V-League the No.1 in Southeast Asia: Indonesia coach

The top-tier football league in Vietnam, V-League, is the number one in Southeast Asia in terms of attraction and quality of competition, said Indonesia’s head coach Alfred Riedl.

The Austrian-born man, who has 14 years of working as coaches in Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia, said footballers in Vietnam are paid higher salary and bonus than other nations in the region.

“It has drawn qualified players from Thailand, Singapore or Indonesia to enlist for V-League in Vietnam,” he said.

“Payment for domestic players in Vietnam is also higher than in Indonesia. That helps motivate players to strive to demonstrate themselves on the pitch to deserve the payment.”

The 62-year-old coach agreed that violence, match fixing and quality of referees have degraded football development but these problems are universal, not unique to Vietnam.

“In Indonesia, violence is even more serious than in Vietnam and referees seem unable to control it,” Riedl said.

Coach Riedl had three spells of training the Vietnamese national team, from 1998 – 2001, 2003-04, and 2005-07. He later came to Laos in 2009 and worked with Indonesia from 2010.

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Malaysia claim first title at regional football

Malaysian footballers celebrate their victory at the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup in Jakarta on December 29, 2010 after winning Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate

Photo: AFP

Despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Indonesia on Wednesday, Malaysia still won their first title at Southeast Asian football championship with a 4-2 win in total after two legs.

Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat saved an early penalty and Safee Sali netted his fifth goal of the tournament to take Malaysia to the final victory.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Indonesia staged in the game more aggressively in a bid to cut the deficit.

Mohammad Nasuha pulled back a goal with 18 minutes remaining and Muhammad Ridwan scored with a deflected effort two minutes from time to give Indonesia the win.

Malaysian Ashari Samsuddin launched the ball forward to Safee, who outpaced the Indonesian defense before lashing the ball into the top left corner of the net for his tournament-leading fifth goal.

The crowd, which included Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, had filled every seat in the 85,000-capacity stadium nearly two hours before kick-off, hoping to roar their team on to the quick start that they needed to turn the tie around after their decisive loss in the first leg.

The Indonesian continued to press but could not manage another breakthrough until the 88th minute when Ridwan's shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off a Malaysian defender on its way past Khairul.

Bambang had a chance to net a third for the Indonesians in stoppage time but his free-kick was well saved by Khairul as the Malaysians easily hung on to claim the title.

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Malaysia win their first ASEAN Cup

Mohd Safee Sali of Malaysia (right) scores one goal in the AFF Suzuki Cup second leg final match in Jakarta. Malaysia win 4-2 on aggregate while Safee became the best score of the tournament with fifth goal. — AFP/VNA Photo

HA NOI — Malaysia beat Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate to win the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup for the first time in the country's history yesterday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

A loss of 1-2 to the hosts in the final's second leg match could not stop Malaysia from opening a new chapter in the history of the regional football tournament which up until now had been dominated by three-time winners Thailand and Singapore.

Mohd Safee Sali opened the scoring for Malaysia nine minutes after the break. Until then Indonesia had made things difficult for their opponents, attacking aggressively with a view to levelling the three-goal deficit they faced after the first leg match.

The talented player who scored twice in the semi-final against Viet Nam got his goal after he received a long-range pass and shot truly into the net.

The goal made him the top striker of the tournament with five goals to his name.

Indonesia, with their President watching on, found their equaliser in the 71th minute when defender Mohammad Nasuha scored from near the edge of the box.

His team doubled their tally 17 minutes later when Muhammad Ridwan scored his third goal at the tournament. His strong shot deflected off a Malaysian player before entering the net.

Malaysia are surprise winners of the tournament. At the previous championship two years ago they were ousted in the qualifying round.

This time they were placed in the ‘group of death' together with Thailand and Indonesia and after their humiliating 1-5 loss to hosts Indonesia in the group stage, no one gave them a chance.

The team only made it through to the knockout stage after Thailand, the most powerful team in Southeast Asia, were eliminated from the championship.

However, after that they had a complete reversal of form. First there was a great 2-0 victory over defending champion Viet Nam in the semi-final and then a 3-0 victory over Indonesia in the final's first leg on Sunday.

It has been be a very successful year for Malaysia with two important titles going to them in the last twelve months. Last December Malaysia defeated Viet Nam 1-0 to claim the Southeast Asian Games Cup.

Yesterdays' match did not help Indonesia's coach Alfred Riedl shake off his ‘Mr Silver' moniker. Once again, he pocketed a silver medal, just as he has done on every single occasion he has taken a team to a tournament final. The previous occasions were when he worked with Viet Nam several years back. — VNS

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Indonesia edge Philippines to reach AFF Cup finals

Defending champions Vietnam eliminated, Malaysia through

Indonesia's Cristian Gonzales (L) challenges Philippines Anton Edward Del for the ball during their second leg semi-final match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) 2010 soccer tournament in Jakarta on Sunday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – Host Indonesia reached the final game of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after defeating Philippines 1-0 in the second leg semifinal at Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday.

The superb goal by Uruguayan-born striker Cristian Gonzales in the 42nd minute gave the Indonesian side a fifth consecutive victory in the championship that set up a final with Malaysia, who tied champions Vietnam 0-0 on Saturday to win a 2-0 on aggregate.

The Filipinos entered the game with a huge task of scoring at least 2 goals and keeping their net clean if they were to go into the final. If the Philippines scored just a single goal and keep a clean sheet against Indonesia, the match would go to extra time and a penalty shootout later.

Meanwhile, the Indonesians only needed a draw to advance to the finals, having beaten the Philippines 1-0 in the first leg semifinal on Thursday at Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

However, what took place on the field on Sunday were beyond the Philippines.

The Indonesians placed pressure on their opponents in the first minutes while coach Simon McMenemy’s team played aggressively right in the beginning but no goals were scored in 40 minutes of the first half.

The joy just came in the 42nd minute when Gonzales, who scored the only goal for the Indonesian side in the 31st minute in the first leg semifinal, easily defeated Filipino goalie Neil Etheridge with a unstoppable free-kick from outside the penalty box.  

Both sides had some scoring chances in the second half but all their kicks were denied by the Indonesian goalkeeper Markus Rihihina and Filipino goalie Neil Etheridge.

Philippines played with ten men in the last minutes of the game when striker Chris  Greatwich was sent off with a second yellow card. The hosts exploited this advantage and put more pressure on the Filipino defending line but their forwarders failed to score.

With the victory, three-time finalists Indonesia made their fourth appearance in the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup.
This year’s biennial ASEAN championship will see new champions as none of the former champions reached the finals.

Indonesia will travel to Kuala Lumpur for the first leg of the final on December 26, with the return match in Jakarta on December 29.

* Defending champions Vietnam ended their campaign at AFF Suzuki Cup after tying 0-0 in their second leg semifinal against Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday, giving their archrivals a 2-0 aggregate victory to go through to the finals.

Vietnam’s coach Henrique Calisto made some changes from a 0-2 loss to Malaysia in the first leg at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, goalkeeper Duong Hong Son replacing Bui Tan Truong while midfielders Phan Van Tai Em, Nguyen Trong Hoang and defender Doan Viet Cuong made the lineup from the beginning. 

Though Malaysia beat Vietnam 2-0 in the first leg, coach K. Rajagobal seemed cautious, saying before the game that despite their 2-0 victory in their home ground, they should concentrate, not letting Vietnamese players upset them.

Vietnam were on the attack from the start of the game in search of a goal. The home side players dominated the ball possession throughout the first half but Malaysian goalie Khairul Fahmi denied all of their efforts.

It was just a one-way game as Malaysia players resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet. However, Vietnam faced more difficulties when midfielder Pham Thanh Luong was sent off with his second yellow card in the 72nd minute.

South Korean referee Kim Sang-woo decided a second yellow card after the midfielder deliberately flopped in the penalty box while Malaysian defender Kunanlan did not touch him.

Vietnam coach Henrique Calisto replaced striker Nguyen Viet Thang with Nguyen Anh Duc, and added forward Nguyen Quang Hai to the front line in the last minutes. The Vietnamese players continued to dominate but failed to convert any opportunities in last minutes. Malaysia reached the AFF Suzuki Cup finals for the first time since 1996.

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Indonesia edge Philippines to reach AFF Cup finals

Defending champions Vietnam eliminated, Malaysia through

Indonesia's Cristian Gonzales (L) challenges Philippines Anton Edward Del for the ball during their second leg semi-final match at the 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) 2010 soccer tournament in Jakarta on Sunday - Photo: Reuters

HCMC – Host Indonesia reached the final game of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 after defeating Philippines 1-0 in the second leg semifinal at Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday.

The superb goal by Uruguayan-born striker Cristian Gonzales in the 42nd minute gave the Indonesian side a fifth consecutive victory in the championship that set up a final with Malaysia, who tied champions Vietnam 0-0 on Saturday to win a 2-0 on aggregate.

The Filipinos entered the game with a huge task of scoring at least 2 goals and keeping their net clean if they were to go into the final. If the Philippines scored just a single goal and keep a clean sheet against Indonesia, the match would go to extra time and a penalty shootout later.

Meanwhile, the Indonesians only needed a draw to advance to the finals, having beaten the Philippines 1-0 in the first leg semifinal on Thursday at Geloga Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

However, what took place on the field on Sunday were beyond the Philippines.

The Indonesians placed pressure on their opponents in the first minutes while coach Simon McMenemy’s team played aggressively right in the beginning but no goals were scored in 40 minutes of the first half.

The joy just came in the 42nd minute when Gonzales, who scored the only goal for the Indonesian side in the 31st minute in the first leg semifinal, easily defeated Filipino goalie Neil Etheridge with a unstoppable free-kick from outside the penalty box.  

Both sides had some scoring chances in the second half but all their kicks were denied by the Indonesian goalkeeper Markus Rihihina and Filipino goalie Neil Etheridge.

Philippines played with ten men in the last minutes of the game when striker Chris  Greatwich was sent off with a second yellow card. The hosts exploited this advantage and put more pressure on the Filipino defending line but their forwarders failed to score.

With the victory, three-time finalists Indonesia made their fourth appearance in the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup.
This year’s biennial ASEAN championship will see new champions as none of the former champions reached the finals.

Indonesia will travel to Kuala Lumpur for the first leg of the final on December 26, with the return match in Jakarta on December 29.

* Defending champions Vietnam ended their campaign at AFF Suzuki Cup after tying 0-0 in their second leg semifinal against Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday, giving their archrivals a 2-0 aggregate victory to go through to the finals.

Vietnam’s coach Henrique Calisto made some changes from a 0-2 loss to Malaysia in the first leg at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, goalkeeper Duong Hong Son replacing Bui Tan Truong while midfielders Phan Van Tai Em, Nguyen Trong Hoang and defender Doan Viet Cuong made the lineup from the beginning. 

Though Malaysia beat Vietnam 2-0 in the first leg, coach K. Rajagobal seemed cautious, saying before the game that despite their 2-0 victory in their home ground, they should concentrate, not letting Vietnamese players upset them.

Vietnam were on the attack from the start of the game in search of a goal. The home side players dominated the ball possession throughout the first half but Malaysian goalie Khairul Fahmi denied all of their efforts.

It was just a one-way game as Malaysia players resiliently held out to keep a clean sheet. However, Vietnam faced more difficulties when midfielder Pham Thanh Luong was sent off with his second yellow card in the 72nd minute.

South Korean referee Kim Sang-woo decided a second yellow card after the midfielder deliberately flopped in the penalty box while Malaysian defender Kunanlan did not touch him.

Vietnam coach Henrique Calisto replaced striker Nguyen Viet Thang with Nguyen Anh Duc, and added forward Nguyen Quang Hai to the front line in the last minutes. The Vietnamese players continued to dominate but failed to convert any opportunities in last minutes. Malaysia reached the AFF Suzuki Cup finals for the first time since 1996.

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Indonesia relieved after nervous finish

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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Indonesia rout Laos 6-0

Photo: AFF

Hosts Indonesia kept their AFF Suzuki Cup dreams on track when they sensationally swept Laos aside 6-0 last night to emerge champions of Group A even though they still have one more match to play.

Indonesia have six points while Thailand and Malaysia will have to fight for the remaining semifinal slot.

Thailand, one of the pre-tournament favourites, dug themselves into a spot when despite dominating the match ended up sharing points with Malaysia. With two points in the bag, Thailand now have to beat Indonesia to advance.

At the Gelora Bung Karno last night, in front of over 40,000 fans, Indonesia knew what they had to do and took the fight opened the floodgates with a 26th minute penalty converted by skipper Firman Utina. Muhammad Ridhwan doubled the score just seven minutes later and the score remained until the break.

Five minutes after resumption, Indonesia continued their spree with a superb strike from Firman, his second of the match. Irfan Harrys Bachdim struck his second goal of the event when he made a lovely run into the box, easing past his markers to make 4-0 in the 62nd minute. Substitute Arif Suyono scored six minutes after coming on for Ridhwan. The speedy Oktovianus Maniani completed the rout in the 80th minute.

“It was a big win and I credit the players for their untiring efforts. Although we are already in the semifinals, we will not take it easy against Thailand in our last match,” said Alfred Ridle, head coach of Indonesia.

For Laos the loss was a bitter blow following their superb performance against Thailand two days earlier. But as coach David Booth explained: “Against a team like Indonesia or for that matter Thailand or Malaysia, you just can’t afford to make mistakes, you have to minimize them. Unfortunately, we conceded a penalty and then the second goal. It was difficult for a team like ours to bounce back, we are not that strong.”

Booth said that instead of keeping the score down, the team decided to go for the game. “We did not sit back, unfortunately it did not work. And then we conceded the early goal in the second half.”

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Vietnam wins U-16 football competition

HCMC – Vietnam won the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-16 Championships title after beating China 1-0 in the final in Indonesia on Sunday, while East Timor won third place after trouncing host Indonesia 2-0 earlier in the day.

Vietnam’s coach Hoang Van Phuc was confident before taking on China in the final game as his team had won by one goal over China in the opener.

The Vietnamese placed pressure on the China defending lines from the start and they dominated the game in the first half but couldn’t convert.

The Vietnamese in the crowd waited till the 44th minute to celebrate, when Van Nam took a kick in the penalty box beating the Chinese goalie.

Coach Phuc made some strategic changes in the second half to play more defensively and rely on rare counter attacks.

Neither Vietnam nor China looked like scoring throughout the last half, despite some strong China attacks.

It was the third victory of the national U-16 football squad in the tournament. Vietnam had earned a 1-0 victory over China in the opener, 1-0 win over Indonesia in the second game and a 1-2 loss to East Timor in the third game.

The Vietnamese team included the best seven players from Danang U-17 team, the champions of the national U-17 football championship. The rest were from the 10 clubs around the country including Song Lam Nghe An, Hanoi T&T and Hoa Phat Hanoi.

The U-16 teams of Vietnam, China, East Timor, and hosts Indonesia competed in the tournament from September 20 to 26 in Indonesia.

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VN favourites for regional cup

HCM CITY — The draw for the Asean Football Federation (AFFC) Suzuki Cup 2010 in Ha Noi on Wednesday appeared like any other, but it was a significant event for Vietnamese football.

For the first time in the competition's 14-year history, Viet Nam were seeded first.

Although Viet Nam are the reigning champions, the top seeding caps the country's remarkable progress since it rejoined regional football as a fully independent nation only 19 years ago.

The national football team at that time was an enigma to then-strong teams like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

On Viet Nam's debut at the region's largest sporting event, the 1991 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, Viet Nam were drawn in Group B with Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

They drew 2-2 with the Philippines but lost 2-1 to Malaysia and 1-0 to Indonesia and failed to qualify for the semi-final.

At the following Singapore SEA Games in 1993, Viet Nam showed progress, beating the Philippines for the first time but eventually went home after the group stages, losing 1-0 to Indonesia and 2-0 to Singapore.

Turning point

The turning point in Vietnamese football came in Thailand when they sprung a surprise at the 18th SEA Games in 1995, by winning a silver medal after losing to Thailand in the final.

After losing to the eventual winners in their opener, they beat Indonesia, a very strong team at that time. They went on to defeat Cambodia 4-0 before further progressing with a 2-0 win over Malaysia.

Winning streak

Their winning streak continued with a last gasp victory over Myanmar in the semi-final before eventually succumbing to Thailand in the final.

This year's tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Viet Nam and Indonesia in December with the two top teams from each group progressing into the semi-finals, which will be played in two-leg matches.

Viet Nam enter the championships as number one seeds. Winning the trophy for a second time would see Viet Nam pull along side Thailand and Singapore among the Southeast Asian elite.

Viet Nam are in the same group as Singapore, Myanmar and the runners-up of the final qualifying round between Laos, Cambodia, Timor Leste and the Philippines.

According to Viet Nam coach Henrique Calisto, the draw is favourable for the defending champions, and Vietnamese football fans may well be in for more noisy celebrating. — VNS

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