SINGAPORE (7 June 2015) – Indonesian assistant coach M. Zein Al Haddad said that the reason why the team played well in their 6-1 win over Cambodia was because they were able to overcome their mental burden.
Zein said that following FIFA’s ban on the FA of Indonesia (PSSI), it had affected the players’ state of mind which resulted in the loss to Myanmar in their first match of the competition on 2 June.
“In the first game (against Myanmar), the players were still groggy, they felt burdened,” explaind Zein.
“That was the reason why we spent a lot of time building on the players’s psyche. We told them that in spite of the FIFA suspension, they have to show to that they can play football, show to the people what they will be missing.
“This is in effect our last tournament, so we have to play our very best. We have to win against Cambodia as we know that this is a decisive game. We lose and we will go home.”
Despite losing striker Ferinando Pahabol just before the start of the SEA Games this year, Indonesia still showed that they packed substantial firepower through the likes of Muchlis Syaifulloh and Evan Dimas Darmono among others.
Muchlis were on target three times against Cambodia with Evan nailing his first goal of the competition right at the end.
“We still have two more matches to play – against the Philippines and also Singapore,” added Zein.
“We have to win these two matches so make sure that we make the semi-finals. We are in a good position, so we have to build from this victory.”
FIXTURES – 7 June 2015
At Bishan Stadium
2030 – Timor Leste vs Vietnam
At Jalan Besar Stadium
2030 – Philippines vs Myanmar
Photo credit: David Chua/SINGSOC
