Unimpressive Indonesia edges Lebanon 1-0

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.