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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Campaign to preserve folk festivals

Vietnam should carry out a long-term campaign to conserve and develop
folk festivals because people from industrialised countries are
fascinated by culture of agricultural societies, experts say.

The Tin tuc (News) newspaper cited the experts as saying that the
campaign should heighten public awareness of the need to preserving the
nation's folk culture and at the same time, intensify to research into
rituals and festivals with a view to restoring them authentically.

Concerned agencies should create favourable conditions for the
festivals to thrive by supporting ethnic minorities develop economically
and improve their living standards.

They stressed
the need for macro-level policies to manage and organise these festivals
regularly, preserve the national character, and promote the traditional
skills and talents of residents, in making various handicraft items for
instance.

Folk festivals are "live museums" of
cultural and historical value and they play a big part in attracting
visitors to the country, the paper said.

In 2000 –
when the national programme of action on tourism was launched – the
sector chose to develop products associated with 15 major festivals
typical to various regions and ethnic minorities.

These included the Long Tong Festival celebrated by the Tay people­the
earliest known ethnic group in Vietnam , the Kate Festival of the
Cham people and the Ooc Om Bok Festival of the Khmer people.

While the programme aimed to respect and conserve the nation's
tradition while meeting the demand of tourists, there have been several
inadequacies in implementation, said Hoang Thi Diep, deputy director
general of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

She said the organising of folk festivals of ethnic minorities in
several instances left a lot to be desired because they were
"supplemented with modern and miscellaneous cultural aspects" that
robbed the events of their authenticity, disappointing visitors.

Some festivals were overly commercialised and some even took advantage of superstitions, Diep said.

Le Thi Minh Ly, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage Department
under the Ministry of Culture and Information, said it was necessary to
spread accurate information via mass media about the festivals so
visitors can also respect and not destroy the festive environment.

"Authorities in localities should also make residents aware of the
risk of commercialising their traditional festivals, as also not misuse
them for gambling and other negative activities," Ly said.

It is estimated that 7,966 festivals are held every year nationwide, 88 per cent of which are folk festivals.

Festivals of ethnic minorities are usually linked to their daily lives
and a valuable social and cultural resource that need to be preserved
well, experts said./.

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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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VFF announce TV deal

HA NOI – The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) officially announced a 20-year deal for the V-League television rights with cable TV provider Audio Vision Global (AVG) last weekend worth VND6 billion (US$300,000) per year.

The national football championship has been a money-spinner for the VFF since 2004, when Viet Nam Television paid VND4 billion ($200,000) to broadcast the V-League.

AVG, which is licensed to operate a satellite and digital television service, plans to launch a 70-channel TV package late next year.

The cable TV provider, a member of the An Vien Group, was established in 2008 with a charter capital of VND1,800 billion ($85 million).

It's the first ever TV copyright to be signed between a private television company and a sports federation in Viet Nam.

AVG also signed a 20-year TV rights contract with the Viet Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) last week.

However, a VAF representative refused to declare how much the deal was worth, but said AVG would broadcast five to seven national tournaments each year. – VNS

To be updated

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Hung wins final silver for Viet Nam in 400m

HA NOI — Le Duc Hung added another medal to Viet Nam's tally when he took silver in the men's 400m on the penultimate day of competition in Guangzhou's Asian ParaGames on Saturday.

Hung took second place in the T11 class race with a time of 57.87sec. The closely fought contest ended in a photo finish with line honours going to Thailand's Jorchuy Kitsana.

Hung's teammate Dao Van Cuong, who is the current Asian record holder, finished third in 58.38sec, which was almost three seconds slower than his time of 55.42sec in the previous Games in Qatar.

Cuong set the Asian record of 54.36sec in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics.

Earlier, female duo Kim Van and Hoa Phuong grabbed bronze for Viet Nam in the women's TT6-10 class table tennis. The pair defeated their Filipino rivals 3-2 in the bronze medal play-off match. Hosts China took the champion title after beating South Korea 3-0 in the final.

In six days of competitions, the 57-member Viet Nam earned three gold, four silver and 10 bronze medals, leaving them eleventh overall in the rankings.

The national team did not reach the target that they set themselves before departing for Guanzhou. They had aimed to win at least five golds from the six sports that they took part in.

The poor result was partly attributed to cold weather in the city; this prevented several Vietnamese athletes from competing and stopped others from performing at their peak. — VNS

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Malaysia close in on AFF Cup

HA NOI — Malaysia sent Viet Nam crashing out of the AFF Suzuki Cup with a goalless draw in their semi-final second leg at Ha Noi's My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.

Malaysia made the final of the biennial championship for the first time in 14 years following the 2-0 advantage they earned in Kuala Lumpur four days ago.

After the game, chief coach K. Rajagobal said that although the football might not have been entertaining, they totally deserved the result.

"I cannot express what I feel right now. The players showed the real ‘harimau' – the Malaysian tiger. We knew that it was going to be a tough match but we were confident and we were disciplined in defence and followed the game plan," said Rajagobal.

"The first 15 to 20 minutes were crucial and we knew if we conceded a goal it would spell trouble for us. Our defence was good considering two of them are under 21 years old, it speaks volumes about their future.

"I told them tonight, we must play simple and while it might look ugly, we just have to make the clearance, no matter what. Our captain [Safiq Rahim] is a naturally attacking player but tonight, he was told to play deeper and he did."

The onus was always going to be on Viet Nam and in front of a sell-out crowd of 40,000, the home team wasted no time in pushing forward from South Korean referee Kim Sang-woo's first whistle.

The return of Nguyen Trong Hoang gave more bite on the left flank and he made Malaysian leftback Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar work overtime to ensure his crosses did not make into the Malaysian box.

In the ninth minute, Hoang shot through a sea of legs but there were no takers at the far post.

Barely a minute later, tragedy struck for Viet Nam with Phan Van Tai Em stretchered off with a suspected broken arm following a clash with Malaysia's Mohd Safee Sali.

His replacement, Le Tan Tai, took over where he had left off and his double shot saw Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat rise to the occasion.

Malaysia's only chance in the first half was a curling shot from Norshahrul Idlan Talaha which narrowly missed the upright.

Viet Nam did not let up on the pressure in the second half but they just couldn't seem to find a way past Khairul as he stood firm to frustrate the home team.

In the 62nd minute, Viet Nam should have taken the lead but lanky striker Nguyen Viet Thang could only head Pham Thanh Luong's cross tamely into the path of Khairul.

About ten minutes later, Viet Nam's frustration was complete when Luong took a dive in the box leaving the referee with little choice but to show him his second yellow card of the game.

"I'm responsible for the loss, don't criticise the players. If you need to criticise anyone, criticise me," said Viet Nam chief coach Henrique Calisto at the post match press conference.

"We did not lose here, we lost in Kuala Lumpur and I think that we were the better team over both legs. Sometimes, we win and sometimes we lose – that's life. Show me a coach who never loses.

"The loss of Luong was unfortunate although I agreed with the referee's decision."

Malaysia will meet with Indonesia who defeated the Philippines 1-0 in the second semi-final match yesterday. —VNS

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