Malaysia stuns RI 2-1
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Indonesia was dealt a shock 2-1 defeat to Malaysia in the first semifinal match in the Tiger Cup soccer competition at the Bung Karno Stadium here on Tuesday.
After the two teams observed a minute's silence for the victims of the Asian tsunami, Kurniawan Dwi Julianto scored for Indonesia in only the sixth minute.
However, Liew Kit Kong struck back, equalizing in the first 30 minutes and putting Malaysian ahead early in the second half.
The result went against predictions after Indonesia, coached by Englishman Peter Wither, put in a high-flying performance during the group stage matches in Vietnam two weeks ago, scoring 17 goals and conceding none to top Group A.
It will be a daunting task for Indonesia in the second round which is scheduled for Jan. 1 in Kuala Lumpur.
Playing in front of a packed stadium, the hosts launched an early attack and were rewarded three corners inside the opening three minutes.
Kurniawan put the hosts in front with his deep header from a close-range, thanks to speedy Elie Aiboy kick from the right flank. The goal came just a few seconds after Kurniawan failed to cash in from well-measured cross by Syamsul Bahri.
Syamsul had his own chance but after evading lunges from two Malaysian defenders he kicked the ball centimeters wide.
As Indonesia relentlessly piled on the pressure, Malaysia seemed content with rare counter attacks. However, despite the push, Elie and Kurniawan fell short of adding another point to Indonesia's total.
Kurniawan's best chance came when he was loosely marked just outside the penalty box to take a pass from the midfield, but his volley hit the bar.
While the hosts began to get frustrated, the Malaysian players managed to capitalize on their rare chances.
Liew Kit Kong beat Ismed Sofyan to send a header past goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko. It was the first time Hendro conceded a goal in the competition.
Syamsul then squandered another good chance in the remaining minutes of the first half.
The home side was stunned early when Liew brought the Malaysian team to a 2-1 lead with his chip over Hendro with Ismed Sofyan again bungling the defense.
Instead of clearing the ball, Ismed signaled for Hendro to pick it up as Liew intercepted and fired it past the keeper.
The goal gave the visitors confidence and Malaysia become visibly more organized both in attack and defense. The home side was rattled and resorted to rough tactics -- resulting in a string of fouls.
Ortisan Salossa should probably have been shown a yellow card for his tackle from behind on Fadzli but referee Irmatov Ravshan waved for play to continue.
The home side's supporters also turned impatient with missiles being hurled onto the pitch.
Indonesia still emerged the better side, and created some good late goal chances with Saktian Sinaga, who came off the bench to replace of Elie.
Kurniawan, meanwhile, had a strong header cleared, while goalkeeper Syamsuri Mustafa lay prone. Firman, meanwhile, fumbled his kick from close range.
"We created enough chances. We should have scored two or three goals. Of course we are disappointed. We tried our best, though it did not seem to be our day," Withe said after the match.
Meanwhile, his counterpart, Bertalan Becskei, was beaming with relief.
"The Indonesian team is faster than us. In the first 20 minutes Indonesia made dangerous attacks. Luckily, we could steal a goal," Becskei said.
The other semifinal match will pit Singapore against Myanmar on Wednesday.