Tabriz: Indonesia survived a late Vietnamese revival to defeat their Southeast Asian rivals 7-5 in their AFC U-20 Futsal Championship IR Iran 2019 quarter-finals at the Pour Sharifi Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.
Indonesia will face the winners of the Thailand-Afghanistan tie, who play later on Tuesday, in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Indonesian goalkeeper Ahmad Habiebie returned between the posts after serving a one-match ban, but was hardly called into action in the opening minutes as the young Garuda held the lion’s share of possession, but struggled to beat Vietnam custodian Nguyen Tang Dinh.
Vietnam, who were alert in defence, kept Indonesia at bay but an error by Dao Cong Hoang in the seventh minute almost gave their Southeast Asian rivals a head start when Mohammad Afif Rizky dispossessed Cong Hoang in the final third, but Tang Dinh was alert to thwart the danger.
At the 10th minute mark, the deadlock was broken when Indonesian captain Ramadhan Zidani and Abdussalam exchanged quick passes on the left flank which led to the skipper opening his tournament account with a strike from a tight angle.
It could have been 2-0 for Indonesia just a minute later when Vietnam’s Huynh Mi Woen was penalised for a harsh tackle on Muhammad Syaifullah that earned him a yellow card, but Muhammad Sanjaya’s subsequent free-kick smashed the upright.
Indonesia’s second goal, however, came in the 15th minute when Zidani outmuscled Ha Duc Ngoc for the ball in the final third, before setting up Syaifullah for a clean finish that beat Tang Dinh from close range.
After committing their fifth foul moments later, Indonesia resorted to long range passes as Vietnam became increasingly aggressive.
A sixth foul was committed in the final 22 seconds of the first period, but Nhan Gia Hung’s spot-kick was denied by Habiebie’s left foot that ensured the Indonesians took a two-goal lead into the half-time break.
Vietnam returned in the second half with man-to-man pressing that forced the Indonesians into a defensive formation, but Sayan Karmadi’s side weathered the storm having experienced such pressure against Iraq in the group stage.
Two minutes into the second half, Indonesia moved on a counter-attack that saw Muhammad Rizki Xavier and Syaifullah surging down the court, with Syaifullah taking the final touch to double his personal tally.
Indonesia grew in confidence and found their fourth goal in the 25th minute when Sanjaya dribbled past Vietnamese captain Chao Doan Phat in front of the box and drilled the ball home with a right-footed effort.
Vietnam head coach Truong Quoc Tuan then opted for power play in the 26th minute with An Lam Toi occasionally stepping in, but Indonesia showed discipline and made it 5-0 a minute later when Abdussalam intercepted a pass before giving Muh Agung Pandega the finishing touch inside the box.
Vietnam’s power play did prove effective in the 29th minute with Gia Hung slotting in Woen’s rebound from close range, but Indonesia restored their five-goal advantage in the 32nd minute through’s Pandega’s effort from across the court.
In a similar sequence of events, Vietnam reduced their deficit in the 34th minute through Nguyen Huynh Thanh Huy’s effort after Habiebie had blocked three attempts on goal in the span of 10 seconds, but it was short lived as Pandega completed his hat-trick a minute later with a long range shot.
The young Golden Dragons displayed some incredible fighting spirit, refusing to give up and found three back-to-back goals through Huynh Thanh Huy, Lam Toi and Mi Woen in the 38th, 39th and 40th minutes but it wasn’t enough as Indonesia advanced to what will be their first appearance in the semi-finals.
Sayan Karmadi: Indonesia head coach
“It was a really good game. We played as we trained and we had expected some of Vietnam’s playing style. We had an issue with defence against power play, but I’m very happy with the result. In power play, the players must be in full concentration, but at the same time Vietnam have really good players, and I guess ours were tired and lost focus. This is the one thing we need to fix before the semi-final game.”
Truong Quoc Tuan: Vietnam head coach
“Our players are young and lost control of the game, as the first goal was unexpected. I think power play is a style of a game that you can win or lose. I thought it was good that we made that move after the second half. The games in AFC tournaments like this is always good for the betterment of future players.”
Source: the-afc.com