccer match might motivate other Indonesian athletes to win medals at the SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
State Minister for Youth Affair and Sports Hayono Isman said after watching the match that the 3-0 triumph will lift Indonesian athletes' spirits.
"The most important thing is the victory will further increase the morale of the soccer players and motivate other athletes, considering that our soccer team lost 2-1 to Thailand," he said.
The 3-0 win on Friday night against Malaysia was a surprise considering Indonesia has never beat its neighbor in soccer, Hayono said.
"It's been a long time since we beat Malaysia," he said.
According to Hayono, Malaysia's loss stemmed from a bribery scandal shattering the country's soccer league.
Meanwhile, chief of training at the National Sports Council (KONI), Muhamad Hindarto, said the players self-confidence was increased when Indonesian booters crushed Cambodia 10-0 on Wednesday.
"It seems the team has found its playing pattern and has arranged it well. It was a different matter on Wednesday when the players were very careless when facing Thailand," he added.
Commenting on Friday's win, player Fachry Husaini, said he would not have been able to score his two goals without good passes from Kurniawan.
Indonesian team coach, Andy M Teguh, said he was pleased with the result.
"This will force Thailand to reconsider our team. The important thing is the players followed my instructions," he said.
Hindarto hopes to win the upcoming game against Vietnam on Dec. 12.
"I'm sure if they all play well they'll win easily," he said.
KONI's chief Wismoyo Arismunandar, who also watched Indonesia beat Malaysia, greeted the win with Indonesian journalists and supporters. They all sang patriotic songs and yelled "INA (Indonesia) Jaya yee...", Antara reported from Chiang Mai.
Soccer which was preempted by the opening ceremony yesterday will resume today. The Games were officially opened by Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at the 700th Anniversary Stadium.
Mardi Lestari
Meanwhile Indonesian's best hope in track and field, Mardi Lestari, is ready to defend his 100 meter title at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, after being hospitalized in Jakarta with stomach problems.
Indonesian chef de mission Arie Soedewo said that Mardi would arrive before Sunday.
"Mardi will arrive here soon and join his teammates. But I haven't had any news from Jakarta about him," he said.
Mardi reportedly suffered a stomach illness and was hospitalized at the Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta. He was released yesterday and should fly to Chiang Mai today.
Earlier, Pieter Noya, chief track and field coach, said he was not very optimistic about Mardi's participation or his chance of winning gold at the Games.
At the last Asian Athletics Championship in Jakarta in September, Mardi trailed two Malaysian sprinters.
Malaysia hopes that Mardi's illness will allow Watson Nyambek and Azmi Ibrahim to expropriate more gold from Indonesia.
Indonesia aims to earn at least 11 of the 45 track and field gold medals up for grabs(05)
Results
Indonesia 3 Malaysia 0 Singapore 4 Philippines 0 Vietnam 4 Cambodia 0 Laos 3 Brunei 0
Standings
Group A: Indonesia 3 2 0 1 14-2 6 Vietnam 2 2 0 0 6-0 6 Thailand 2 1 1 0 2-1 4 Malaysia 3 0 1 2 0-5 1 Cambodia 2 0 0 2 0-14 0
Group B: Singapore 3 2 1 0 10-4 7 Laos 2 2 0 0 4-0 6 Myanmar 2 1 0 1 6-5 3 Brunei 2 0 1 1 2-5 1 Philippine 3 0 0 3 1-9 0