I

ndonesia was forced to yield to Australia’s power in a 0-1 loss in one of the first matches of the Asian Football Confederation Under-22 Cup Championship 2013 Group E qualifiers in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Thursday evening.

Australia scored the first and only goal of the game in the very last minutes of the first leg.

Although national assistant coach Liestiadi praised his squad’s performance, supporters vented their frustration with Indonesia’s defeat by throwing bottles of mineral water and throwing a firework on the field.

“I’m satisfied with the U-22 team’s performance, although they lost, because statistically speaking, they already played at the same level [as the Australian team],” Liestiadi said after the game, which was held at Riau Main Stadium in Pekanbaru.

He said 70 percent of the national team players were amateurs, while all Australian players were professionals.

“The only problem was that goddess of fortune was not on our side this time,” Liestiadi said.

Liestiadi went on to say that he regretted supporters’ misbehavior and hoped they would be a good host and provide better security for the next matches.

In earlier matches, Singapore peeled Timor Leste off the field at Riau Main Stadium with a 2-1 victory, while Japan throttled Macau, putting up a crushing 6-0 score at Kaharuddin Nasution Stadium in the same city.

Singapore finally managed to break through Timor Leste’s defense for the first time in the 44th minute, as a blistering shot from Fareez found the right corner of Timor Leste’s net.

Muhammad Faris was offered a chance to add to Singapore’s tally when his club was awarded a free kick in the second half, but to no avail. Faris’ shot, aimed just below the bar, was safely handled by Timor Leste goalkeeper Ramos Saozinho.

In the 65th minute, referee Ko Hyung-jin called a hand ball on Singaporean defender Delwinder Singh. In the penalty kick that resulted, Timor Leste defender Diogo Santos Rangel thrashed the ball into the opponent’s net.

Singapore scored its second goal on Madhu M Mohana’s strong header in the 82nd minute, sealing a 2-1 victory after three minutes of stoppage time.

At Kaharuddin Nasution Stadium, Japan’s aggressive shooting put up the first goal after 17 minutes on a header from Hirota. Japan’s second goal, knocked in by Akino, closed the first leg of the Japan-Macau match.

Only 10 minutes after the opening of the second half, Macau’s goalkeeper Ha Man Fai began what became a routine march to collect ball from the back of his own net after a goal by Japan’s Suzuki, who added a fourth in the 63rd minute, followed by Watari for the game’s fifth.

Suzuki closed the game with his third goal, leaving Macau reeling from six convincing and unanswered goals.