Jakarta. With his first objective in the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup achieved, Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl plans to rest some of his first-team players for the team’s final group game.
Indonesia dismantled Laos 6-0 at Jakarta’s Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday, guaranteeing itself top spot in Group A and a berth in the semifinals.
After thumping Malaysia 5-1 in its opening match, Indonesia entered Saturday’s game wary of a recent improvement in form by a resilient Laos squad.
Against Indonesia’s in-form attack, however, Laos wilted and was a far cry from the team that forced a surprising draw with Thailand last week.
Riedl had coached Laos before moving to Indonesia, and many believe the coach’s first-hand knowledge of the opposition made the difference.
“Laos played exactly the way we expected them to play,” Riedl said on Saturday.
“It wasn’t easy during the first 30 minutes, but once we started scoring goals, the match became much easier for us.”
Riedl said he wanted his team to keep its focus razor-sharp against Thailand, its last opponent in Group A.
The Austrian coach added that he would make some changes to his roster for Tuesday’s match.
“We’ve already qualified for the semifinals, so I may give other players a chance to see action against Thailand,” Riedl said.
“But we vow to play a fair match on Tuesday. We respect our supporters who will be watching the match.”
While Indonesia is safely through to the next round, Thailand’s back is against the wall, having picked up only two points from two matches.
The Thais drew 2-2 with Laos then 0-0 with Malaysia, putting pressure on Bryan Robson’s team to secure three points against a red-hot Merah Putih side.
“We would have liked to [beat Malaysia] and move one step closer to the semifinals, but now we are going to have to do it the hard way,” Robson said.
“We need to beat Indonesia, even though it will be a very tough task. I’m sure we can give them a tough game, and I still feel that we have a chance to go forward to the semifinals.”
In Saturday’s game, Laos midfielder Kanlaya Sysomvang gave Indonesia a scare with a shot that struck the post in the 10th minute, an incident that seemed to act as a wake-up call for the host.
Indonesia captain Firman Utina started the goal rush when he converted a penalty kick in the 28th minute after Christian Gonzales was tripped inside the box. Then a 35th-minute strike by Muhammad Ridwan made it 2-0.
Indonesia went into top gear in the second half, with Firman picking up a second goal in the 50th and Irfan Bachdim scoring in the 62nd to make it 4-0.
Arif Suyono came on for Ridwan in the 70th and needed only seven minutes to find the net and make it 5-0, before Oktovianus Maniani’s 81st minute goal sealed the win.
In Group B matches on Sunday, the Philippines pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset, shocking defending AFF Cup champion Vietnam 2-0 in Hanoi.
In the other game, Singapore beat Myanmar 2-1. The Philippines and Singapore now lead Group B with four points each.
Source: The Jakarta Globe
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