Indonesia, S.Korea face make-or-break game to move ahead

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 07/18/2007 11:19 AM

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Wednesday's match between host Indonesia and South Korea is expected to be a fiercely contested battle, with both teams needing a win to have any chance of moving into the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup.

After a surprise 2-1 victory over Bahrain and a tough 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia is sitting on three points, tied with Bahrain in second place in Group D.

Saudi -- who will meet Bahrain on Wednesday at Sriwijaya Jakabaring Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra -- tops the group with one win and a draw with South Korea.

With a draw and a loss, Korea, which came into the tournament as a hot favorite, is sitting at the bottom of the group on one point.

It needs a victory over Indonesia, which will not be easy with the game being played before 88,000 screaming Indonesian fans at Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta.

""We are ready (to win),"" Indonesia's star striker, Bambang Pamungkas, said at a press conference Tuesday. ""Hopefully, this game will have a happy ending for us.""

Bambang, who scored the winning goal in the last minute against Bahrain, acknowledged that beating Korea would be extremely difficult.

""They are regular World Cup qualifiers. But there are no nerves here.""

He said Indonesia had the advantage of an extra day's rest compared to the Koreans. This extra day, he added, was enough to help the players get over their disappointing loss to the Saudi squad.

Indonesia's coach, Ivan Venkov Kolev, agreed Wednesday's match would be tough.

""Both teams will enter the stadium to win. It will be a tough match,"" said the 50-year-old Bulgarian.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who visited the players during their training session, was upbeat about the team's chances. ""We will beat Korea 1-0.""

That is very optimistic, especially considering the history of the teams.

Two-time Asian Cup champion Korea has beaten Indonesia in their five international meetings since 1987.

South Korea, a 2002 World Cup semifinalist, comes into the game knowing that even if it wins, it will still need a little help to get out of the group stage, with a draw in the Bahrain and Saudi match likely ending its hopes.

Coach Pim Veerbek of the Netherlands is confident his team can overcome Indonesia, even with its home advantage.

""We are playing against the home team in front of 90,000 fans in their stadium. And we have to win by at least two goals. I think it will be a great game,"" said the 51-year-old Dutchman.

""Every coach, every player is looking for a challenge and tomorrow will be a big challenge .... If that's not a challenge then there are no challenges left in football any more,"" said the former assistant to Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat.

""We only have one point but we are still in the race and that makes it very attractive. Our team is ready, all the players are fit although they may not be completely recovered from the game because of the climate and the field is very heavy.

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