Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl admitted that his side suffered from a nervous finish at the end of their 1-0 win over the Philippines on Sunday, which booked their place in the AFF Suzuki Cup final.
Indonesia, who had also beaten the Filipinos with a unique goal in the first-leg semifinal match on December 16, will face Malaysia in the final game which is set to hold on a home-and-away basis on Dec.26 and 29.
Cristian Gonzales' goal two minutes before half-time gave the Indonesians a 2-0 aggregate lead but they could not add to their advantage after the break and had to withstand an aerial bombardment late on to seal a spot in the final against Malaysia.
"I think this sort of game is not good for weak nerves," the Austrian Riedl said. "Our opponents made it very difficult for us to win the match today.”
“The Philippines had a lot of set plays from throw-ins and corners and each time it was very dangerous for us.”
Although Indonesia thumped Malaysia in their opening match of the tournament, Riedl warned that it would be no easy task for his side to win their first-ever AFF Suzuki Cup title.
"The final will be a typical clash between two neighbors,” Riedl said. “Of course we beat them 5-1 during the group stage but we felt that the score did not reflect how close the game was.”
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