Courtesy: The Jakarta Globe


Victory Over Burma Sees Indonesia Into AFF Semis

The national futsal team clinched a semifinal berth at the 2009 Asean Football Federation Futsal Championship on Tuesday night with a 6-4 defeat of Burma at Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

It was Indonesia’s second straight victory, following a 7-3 defeat of Malaysia in the opener.

Indonesia and Thailand met on Wednesday night with the Group A lead up for grabs. Thailand is also undefeated after two matches, including a 7-3 win over Thailand. The match finished after press time.

Burma put some early pressure on Indonesia as Lai Ceu scored after just 16 seconds. Denny Handoyo then leveled for Indonesia in the sixth minute. Lai then thrust Burma back into the lead, this time with a penalty kick in the 10th.

But Indonesia quickly got into a groove. Sayan Karmadi equalized in the 17th minute, and a minute later Topas Pamungkas put Indonesia ahead.

In the second half, it was all Indonesia. Topas scored his second goal in the 29th minute, and Sayan completed a hat trick after converting goals in the 33rd and 36th minutes. Burma’s other scorers were Ye Naung (29th) and Zin Ling (39th).

Despite the win, coach Justinus Lhaksana said he was disappointed that his players went into the match overconfident.

“The players underestimated Burma, especially in the first half,” Justinus said. “They made lots of mistakes. We were lucky that Sayan and Denny played very well tonight.”

Justinus said he hoped the team could beat Thailand so it wouldn’t have to face host Vietnam in Friday’s semifinals. “Playing the host in the semifinals would definitely be harder for us,” he said.

Indonesia lost to Thailand 5-1 in the title match last year.

Vietnam leads Group B after beating the Philippines 3-0 on Monday. The host was due to play minnow East Timor, which lost to the Philippines 10-2 on Tuesday, in the last game on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the hotel where the participants were staying caught fire early Wednesday morning. The fire in the Than Long Hotel broke out in the maintenance room in front of the Thailand team’s rooms.

“We’re shocked but safe,” coach Justinus told state-run news agency Antara. “But now we have to get ample rest before our match against Thailand.”







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com