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Australia beats RI to advance to 2011 Asian Cup finals
AP/SHUJI KAJIYAMAHaving already no chance of qualifying, Indonesia failed to save face or prevent Australia from advancing to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals following a 1-0 on Wednesday’s Group B qualifier match at the half-emptied Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
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AP/SHUJI KAJIYAMA
Having already no chance of qualifying, Indonesia failed to save face or prevent Australia from advancing to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals following a 1-0 on Wednesday’s Group B qualifier match at the half-emptied Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
With the triumph, the Australian secured enough points to compete at the 2011 Asian Cup finals in Qatar.
The host, dominating throughout the game, defeated Indonesia with its sole goal in the 42nd minute. Mark Milligan found the net, scoring from a rebound off the bar following a free kick by Luke Wilkshire.
The Socceroos, consisting mostly of the country’s A-League team opposed to its main squad, almost doubled the lead from a corner kick of Simon Colosimo a minute before halftime. Goalie Markus Harison parried the shot away.
At the second half, Indonesia missed the opportunity to level with Australia. Defender Ismed Sofyan managed to make a shot but it was too weak. Striker Bambang Pamungkas also had his chances begging later on.
The Asian Football Confederation recorded that out of previously 14 meets between Indonesia and Australia since 1967, Indonesia only won once at the 1982 World Cup with a 1-0 score and drew three times.
Australia elevated to the top of Group B with the win, collecting 11 points from three wins, two draws and one loss.
Throughout the six games Indonesia played in the Group B qualifier, it was the third defeat for
Indonesia, after a 1-2 loss at home against Oman this January and a 1-2 against Kuwait in November last year. The rest resulted in draws from the match against Kuwait (1-1) in November and against Oman (0-0) and Australia (0-0) in January last year.
Indonesia ended at the bottom of Group B standing with merely three points. It is the country’s first failure to qualify for the Asian Cup finals since 1996.
Kuwait and Oman were also competing for Group B’s last ticket for the finals on late Wednesday in Muscat. Kuwait is second in the group standing with eight points, while Oman trailed in third with seven points.
