RI roars over KL in heated semifinal

RI roars over KL in heated semifinal

Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur

Veteran striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto turned in a vintage performance to lead Indonesia into their third Tiger Cup final, beating Malaysia 4-1 Monday in a match marred by fighting between rival supporters.

Indonesia advanced 5-3 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-2 to Malaysia last week. They will face Singapore in the finals Saturday of Southeast Asia's premier soccer tournament.

On Monday, Malaysia looked set to move into the finals after Khalid Jamlus opened scoring in the 27th minute at Kuala Lumpur's National Stadium, leaving the Indonesians two goals behind on aggregate by halftime.

Police stepped in to maintain order during the break, when hot-tempered fans from both sides began hurling bottles and other objects at each other. Some brawling broke out, but no injuries were immediately reported.

Kurniawan came on as a substitute in the 57th minute and immediately turned the tables by scoring just before the one-hour mark, causing the Indonesians to pile pressure on the Malaysian side.

Charis Yulianto nodded in a corner kick in the 75th minute, helped by Kurniawan's speedy runs into the box.

In the 78th minute, Kurniawan brought the ball down, leading Ilham Jaya Kesuma to swiftly blast it into the goal.

Boas Salossa sealed Indonesia's victory with another easy goal in the 85th minute.

The match had been delayed two days as a mark of respect for tens of thousands killed across the region by last week's earthquake-tsunami aftermath, which hit Indonesia hardest.

Earlier on Monday, Asian soccer's governing body criticized Myanmar's national team for disciplinary woes that marred its semifinal match against Singapore.

The Asian Football Confederation was "disappointed with the poor sportsmanship and the lack of fair play demonstrated in the Singapore-Myanmar match" played in the city-state Sunday, said AFC General Secretary Peter Velappan.

"We are ... extremely displeased with the attitude of the players as well as the Myanmar team officials," Velappan said in a statement.

Singapore advanced to the Southeast Asian tournament 8-5 on aggregate after they won the first leg 4-3 Wednesday.

In a 20-minute span, three Myanmar players were sent off for indiscipline by Japanese referee Kamikawa Toru. They included Moe Kyaw Thu, who kicked dirt at the referee in dissent.

Reserve keeper Tun Tun Lin was sent off for throwing a water bottle at a Singapore defender.

The AFC also asked the ASEAN Football Federation to submit an overall report on the Tiger Cup after being informed of poor security conditions at a Dec. 28, 2004, match in Jakarta between Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as match-fixing allegations during group matches in Vietnam.

"We urge you to conduct an investigation into these allegations immediately," Velappan said in a letter to the Southeast Asian soccer organization.