AFF U19: Malaysia edge Indonesia in shootout, Myanmar send Thais out

Malaysia and Indonesia battled to the very end in what was a thrilling AFF Under-19 Championship semi-final that had to be decided by penalties after the match was tied at 1-1 at full time. It was heartbreak for the hosts and their fans at the Gelora Delta Stadium when they went down fighting 3-2 in the shootout.

Indonesia scored the fastest goal of the tournament, through Polish-based star Egy Maulana, when they were awarded a penalty in the first minute. Malaysia replied with a fine header from Muhammad Syaiful Alias in the 15^th minute.

In the shootout, Indonesia’s Muhamad Luthfi Kamal and Todd Ferre were on the mark while Witan Sulaeman, Firza Andika and Hanis Saghara Putra failed to convert. Malaysia meanwhile scored through Shivan Pillay Asokan, Nabil Hakim Bokhari and Nik Akif Syahiran to advance.

Malaysia will now face Myanmar, which stunned defending champions Thailand in the earlier semi-final with a late strike from Win Naing Tun, in the final on Saturday evening. Malaysia and Myanmar were winners and runners-up respectively in the group stage. In the last Group B game, Malaysia edged Myanmar 1-0 to finish at the top of the standings.

In the match, the Indonesian players, possibly due to the immense pressure on them, missed three penalties. The Malaysian keeper Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani was the hero when he saved two kicks while Firza blew his attempt over the bar, handing the victory to their archrivals.

Fans began queuing up at the ticket counters from midnight, by morning, there was a massive crowd queuing up. By 9.20am, just over an hour after the booths opened, all 26,000 tickets were snapped up by the eager fans. Hopes were running high among local fans that their team would force a repeat of 2013 when they sensationally won this title here.

After Myanmar shocked Thailand in the first semi-final game, their hopes soared even higher, as the fans felt that beating Myanmar in the final would likely be easier than against Thailand. For the record, Indonesia went down to Thailand in the last group game.

Long before the kicked-off, the Indonesian fans were already singing and chanting, setting the stage for a grand semi-final showdown between two massive rivals. All eyes, and a whole load of hopes, were on Egy Maulana who arrived from Poland yesterday. Egy was named instead of regular playmaker Todd Ferre, who had played a crucial role in getting Indonesia into the semis.

When the game kicked-off, Egy almost immediately made his presence count. Barely 30 seconds into the game, Saddil Ramdani was brought down in the box. Egy stepped up and made no mistake, to the absolute delight of the crowd. Their celebrations however died down 14 minutes later when Malaysia drew level.

Nabil Hakim Bokhari, off a freekick, floated the ball towards the far corner, forcing goalkeeper Muhamad Riyandi to push it out for a corner. From that ensuing corner, the Indonesian keeper again punched it out again. This time, Nabil sent his corner kick over the defence and towards the far post for midfielder Muhammad Syaiful Alias to head the ball in.

There was furious action down both sides, aggressive play at times. Both sides had their fair share of attempts which all failed to find the mark. It was the same story after the break as the players gave it their all but unable to score, leading the game to a dreaded shootout. The final score was 4-3 in favour of the Malaysians.

In the other semi-final, Myanmar started as the underdogs today but they defied the odds to surprise the defending champions with a fine goal three minutes from the end of the game, just when many expected it to stretch into the shootout.

With the clocking rapidly ticking away, Myanmar launched a quick counter-attack with Myat Kaung Khant leading break. He spotted Win Naing Tun speeding down the right and passed. Naing Tun ran in and neatly placed his low shot beyond goalkeeper Noppon Lakhonphon.

Thailand did not start with several key players, including striker Matee Sarakum and Sittichok. Whether they were saving these players for later is not clear. They brought in Matee in the 58^th minute to add more bite to the attack which had in the first half missed a number of shots. With still no goals to show, Sittichok came on in the 72^nd minute. Both had scored in earlier matches but while they created several chances, it was not enough to get them into the final to defend their title.

“The players were disciplined and stuck to the game plan, and made very few mistakes along the way. Our defence did well today. We don’t know who we will play in the final but it does not matter, we will face anyone,” said a delighted Myo Hlaing Win, the Myanmar coach.

Thai coach Ithsara Sritharo admitted that his team was not at its best. “Our biggest problem was the players’ physical condition. We will work hard and get ready for the AFC Under-19 later this year.” 

The Indonesian fans who were in the stadium early, supported the Myanmar players and cheered them on as they left the pitch jubilant.

SEMIFINAL RESULTS 

FIXTURES

July 14

3^rd-4^th placing: Thailand vs Indonesia

FINAL: Malaysia vs Myanmar

For the complete results and fixtures, please go to http://www.aseanfootball.org/v3/aff-u19-championship-2018/#1526567058939-ef16c19b-91be

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