ndonesia reached the AFF Cup final for the sixth time, and first in six years, after holding a gritty Vietnam to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of their semifinal matches in Hanoi on Wednesday.
The Red-and-White team went through 4-3 on aggregate after winning the first-leg match 2-1 at Pekansari Stadium in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday.
Indonesia, which has never won the biennial soccer tournament competed in by nations affiliated with the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), last advanced to the final in 2010 when it lost to Malaysia.
Alfred Riedl’s squad will most likely face Thailand in the final. The favorite and defending champion, which is looking for its fifth trophy, holds a 2-0 advantage when it hosts Myanmar in their second-leg match on Thursday.
Vietnam was reduced to 10 men after goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh got a straight red card following a harsh foul on Bayu Pradana. However, with fewer players, the host, who enjoyed the raucous support of the home crowd, managed to turned the game around from being a goal down to 2-1 in normal time, forcing the match into extra time. The decisive goal was scored by Manahati Lestusen in the first half of extra time.
Soccer commentator Yusuf Kurniawan praised Riedl’s match awareness. He said the Austrian was able to spot the team’s weaknesses and directly reacted to them by replacing Boaz Sollosa and Andik Vermansyah, who seemed to lack
stamina.
“Riedl’s ability to maximize the squad despite its limitations is praiseworthy,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Vietnam was aggressive from the get-go, which forced Indonesia to fall back in defense. The visiting team’s occasional lunges forward faced a solid defense by the hosts.
Boaz was barely allowed space inside the penalty box with Vietnam’s backs somehow managing to steal the ball from him, especially in the first half.
Andik and Stefano Lilipaly also struggled, seemingly losing pace and agility when faced by Vietnam’s players.
On the other hand, Vietnam managed to test Kurnia Mega, in Indonesia’s goal, several times with massive penetration and better organization. During the goalless early minutes of the first half, Vu Van Thanh managed to get a free kick from outside the penalty box but sent it wide. The chance came again, this time Dinh Thanh Trung wasted his chance.
Despite Vietnam’s domination, Indonesia, which was cheered by a section of some 200 supporters, proved to be the side to make best of its chances through Stefano, who managed to turn Boaz’s ball from the left side into the net early in the second half.
Tran Dinh Dong tried to clear the ball, but he fumbled it on the goal line where Stefano raced forward to slap the ball deep into the net.
However, Vietnam, which was later down to 10 men, fought back with goals from Vu Minh Tuan and Vu Van Tanh in the final 10 minutes of normal time.
Aside from the on-field contest, the environment outside the stadium in Hanoi, as well as in Indonesia offered its own festivities.
In Jakarta, people thronged around TV sets to watch the game live. They gathered in public places like security posts that can be spotted on almost every corner of the city and also places like cafes and restaurants.
The Youth and Sports Ministry also organized a gathering to watch the match. Many of its officials, such as ministry spokesman Gatot S. Dewobroto and deputy minister for sports empowerment Raden Isnanta were among those seen at the gathering.
Meanwhile in Hanoi, ticket scalpers were reported to be rife prior to the match. Kompas reported that the scalpers offered tickets at up to Rp 1.3 million (US$97.95) apiece, way more than what was offered by Indonesian scalpers in Bogor.
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