Syria walks away with easy 4-0 win over Indonesia
JAKARTA (JP): Syria, like a big boy bullying a smaller child, effortlessly whipped the young Indonesian booters 4-0 in the 29th Asian under-19 soccer championship.
Even in the first half, which ended in a 0-0 draw, the Indonesian youngsters faced a match that was clearly too much for them. It seemed that only a miracle would keep the score as it was to the end of the game.
Things got so bleak that when Indonesia's Bima Sakti Tukiman failed to convert a penalty in the 54th, frantic home fans began to jeer at the team they were formally so proud of.
From that moment on, the Indonesian players lost any remnants of the confidence they may have had after their first dismal half of play.
The result was that Syria charged ahead with Nihad Boshi's unnoticed kicks from the side for two easy goals in the 61th and 65th.
The two goals made the stout, towering Syrians hungry for a third, which Nader Jokhadar made in the 75th.
The Syrians made things so hot for the Indonesian players with the third goal that the sorely disappointed home fans, who almost filled the seats to capacity, began to set fires here and there throughout the stadium, resulting in a standby fire engine being called in to forestall a disaster.
But the 3-0 lead wasn't enough for the Syrians, who used the 89th minute, just short of the match's end, to make their fourth goal.
Thus the match, a poor bargain for the Indonesians at the outset, ended with a crushing defeat for the Indonesian booters, who were great at creating golden opportunities, but weak on following them through.
Despite the wide margin of the victory, Syrian coach Anatoly Baidachni said that the Indonesian team played very well. Whether or not his comment was meant to assuage hurt feelings, he made the that Indonesian booters were only lacking in experience.
"In two or three years, I believe they can become a very good team," he said.
Later he added that stamina may have been a factor in their defeat.
National coach Danurwindo, who was with the Indonesian players during their one-year stint with Sampdoria in Italy, conceded that "the class of our team was still below that of the Syrian team".
The shower of goals continued at Senayan as Iraq rolled past 10-man Qatar 3-0 in the other Group A match yesterday.
Mohammad Hasan netted the ball twice, in the 14th minute and again, nine minutes from time. The powerful winger now leads the top scorers' table with compatriot Amir Mushrif Mehsen. Both have three goals apiece.
Hasan scored his third goal through a penalty, following an intentional hand ball committed by Rahman Mubarak in Qatar's goal mouth. The foul play cost Mubarak his second yellow card, which sent him out of the pitch.
Iraq, which crashed to a 1-2 defeat to Syria on Tuesday, dominated the 90 minutes of play from the onset against hapless Qatar.
And at times it seemed that the Iraqis would make it 5-0, with an onslaught from the outset that saw Hasan blasting in a cannon-ball goal from 25 meters. Qatar's goalie Ali Mohammad Ibrahim could only manage a desperate dive.
Playing before a score of flag-waving fans, Iraq stretched the lead as Mehsen struck in the 33rd minute, adding a finishing touch to Haider Radhi's cross. (arf/amd)
Today's fixtures: Thailand v Bahrain, 5.30 p.m. South Korea v Kuwait 7.30 p.m.