RI set to tame Qatar in U-19 soccer meet
RI set to tame Qatar in U-19 soccer meet
JAKARTA (JP): A reconnaissance mission has provided Indonesia
with a morale booster ahead of their match against Qatar as the
29th Asian under-19 soccer championship finals kick off tomorrow
evening.
"We are of the same attack-minded breed, and we need to apply
more pressure to win," national coach Danurwindo said yesterday
after observing his opposing side's practice at Lebak Bulus
stadium on Thursday evening.
Danurwindo admitted that Qatar is a tough team to beat, but
said that victory was attainable. The Indonesian team will be
made up of teenage players who played in the Italian junior
premier league last year.
With Sampdoria's Kurniawan Yulianto leading the charge up
front and captain Bima Sakti and Nurul Huda manning the midfield,
Danurwindo expressed guarded optimism about his team's chances.
"They are all in top form. Their home fans have been waiting
for them to carve out a piece of national soccer history," said a
vigorous Danurwindo.
Renowned coach Sinyo Aliandu, however, warned Danurwindo of
"some loopholes" in the defense. "They have yet to grasp how to
build a solid defense," Sinyo criticized. He said the youths had
yet to face a real offensive test during their last four warm-up
matches.
The national team, coached by the triumvirate of Danurwindo,
Harry Tjong and Italian Romano Matte, won all of their six
friendly matches prior to the tournament.
As host, Indonesia was given an automatic spot in the 10 team-
competitions scheduled to wind up on Sept. 25. Qatar scalped
title holder Saudi Arabia in the qualifying round.
Indonesia, spearheaded by Judo Hadianto, last shared the
laurels with Myanmar (then Burma) in the 1961 edition held in
Bangkok.
Two groups
The 10 teams will be divided into two groups for the round-
robin matches, with the two top squads from each group reaching
the semifinals. The finalists will represent the continent in the
world under-20 soccer championship finals in Nigeria next year.
Thursday's reconnaissance, however, annoyed Qatar's Brazilian
coach Humberto Andre Pedes Filho so much that he slammed
Danurwindo for resorting to such tactics.
"This is unfair. They didn't even let us know where they
practiced," a hot-tempered Filho said. Qatar made their final
preparations for the championship at a stadium situated 15
kilometers south from here.
Filho also expressed disappointment with his team's
unfavorable training schedule. The organizers allotted Qatar a
one-and-a-half hour evening session between 9:30 and 11 as well
as another slot in the morning.
"It's also ridiculous that we are not allowed to test the
Senayan stadium grass," said Filho. The 100,000-seat stadium will
be the venue for all matches.
Kazakhstan, Iraq, Thailand and South Korea were the last teams
to arrive. (amd)