Unimpressive Indonesia edges Lebanon 1-0
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian under-23 team scraped through for a 1-0 victory over Lebanon in their Asian qualifying match for the 2004 Olympics at the Bung Karno Stadium here on Saturday.
Agus Indra Kurniawan scored the only goal of the match in the second half, giving Indonesia a narrow advantage going into the second leg of the fixture in Beirut next month.
However, aside from the result, the host team was not particularly impressive. Indonesia looked to be on the back foot for much of the match, particularly on defense, which has caused concern among team officials for the return match.
On the other side, Lebanon played a surprisingly fast game and displayed good teamwork, forcing the Indonesian players to struggle on defense. The visitors created a flurry of chances, but just could not take advantage on the night.
"The game was not what we expected. The Lebanese played a bit different (style) from what they did in Jordan," Indonesian coach Mundari Karya said during the postmatch press conference.
Mundari was referring to a first-round qualification match on April 18 in which Lebanon held host Jordan to a 1-1 draw.
Discussing his squad, Mundari said he was concerned about the defense and was looking for improvement in the away match.
"They panicked when they were put under pressure," Mundari said of his players.
Indonesia looked nervous at the start, with a rash of poor passes and crosses. Goal chances in the first half were rare. The best chance came for the home team at the end of the half, when Firman Utina latched onto a Zaenal Arief cross in the box. The Lebanese goalkeeper looked to be stranded but still managed to poke the ball wide.
The visitors mounted a spirited attack in the second half, and were nearly rewarded for their effort when Agop Donabidian found himself unmarked inside the penalty box. But with only Indonesian goalkeeper Yandri Cristian Pitoy to beat he kicked the ball high.
In a bit of controversy, Lebanon was denied a penalty after Ahmad Ali Elchoum appeared to be tripped inside the box. Even after the final whistle blew, the Lebanon players were still pleading their case with the referee.
Lebanon coach Richard Tardi refused to comment on the play after the match, saying: "I won't talk about the referee. You saw it better than me."
While he was disappointed with his players' failure to take advantage of their chances, Tardi said he was optimistic his team would still qualify over Indonesia.
Indonesia: Zaenal Arief, Yandri Cristian Pitoy, Hermawan, Harry Saputra, Hamka Hamsah, Erik Setiawan/Maman Abdurachman, Supriyono, Edu Juanda, Syamsul Bachri, Agus Indra Kurniawan/Eka Ramdani, Rahel Tuasalamony/Firman Utina.
Lebanon: Mohamad Abdul Salam Santina, Sami Ali Elchoum, Abbad Abdou Kenaan, Hassan Hassan Mezher, Abbad Ali Atwi/Hemze El Masri, Agop Donabidian, Khaled Ali Hamieh, Ahmad Ali Elchoum/Khoor Salame, Yehia Mohamad Hachem, Paul Rustom/Rony Azhar, Ali Fouad El Atat.