Wimbo Satwiko
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.
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
By ERIC SAMUEL
PETALING JAYA: Hosts Indonesia, having already sealed their place in the semi-finals, can decide the fate of the other three teams in Group A of the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) championships.
Coach Alfred Riedl’s side are safely through to the last four after picking up an unassailable lead at the top of the standings in the group with six points from two straight wins. Three-time winners Thailand are next with two points, followed by Malaysia and Laos with one each.
Thailand seem to have the best chance to grab the second semi-final spot from the group because they will be playing Indonesia in their last group match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta tomorrow.
As Indonesia have already qualified for the last four, they may take their foot off the pedal and allow Thailand to get the win they need to go through.
However, should Indonesia field their strongest line-up and hold or beat the Thais, it will open the door for either Malaysia or Laos, who meet at the same time at the Jaka Baring Stadium in Palembang, to sneak into the last four.
National coach K. Rajagopal said that having gone through two absorbing matches “I believe we are in with a chance to make the semi-finals”.
PETALING JAYA: Hosts Indonesia, having already sealed their place in the semi-finals, can decide the fate of the other three teams in Group A of the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) championships.
Coach Alfred Riedl’s side are safely through to the last four after picking up an unassailable lead at the top of the standings in the group with six points from two straight wins. Three-time winners Thailand are next with two points, followed by Malaysia and Laos with one each.
Thailand seem to have the best chance to grab the second semi-final spot from the group because they will be playing Indonesia in their last group match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta tomorrow.
As Indonesia have already qualified for the last four, they may take their foot off the pedal and allow Thailand to get the win they need to go through.
However, should Indonesia field their strongest line-up and hold or beat the Thais, it will open the door for either Malaysia or Laos, who meet at the same time at the Jaka Baring Stadium in Palembang, to sneak into the last four.
National coach K. Rajagopal said that having gone through two absorbing matches “I believe we are in with a chance to make the semi-finals”.
Thailand coach Bryan Robson is likely to make wholesale changes to his starting line-up against Malaysia in the Suzuki Cup today.
The match at Gelora Bung Kano stadium kicks off at 5pm and will be televised live on Channel 7 and Star Sports.
In the other Group A match of the Southeast Asian championship, Indonesia meet Laos.
Thailand needed a last-gasp strike to secure a 2-2 draw with Laos in their opening game. Robson rested several key players because they were tired after a long domestic season.
"It is going to be a big game for both sides because it could decide who will reach the semi-finals. The team which wins will surely qualify for the semi-finals," said the English coach.
The match at Gelora Bung Kano stadium kicks off at 5pm and will be televised live on Channel 7 and Star Sports.
In the other Group A match of the Southeast Asian championship, Indonesia meet Laos.
Thailand needed a last-gasp strike to secure a 2-2 draw with Laos in their opening game. Robson rested several key players because they were tired after a long domestic season.
"It is going to be a big game for both sides because it could decide who will reach the semi-finals. The team which wins will surely qualify for the semi-finals," said the English coach.
Malaysia has plunged 10 notches to 141 in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index - the lowest in nine years - putting it firmly in the bottom quarter of 178 countries.
The country failed to capitalise on last year's improvement where it moved up one notch from 132 to 131.
The issues which have perhaps affected Malaysia's poor ranking include the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's investigation into Malaysiakini's cow-head video, the arrests of bloggers and the ban on a number of books by cartoonist Zunar.
Interestingly, Singapore (136) outranked Malaysia for the first time since Paris-based press watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) began releasing its ranking in 2002.
The country failed to capitalise on last year's improvement where it moved up one notch from 132 to 131.
The issues which have perhaps affected Malaysia's poor ranking include the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's investigation into Malaysiakini's cow-head video, the arrests of bloggers and the ban on a number of books by cartoonist Zunar.
Interestingly, Singapore (136) outranked Malaysia for the first time since Paris-based press watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) began releasing its ranking in 2002.
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