Singapore stuns Indonesia 3-1
Moh. N. Kurniawan and Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It was a night of missed opportunities and aching misfortune for the national soccer team, with Singapore carving out a 3-1 upset in the first leg of the Tiger Cup soccer final on Saturday.
Singapore's Daniel Bennett, Chairul Amri and Agu Casmir silenced the vociferous local fans as they found the net at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, South Jakarta.
The only consolation for the out-of-sorts home team was Mahyadi Panggabean's goal in the dying moments of injury time. It was too little, too late, and Indonesia is left with a daunting two-goal difference to overcome when it visits the island-state for the second match on Jan. 16.
Indonesia coach Peter Withe had a change in strategy final, putting striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto on the starting lineup after his impressive performance as a substitute during Indonesia's win over Malaysia in the semifinals.
But the measure backfired as the hosts were left with a noticeably weakened defense, with Singapore scoring in the second minute.
Following a swift counter attack, Daniel Bennett was served a precise cross from the left flank before he sent a blistering volley toward the net. The ball took a cruel deflection off Firmansyah into goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko's net.
The home players tried to regroup, but were thwarted by the disciplined and resolute defending of Singapore.
"It was not the problem of just one goal, but that our players retreated too close to the penalty box, and allowed Singapore to control the space," said Withe after the match.
Boas Salossa, at 18 already recognized as one of the country's best players, came close to leveling the score but a simple tap in, following a scrimmage inside the box, hit the post. Moments later, Kurniawan broke clear but goalkeeper Lionel Lewis quickly came out of his box to head off the danger.
The departure of the much feared Boas, injured in the 27th minute, gave Singapore the opportunity to double its lead through Chairul, who pounced on a loose ball in another foray into Indonesian territory.
There was yet another blow for the home side when Mohammad Mauly Lessy was sent off for cuffing Itimi Dickson.
Down to 10 men, chances of an Indonesian come-from-behind victory similar to its nail-biting win over Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur appeared remote when the visitors went ahead 3-0.
Unusually subdued local fans had started leaving the stadium before the match had ended and Mahyadi salvaged some pride with a free kick.
"It's an extraordinary result for us. Our players displayed a very good game today," said Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic.