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Indonesia can’t afford to let up against spirited Vietnam

Despite holding an advantage from a 2-1 win at Pekansari Stadium, Bogor, last week, the Indonesia national soccer team will still need to demonstrate solidity and attacking prowess when facing Vietnam in the second leg of their semifinal match in the ASEAN Soccer Championship (AFF) 2016 in Hanoi on Wednesday

Dicky Christanto (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, December 7, 2016

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Indonesia can’t afford to let up against spirited Vietnam

D

espite holding an advantage from a 2-1 win at Pekansari Stadium, Bogor, last week, the Indonesia national soccer team will still need to demonstrate solidity and attacking prowess when facing Vietnam in the second leg of their semifinal match in the ASEAN Soccer Championship (AFF) 2016 in Hanoi on Wednesday.

“In this sport, the only factor that could make the difference is how strong your will is to win this game. This is a matter of mentality, playing before a crowd and under pressure,” team coach Alfred Riedl said as quoted by Antara on Tuesday.

Riedl acknowledged that this time his team would face a team greedy for revenge in order to reach the final.

The Austrian said that he had planned different strategies to hopefully contain the opponents’ attacks. However, he did not elaborate further on that.

The dynamic duo defenders Yanto Basna and Fachruddin Arianto, who were missed at the first match due to yellow card accumulation, are now back with the squad. Their replacements — Hansamu Yama and Manahati Lestusen — proved equally impressive at Pekansari; Hansamu scored one of the two goals for Indonesia.

Their availability leaves Riedl scoping the roster to choose who should be placed as defenders in the lineup in Wednesday’s game, which is believed to be one of Riedl’s biggest dilemmas.

Sports commentator Yusuf Kurniawan warned the team that they should take caution while on the field to avoid making mistakes and unnecessary fouls.

“Fouls could lead to free kicks and Vietnam is loaded with good players, who have high accuracy. So Riedl should warn his players about this,” Yusuf said.

He also said that Indonesian players should develop their ability to play long ball so they could catch up with Vietnam, who are famous for their skills in organizing attacks and marshaling defense.

As for the defenders, he added that Riedl should consider unleashing Hansamu and Manahati again.

In the rear field, Muchlis Hadi, a former member of Garuda U-19 Team, seemed set for the lineup. Hadi, who defended for PSM Makassar before joining the national club, vowed that he would defend all out.

“There is only one sentence that can represent my feelings right now […] I feel proud to be here with this team,” he said.

Vietnam’s national coach Nguyen Huu Thang said the second match provided them with a psychological burden as they would have to win before their home crowd.

“This will be a crucial match for my team because we will need a victory to reach the final,” he said.

Wednesday’s match is being held at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

The second match will be a defining moment for both teams. Indonesia would only need a draw to reach the final round, thanks for their previous victory. However, Vietnam would need a win to proceed.

Indonesia and Vietnam have met 22 times in various competitions with Indonesia winning nine of them and five matches resulting in draws.

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