'RI soccer team ready to take on China'
'RI soccer team ready to take on China'
JAKARTA (JP): China's soccer coach Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic
avoided playing psychological games with Indonesian counterpart
Benny Dolo ahead of the Indonesia-China encounter of the 2002
World Cup Group Nine Asia Zone qualifier at Bung Karno Stadium on
Sunday.
Bora told a media briefing Friday that his team was ready for
Sunday's clash and that Jakarta's heat did not pose a significant
problem for the Chinese.
"Our players are in a good condition and they can all play on
Sunday," he said. "The weather here is superb, it's not too hot.
The weather in Guangzhou (where China hosts Cambodia in another
qualifying match) is worse than here."
Indonesia's national soccer coach Benny admitted that China
was stronger than Indonesia, but he pledged that his players
would play differently from how they did in Kunming, China, on
May 13, where they were overwhelmed 5-1 by the home team.
"The weather here is different from Kunming. It's more
friendly to us. I think we'll play a different style. But I can't
predict the result because it's not as easy as one plus one
equals two. Soccer is mysterious," he said.
Indonesia has to score five without conceding any goals to go
through to the final qualifying round. A draw result will send
China into the last round along with ten group nine champions.
Seven of the group champions -- Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq,
Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia -- have already
booked their tickets to the qualifying round.
Only two or three Asian countries will qualify for the World
Cup finals to join hosts South Korea and Japan, which qualify
automatically.
Bora underlined that the result was the most important above
all else.
He also disputed the possibility of an easy Chinese win
because the Indonesian players were not in form.
All the Indonesian players have had to join their clubs and
play in the Bank Mandiri national soccer league after returning
from Kunming last Tuesday. The players have only had about two
days rest.
"I'm very glad to come here with a four goal advantage. If
somebody asks me 'Bora, do you like going to Indonesia?', I think
with that goal advantage we are in a good position, so I will
sign to that.
"But we have to play the game first," he said.
Bora said on Friday that he would not measure any success by
the number of goals scored.
"Four goals are (allowed), but not five, because with five
goals Indonesia will automatically qualify," he said.
China will miss its top defenders Zhang Enhua and Sun jihai,
but has enlisted players with experience at European clubs,
including Ma Mingyu, a former Perugia player, Fan Zhiyi, who
plays for English first division team Crystal Palace, Yang Chen,
playing with Eintracht Frankfurt, and Xie Hui, who plays with
Aachen in Germany. (ivy)