INDONESIA POUND MALAYSIA FOR FIVE

After a superb half-volley from Norshahrul Idlan Talaha that silenced the 50,000 over fans, Indonesia came charging back and forced the equaliser four minutes later when defender Mohd Asraruddin turned the ball into his own net.

Then Christian Gonzalez, making his international debut for Indonesia after recently receiving his citizenship, sent his team ahead in the 33rd minute with a left-footed shot from the top of the box. The stadium erupted as the fans screamed in delight, probably sensing that the tide had turned and the floodgates had opened up.

Before Christian’s goal, there must have been some concern amongst the officials and fans if coach Alfred Riedl had made a mistake by leaving out star striker Bambang “Bepe” Pamungkas. All week long the talk in the media had been about Bambang and his teammates. The player was also seen questioning the coach about his exclusion.

But that was all completely forgotten in the 52nd minute after Muhammad Ridwan rushed into the box and cooly placed it beyond the Malaysian keeper.

That goal probably shattered the Malaysians’ spirits. Up to that point, the Malaysians were still in the game and fighting for every ball. The night though was far from over for the young Malaysians as Indonesia plundered two more goals through Arif Suyono in the 76th minute and smasher from Irfan Bachdim.

“For me, I think a 3-1 score would have been fair but we invested heavily in this game and we took our chances which is why we came away with a 5-1 win. We had a good 20 minutes at the start but Malaysia managed to knock one in. In the second half, we had our chances and scored,” said Riedl.

“It’s not time to celebrate and dream of winning yet. We must now start preparing for the next match.
On Bambang’s exclusion from the starting line-up, Riedl explained that the team he selected was based on the pre-event training.

“My selection was based on what I saw during the few weeks of training, some players combined well with others. Today I had the right line-up but this could change for our next match.”