Indonesia was off to a flying start in the AFF Suzuki Cup soccer championship, with a 3-0 victory over Myanmar in a Group A match in Jakarta on Friday.

Budi Sudarsono and Firman Utina gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the first half, before Bambang Pamungkas rounded off a triumphant night for the host with deft shot in the second half.

The victory gives Indonesia three points and puts it equal to reigning champion Singapore, which routed Cambodia 5-0 earlier at Bung Karno stadium.

With three trophies already under its belt, Singapore had been expected to ease past Cambodia, which joined the competition through qualifications.

However, the Lions failed to make headway and ended the first half with only one goal, courtesy of Alexander. The second half, however, proved a goal fest, with a barrage of four goals from Mustafic Fahrudin, Agu Casmir and the double scoring Indra Sahdan.

Group B will have it first matches on Saturday in Phuket, with Malaysia taking on Laos and Vietnam challenging three-time champion Thailand.

The defeat of Myanmar, which enters the tournament after defeating Indonesia on home turf in the Royal Challenge, opens up the chances of Indonesia and Singapore qualifying for the semifinals.

After swapping opponents on Sunday, Indonesia and Singapore will square up with each other, in a match that will likely decide the top two finishers.

Former Indonesian star Herry Kiswanto said he expected a tight match and warned Benny Dollo's players not to let the pressure overwhelm them.

"Shake off the pressure. Playing on its own turf, the team must prove they can do it," Herry, who was a member of the winning team at the 1987 Southeast Asian Games, said, as quoted by Antara.

The Singapore game is still four days away and Bambang and teammates now deserve to celebrate their opening victory, which avenged their recent loss in Yangoon two weeks ago.

During the match, the host team demonstrated their typical fast pace, with Bambang making a potent three-way striking force along with Budi and Arif Suyono.

In the opening ten minutes, Ismed Sofyan saw his blistering kick, from outside the penalty box, hit the bar. Arif experienced disappointment too, as his goal was disallowed for being offside. Muhammad Ilham came close to converting his inswing shot into a goal.

The opening goal came in the 25th minute after Budi, receiving a cross from the right wing, turned two defenders inside out before slotting the ball home from close range.

Firman then doubled the lead in the 29th minute. Picking up the ball, Firman, with his back facing the goal post, made a turnaround and sent a powerful kick, leaving goalkeeper Aung Aung Oo gasping.

After a spell of laying back, which allowed Myanmar to share ball possession, Bambang sealed Indonesia's victory with a cleverly-gauged kick into the far post.

Group A

P W D L Gf Ga Pts

Singapore 1 1 0 0 5 0 3

Indonesia 1 1 0 0 3 0 3

Myanmar 1 0 0 1 0 3 0

Cambodia 1 0 0 1 0 5 0

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