RI soccer team crushes Malaysia in SEA Games
RI soccer team crushes Malaysia in SEA Games
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (JP): Fachry Husaini scored twice to blast Indonesia's way to a convincing 3-0 win over Malaysia in the 18th Southeast Asian Games soccer match here yesterday.
The victory, which came after a 10-0 drubbing of Cambodia on Wednesday, shot Indonesia to the top of Group A with six points and kept Indonesia in contention for the semifinals.
Indonesia was tied with Vietnam, a 4-0 winner over minnow Cambodia in the earlier match yesterday, but Fachry and company have a vastly better goal difference. Thailand, which squandered a clutch of goal-scoring chances in its goalless draw against Malaysia on Thursday, trailed Indonesia and Vietnam by two points.
Ery Irianto's free-kick broke an error-prone spell for Indonesia after 35 minutes. The free-kick, which followed a foul committed by Suresh Menon against Fachry, went into the net after hitting the Malaysian fence.
The Malaysians should have led in the sixth minute when veteran Dolah Saleh's shot from a close range in a scrimmage. The TV replay showed that the ball crossed the goal line just before Indonesian Suwandi cleared it.
Afendi came close to leveling the scoreline three minutes before the break, but his powerful right-footer went a few centimeters over Kurnia Sandy's bar.
Playing before Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman and Chairman of the National Sports Council Wismoyo Arismunandar, a confident Indonesia extended its lead just five minutes after the break, with Fachry finishing a through pass from Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto. The hard working forward eased past three Malaysian defenders on the penalty box, before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
Five minutes later, Fachry added to Malaysia's misery, this time in a superb partnership with Ery. Fachry, who scored the lone goal for Indonesia in its 1-2 defeat to Thailand on Monday, slammed in a goal that left Malaysian goalie perplexed.
Indonesia and Vietnam will clash in a decider.
In the Group B matches played in Lampoon, Singapore trounced the Phillipines 4-0 to strengthen its grip on the top of the table with a hundred per cent record of two wins. Laos joined the goal spree, compounding Brunei's losing streak with a 3-0 win. (amd)