Thaindian News

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (BNO NEWS) — Indonesia’s national football squad was beaten 3-0 by Malaysia in the first leg of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup final on Sunday.

Indonesia had not played an away game during the whole tournament and Sunday’s game became a difficult one with a large Malaysian crowd celebrating each of the three goals at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. A notably nervous Indonesian team allowed three goals in just 12 minutes.

The game was stalled in the 54th minute after Indonesian goalkeeper Markus complained of being shot at with laser beams, which limited his visibility. The game, however, continued and Malaysia scored in minutes 53, 71, and 68. Forward Mohd Safee scored the first two, while midfielder Mohamad Ashari chipped in the last one.

Despite Indonesia beating Malaysia 5-1 in a previous match during the cup, the team’s head coach, 61-year-old Austrian Alfred Riedl, said there was only a small chance the team could recover as they need a similar 4-goal victory to take the cup.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the team not to ‘lose heart’ and not to ‘blame each other’ after watching the match live from his home in Cikeas, Bogor. He went on to encourage Indonesians across the country to continue supporting the national squad.

This is Malaysia’s first final in 14 years and first victory over Indonesia since 1979. The second leg is scheduled to take place in Jakarta on Wednesday.