PSSI team routed 4-1 by Japanese amateurs

PSSI team routed 4-1 by Japanese amateurs

The Indonesian soccer team, which is preparing to vie for a berth
in the 2004 Asian Cup, suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the
hands of a team of Japanese amateurs in a friendly in Jakarta on
Friday.

Indonesia found itself four goals down at the Bung Karno
Stadium, before pulling a goal back in the closing minutes of the
game, which was aired live on ANTV.

The defeat is a blow to Indonesia's build-up to the Asian Cup
qualifying matches, in which Indonesian is drawn against Saudi
Arabia, Yemen and Bhutan.

It was also a dubious reward for Indonesia's Bulgarian coach
Ivan Kolev, who was recently promised a one-year contract
extension by soccer's national governing body, PSSI.

The Japanese team, which was defeated by the Jakarta-based
Persija club 1-0 on Wednesday, appeared completely untroubled by
the Indonesians, with Furuhasi Tatsuya leading the way with
strikes in the 22nd and 41st minutes.

Ito Tomohiro and Hasegawa Mitasaru added goals in the 33rd and
88th minutes, respectively. Indonesia's lone goal came from Budi
Harsono. --JP