Tough road ahead after RI loses 1-4

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 11/10/2007 5:27 PM

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia faces an uphill battle to go through at the 2010 soccer World Cup pre-qualifying session after losing 4-1 to Syria on Friday in a repeat of their 2006 Asian Games meeting.

The national side headed into Friday's clash optimistic about avenging their 4-1 defeat in December during the Asiad in Doha.

That optimism was quickly knocked out of them as Indonesia's defenders made a string of sloppy mistakes that cost their side dearly.

Playing before a half-full 80,000-seat Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, the Indonesian side looked nothing like the team that wowed fans during the Asian Cup three months ago.

""I can't believe this. Our defense and finishing were very bad. Three months after the Asian Cup, our players forgot what is modern soccer, world-class soccer, fast-playing soccer. It's bad, bad,"" Indonesia's Bulgarian coach, Ivan Kolev, said after the game.

""We played really bad. From five chances in the first half, we could not score one.

""This team is not ready. Two weeks they are not ready for the match.""

Kolev said although goalkeeper Marcus Horison had a bad first half on Friday, he could not replace him.

""I opted to replace the strikers because we had to score,"" he said.

Marcus made a number of mistakes in the first half, allowing Syrian strikers Feras Esmaeel, Mohammad Al Zeno and Ziad Chabo to score in the 17th, 33rd and 43rd minutes, respectively.

Indonesian defenders Muhammad Ridwan, Maman Abdurahman, Charis Yulianto and Mahyadi Panggabean did little to slow the attack by the visitors.

Indonesia's skipper Budi Sudarsono narrowed the gap in the 38th minute after he was granted a penalty kick by referee Mohsen Torky of Iran.

The second half was a much slower affair with few chances for either side before Syrian substitute striker Raja Rafe scored a fourth goal for the visitors two minutes before injury time.

Syrian coach Fajer Ibraheem told reporters he was pleased with the result.

""I didn't know anything about Indonesian players before coming here but now I have a clear picture,"" he said.

""Indonesia played good but they need more quality games to improve their performance for the future.

""The players need to work on the basics of football. Then, they can improve very fast.""

Indonesia is slated to visit Syria for an away match on Nov. 18.

""We barely have a chance,"" Kolev said. ""But the players must fight and play all out.""

An hour before the kickoff, about 100 soccer fans staged a protest outside the stadium, demanding Soccer Association of Indonesia chairman Nurdin Halid -- currently in jail for graft -- step down. (dre)

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