'RI booters fall to better players'
'RI booters fall to better players'
JAKARTA (JP): The All-Indonesia Football Association gave no
hint of disappointment toward the national team's showing in its
0-1 loss to South Korea in the Olympic Asia Oceania Zone
qualifying round match on Tuesday.
"Our players do live up to our expectations. We just fell to a
better team," Nirwan Bakrie, head of the association's national
team forming body, said. The association named junior players,
who have undergone a two-year stint in Italy, to carry out the
Olympic duty.
The loss dashed Indonesia's hopes of making a historic
appearance in the Olympic Games. Three-time World Cup finalist
South Korea qualifies for the next round whatever happens in the
last group match, which pits Indonesia against Hong Kong on
Saturday.
Nirwan made it clear that the foiled Olympic campaign would
not put an end to the Italian training program for Indonesian
junior booters.
"The program will keep going until a qualified junior league
runs in our country," Nirwan said. The US$2 million project was
initiated two years ago when the association sent a team to train
with the Italian junior league Primavera.
It was the trainees' second flop in their international duty,
following their sub-par performance in the Asian Youth
Championship held here last year.
South Korea's Russian coach Anatoly Bychovets also praised the
Indonesian team for its strong challenge. "Indonesia is one of
world-best hopefuls. We were forced to struggle for just one
goal," Bychovets said.
Indonesian goalkeeper Kurnia Sandy displayed a near perfect
form under the bar to save his team from a possible rout, forcing
South Korea to wait for a controversial winner.
The lone goal came when Cho Hyun-do blasted a sudden, close-
range right-footer to seal Indonesia's fate in the 40th minute,
just before Chinese Taipei referee Chin Fan Chuang blew his
whistle to let South Koreans execute a free-kick.
The television replay showed that the Indonesians were still
regrouping in the penalty box as hard-running Cho rushed to the
goalmouth. However, no protest was lodged by the Indonesian duo
of coaches Danurwindo and Tord Grip (amd).