RI struggles to beat Cambodia in Tiger Cup
RI struggles to beat Cambodia in Tiger Cup
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia had to come from behind twice before scoring its first
win in the Group A matches of the Tiger Cup, beating 10-man
Cambodia 4-2 at the Bung Karno stadium here on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Myanmar, which held Indonesia to a 0-0
draw in the opening match, strolled it over the lowly Philippines
with the score of 6-1.
Despite the win, the Indonesian team's play was far from
satisfactory, with the players slipping to a rueful soccer
performance against Cambodia, which suffered a 2-9 drubbing by
Vietnam in its first match on Sunday.
The home crowd's hope for a fiesta of goals, as Vietnam had
provided, did not materialize. Instead, they watched a lethargic
performance from their team.
To their upset, Indonesia trailed 1-2 after the first half,
which resulted in a hurling of missiles from the stand, with a
score of spectators booing and jeering.
A deriding fan climbed up onto the fence and shouted rude
words before two police officers dragged him from the scene. A
number of officials of the Football Association of Indonesia
(PSSI) at the VIP enclosure also endured oral torment.
It was Cambodian skipper Hok Sochetra who upset the home team
early with two goals in the first half. On both occasions,
Sugiantoro was the architect of the goals scored against them.
Sugiantoro's ball clearance when the game entered its five-
minute spell fell at Sochetra who then drilled the ball past
goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko.
After Indonesia drew level through Zaenal Arif, Sochetra
retrieved Cambodia's lead after winning a one-to-one battle with
Sugiantoro.
"The team does not have characters, no fighting spirit, nor
mentality," Ronny Pattinasarani, a former Indonesian star,
criticized the Ivan Kolev-coached team.
"This is the worst team Indonesia has ever had," he added.
Fortunately, as the boos continued every time Indonesia
players were in ball possession, Bambang Pamungkas raised his
game and his hat trick helped Indonesia from the blushes.
The 22-year-old forward sent a blistering shot from outside
the penalty box to even the score at 2-2.
His second goal came when he was well-served from a corner
kick before poking the ball home with his left foot. He built
Indonesia's lead from the penalty box at the 72nd minute of the
game, following Soeur Chanveasna's foul on Gendut Donny
Christiawan.
Chanveasna was awarded a red card but Indonesia failed to
capitalize on the moment as Donny later missed some of the few
clear chances.
After playing two games, Indonesia is in second place in Group
A, on four points. Myanmar tops the group, collecting the same
number of points as Indonesia but winning on goal margin.
Vietnam, which has one game in hand, follows behind, with
three points.
Aung Kyaw Moe and Zaw Htaik scored two goals each while Soe
Lin Tun and Zaw Zaw had their own apiece in Myanmar's big win
over the Philippines.
The Philippines took their consolation goal through Alfredo
Gonzalez.
Group B matches, which pit defending champion Thailand,
Malaysia, Laos and host Singapore, kick off on Wednesday while
Group A has a day off before resuming on Thursday.