Futbol (Soccer Forums)

[dxjayrock2008]

Riedl not concerned at playing away

Indonesia chief Alfred Riedl is not worried of facing a passionate Malaysian crowd ahead of their AFF Suzuki Cup final encounter.
Riedl will lead his charges outside of Jakarta for the first time in this tournament when they tackle Malaysia in their first leg tie final at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia hosted their group games and also played both legs of their semi-final matches against the Philippines at their intimidating Gelora Bung Karno Stadium as the latter could not arrange a venue required for the game.
However, the Austrian coach believes that contrary to popular notion, his side will thrive in their opponents' backyard.
"Of course I can't say how the reaction will be ahead of the match but I don't think that it will have too much of an effect on our players," he told www.affsuzukicup.com.

"I'm not sure how the players will react because we had no chance to play away in our semi-final against the Philippines.

"It might have been easier to play one of those semi-final games in Manila because they might have opened things up a bit more in front of their home fans. Because they had to play both games in Jakarta, they closed the field and made things very tight.

"I don't know how Malaysia will approach this match though so we will have to wait and see."

Whilst Riedl is quietly confident about his side's chances of lifting their first ever AFF Suzuki Cup crown, he cannily noted that the Malaysians are no easy meat, despite their 5-1 loss to the former in their group opener.
"I am confident now but I was also confident to win it with Vietnam in 1998 but we lost to a better team," said Riedl, who oversaw Vietnam's 1-0 loss to Singapore on home soil 12 years ago.

"We don't know how the match will run. We will try but you cannot forget that Malaysia are a very good defensive team. They did not concede a goal against Thailand in the group stage and they did not concede in both semi-final games against Vietnam."
Indonesia will have some fitness concerns with skipper Firman Utina, leading marksman Cristian Gonzales and winger Oktovianus Maniani arriving in Kuala Lumpur with slight injuries.
Forward Irfan Bachdim has recovered from his injury that saw him miss the second leg of the semi-final match while Riedl will have to decide between Yongki Aribowo, Bambang Pamungkas or Irfan to partner Gonzalez up front.

[dxjayrock2008]

"I'm lucky to coach this team"

Malaysia tactician K. Rajagobal is proud to be coaching talented youngsters who are searching for their first Suzuki Cup crown.
According to affsuzukicup.com, the Tigers have had to cope with a lengthy injury list and a morale-sapping 5-1 group opener thumping to Indonesia to reach their first final since the tournament's inception in 1996.
They will welcome rivals Indonesia at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Sunday before their second leg clash in Jakarta on December 29.
"As the coach of this team, I definitely feel proud and honoured that Malaysia has made it to the final for the first time in 14 years, not forgetting that the players have done their part to get us this far," said Rajagobal, who also led Malaysia's Under-23s to the SEA Games gold medal last December.

"This is a special team as they are the youngest team in the AFF Suzuki Cup. So it is definitely an achievement that we have got so far.

"They may be young players but they have been very consistent and they have been performing well in their matches. It's fortunate for me that it just happened that I am the one coaching the team."
With the younger players grabbing their chances gleefully with both hands, the older members of the squad such as Amri Yahyah and Razman Roslan have hardly been given a look-in since their Indonesia debacle as Malaysia marched all the way to the final.
Nevertheless, Rajagobal insists that the duo are still instrumental components of the squad.
"Because of all our injury problems before the tournament, I needed options in case we suffered more injuries during the tournament. Rasman and Amri are from Selangor, whose training base is very close to our FAM headquarters, and their team had started training early for the season, so they were our best options as cover.

"They have come in and while they have not played a lot, they have done their part. Amri has started and come on as a substitute in most of our games and he scored a couple of important goals against Laos.

"They have also contributed their experience and fit in well with their teammates.They have added to the atmosphere in the squad and also helped with advising and mentoring their younger teammates. But we still have two games to play so their experience may still come in handy for us."
Despite their 5-1 defeat to the Indonesians in their opening match of the 2010 edition, Rajagobal believes that his troops are undaunted about playing their opponents once again.
"We are now in the final and it's a whole different ball game. The first match is gone and we now stand a chance of winning the tournament, even though we consider Indonesia as the favourites.

"Now that we are in the final, we must give us our best shot. We cannot take it too easy like we did in the first game against Indonesia. Of course, the score didn't reflect our performance that day because it was individual mistakes that resulted in so many goals. But we must maintain our discipline and not make it too easy for them.

"Of course, we are very happy that we will have the home crowd behind us for the first leg because it will give us an extra spark as it did in the semi-finals against Vietnam. But more importantly, it will be the first time that Indonesia will be playing away from their home ground in this year's tournament and it will give us a chance to see just what they are made of."

Whilst midfielders Amirulhadi Zainal and Khyril Muhymen are both suffering from knee injuries, Amirulhadi took part in training on Friday and both of them are expected to feature.
"We have a couple of injuries and we will see how they are on Saturday, but everyone is preparing for the match as they normally would," Rajagobal said.

"Of course this is the final and so the feeling before the game is a bit different. But we have given the players all the training and information that they need and hopefully, they will come out strongly on Sunday.

"I'm expecting a big atmosphere at Bukit Jalil on Boxing Day, bigger than even the English Premier League."
Both Malaysia and Indonesia will be battling for their first ever AFF Suzuki Cup crown.

[dxjayrock2008]

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia picked up a handsome 3-0 win over arch rivals Indonesia in the first-leg of the final in the Suzuki Cup Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championships at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.


Mohd Safee Sali was the toast scoring a brace in the 60th and 73rd minutes while substitute Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin scored the other goal in the 67th minute to give Malaysia a comfortable three-goal cushion for the second-leg final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Malaysia had lost to Indonesia in the opening Group A match 1-5 in Jakarta on Dec 1.

Since the defeat the Malaysians have picked up momentum going three games undefeated - holding three-time winners Thailand (0-0), thrashing Laos (5-1) and knocking out defending champions Vietnam 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals last week.

Malaysia have never won the AFF series since the inaugural meet held in Singapore in 1996. They made the final in 1996 but lost to Thailand 0-1.

[dxjayrock2008]

Riedl rues defensive lapses
27-Dec-2010

Kuala Lumpur: Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl lamented the confusion in his defence which contributed to their heavy loss against Malaysia in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final on Sunday.

Riedl's side had been considered the heavy favourites before the match as they sought to give Indonesia their first ever AFF Suzuki Cup title.

But three goals in 12 second-half minutes at the Buki Jalil Stadium, two by Safee Sali and the other by substitute Ashari Samsuddin, saw the Indonesians slump to a 3-0 loss which seriously diminished their title hopes ahead of the return game in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The match went very normally in the first half and stayed that way early in the second half. But once they took a 1-0 lead, it changed everything. Malaysia got much more confident and our defence got more confused," said Riedl.

"Football can sometimes be very tough. Until now, we have had a very good tournament but after this match, there is a good chance that we might not win the final.

"Our defence has played well during the tournament but today, they were nowhere. They were too far away from their opponents when they had possession and that made it harder because Malaysia's two strikers, Norshahrul Idlan and Safee Sali are dangerous players who have good technique."

Riedl denied that playing away from home for the first time in the tournament adversely affected his players.

"We did not have a problem playing here. We controlled the game and until Malaysia took a 1-0 lead, the play was about 50-50. But an individual mistake by one of our defenders made a difference as it gave them a crucial goal.

"After they took a 1-0 lead, it was easy for them to play against us in the second half. The goals came very fast because our defence had not stabilised and they managed to score a second and a third. They might even have scored more goals because they had chances."

While the match was stopped for six minutes after Indonesia goalkeeper Markus Harison has lasers pointed at him by unruly fans, Riedl refused to use it as an excuse for the result.

"It affected our players especially our goalkeeper because they had lasers pointed at his face and I had to ask the fourth official to stop the game," Riedl said.

"Of course, the lasers affected our players but I think that falling behind 1-0 had more of an effect on them.

"I have to ask the players how badly it affected them but I think that the using the laser pointers on opponents is a bad thing for sport and for football and I hope that we can stop it."

The chances of Indonesia recovering from the heavy loss to win the title may be slim but Riedl is not about to throw in the towel.

"Of course it will be very, very difficult to win 4-0 in the return game although I think that winning 3-0 over 90 minutes is possible although the chances are slim.

"We were the clear favourites to win the tournament but after losing 3-0, we are now the outsiders. We will have to take a lot of risks and we must be patient. We will try but I think that we only have a five to 10 per cent chance of winning the tie."

"But the players have already got themselves psyched up for the match. Two minutes after the game, they said that they were going to Jakarta to win. There is still a chance and anything can happen in football."

[dxjayrock2008]

Robbie Kruse And Neil Kilkenny In Australia's Asian Cup Squad, No Ersan Gulum

Australia's Asian Cup squad has been named, with Kruse, Kilkenny and Ognenovski included but Ersan Gulum omitted.

By Chris Paraskevas

Dec 28, 2010 8:22:00 AM






Robbie Kruse, Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United (Getty Images)



Holger Osieck has named his 23-man Australia squad for the upcoming Asian Cup in Qatar.

The German manager has chosen in-form Melbourne Victory striker Robbie Kruse, Leeds United midfielder Neil Kilkenny and Asian Player of the Year Sasa Ognenovski.

One of the notable omissions is Besiktas defender Ersan Gulum, who according to Osieck has made it clear he now wants to represent Turkey instead of Australia.

“Obviously now he wants to play for Turkey," Osieck said in a teleconference today. "After seeing him play, I thought he’d be a good player down the road for Australia.

"He could play for another seven, eight years for Australia, so from that point of view, I feel really sorry it didn’t happen."

“I thought it was a done deal therefore I included him in the [preliminary] 50-man squad.

"Unfortunately things have turned around, in particular his father, who played a role. He said he should opt for Turkey.”

Osieck also said Robbie Kruse would feature on the pitch at some point in the tournament, rewarded for his goal-scoring exploits in the A-League.

He is joined by local players Matt McKay (Brisbane Roar), Jason Culina (Gold Coast United) and Jade North (Wellington Phoenix).

Kilkenny meanwhile receives his first call up to the national team since 2008, after making 18 starts for Leeds in the Championship this season.

The midfielder had been in the international wilderness after he claimed in the past that he was out of favour with former assistant manager Graham Arnold, who is no longer part of the national team set up.

Urawa Red Diamonds player Matthew Spiranovic is called up after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Dubai is the next stop for the players as they assemble for camp on January 3, with a warm-up friendly to be played against the UAE on January 5, before the Socceroos arrive in Doha a day later.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Nathan Coe (Sønderjysk Elitesport, Denmark), Brad Jones (Liverpool, England), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, England)

Defenders: David Carney (Blackpool, England), Jonathan McKain (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia), Lucas Neill (Galatasaray, Turkey), Jade North (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand), Sasa Ognenovski (Seongnam Ilhwa, South Korea), Matthew Spiranovic (Urawa Reds, Japan), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow, Russia)

Midfielders: Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers, England), Jason Culina (Gold Coast United, Australia), Richard Garcia (Hull City, England), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Mile Jedinak (Genclerbirligi, Turkey, Harry Kewell (Galatasaray, Turkey), Neil Kilkenny (Leeds United, England), Matthew McKay (Brisbane Roar, Australia), Carl Valeri (Sassualo, Italy)

Forwards: Nathan Burns (AEK Athens, Greece), Tim Cahill (Everton, England), Robbie Kruse (Melbourne Victory, Australia), Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough, England)

[dxjayrock2008]

South Korea's Park Chu-Young Ruled Out Of Asian Cup With Knee Injury

Striker Park Chu-Young will miss South Korea's Asian Cup campaign after injuring himself whilst celebrating a goal with Monaco.

By Chris Paraskevas

Dec 27, 2010 5:14:00 AM




South Korea have suffered a huge blow on the eve of the 2011 Asian Cup, with striker Park Chu-Young ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury.

Defender Hong Jeong-Ho has been called up as a replacement after the Korean Football Association confirmed 25 year-old Park would miss Asian football's showpiece event.

The striker has impressed with French side AS Monaco this season, making 16 starts in Ligue 1 and netting six times.

He was also a key figure for South Korea manager Cho Kwang-Rae, set to lead their attack, a burden that will now fall on the shoulders of captain Park Ji-Sung.

Despite being a natural winger, the Manchester United man will play up top due to the lack of other experienced striking alternatives.

Yoo Byung-Soo, Ji Dong-Won and Kim Shin-Wook are the other forwards in the squad but between them only have three caps.

“We will stick with the formation we had been working with in training and we will insert Park Ji-sung in Park Chu-young’s place at the Asian Cup,” manager Cho said.

Park damaged the cartilage in his right knee when teammates piled on top of him to celebrate his late winner against Sochaux on December 23.

[theleatherwallet]

That is awful for park chu. I wonder how common those injuries are

[dxjayrock2008]

That is awful for park chu. I wonder how common those injuries are

If someone tackles you from behind and hits your knee, you're gonna spend a couple of months on rehabilitation.

[dxjayrock2008]

Uzbekistan


Emerging as something of an Asian Cup dark horse in recent years with consecutive appearances in the quarter final of the competition, Uzbekistan have every reason to believe they can make an impact in Qatar.



Drawn alongside the hosts, Kuwait and China they have an excellent change of emerging from their group and improving the reputation of a team that played its first ever international in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

How They Qualified

Had only to deal with the UAE and Malaysia in their qualifying group after India gained direct passage into the tournament via their Challenge Cup victory. Ended up finishing second on goal difference to the UAE, losing just one match during their campaign (away against the UAE). Scored back-to-back 3-1 wins over Malaysia and also beat the UAE on the road 1-0.



Coach & Tactics

Vadim Abramov is a manager who by his own admission divides opinion in his home country, perhaps unsurprisingly given he succeeded famous former international Mirjalol Qosimov. Appointed in April of this year when his Lokomotiv Taskhent side were seven points clear at the top of the league, he has also been team manager at Bunyodkor and was in charge of the Uzbek Olympic outfit. When appointed to the senior side his role was described as being both that of manager and national director.

Star Player

Server Djeparov is a former AFC Player of the Year and is coming off the back of a very successful season with FC Seoul, whom he helped to a league and cup double. He is his country’s captain and their main attacking weapon, capable of picking out defence splitting passes, as well as being a threat from set-pieces.

Watch out also for striker Maksim Shatskikh, who is his country’s all time highest goal scorer at the age of 32. He will be partnered by Alexander Geynrikh, who is similarly proficient in front of goal at international level.

Fans’ Expectations

Uzbekistan’s qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup drew a lot of attention and interest back home, with a sense of pride about their efforts despite the fact that they finished in their group during the fourth round of qualifying (they finished first on goal difference in the previous round, ahead of Saudi Arabia). Abramov’s appointment means there are mixed feelings about the upcoming campaign.

Goal.com Prediction

Can definitely get out of the group stages but much will depend upon the attacking trio of Djeparov, Shatskikh and Gyenrikh, who between them can cause defences problems at the tournament. Expect them to sneak into the quarter finals but that's where their campaign mind end against higher profile opposition.

[satria_muda]

I think we will lose the cup tonight, Im expecting malaysia to use park the bus tactic.

btw IMO the best Uzbek players is Maxim Shatskikh, one of the best striker in Asia

[theleatherwallet]

If someone tackles you from behind and hits your knee, you're gonna spend a couple of months on rehabilitation.

bahaha if you only knew lol(3 knee surgeries and easily a years worth of physical therapy). Im saying though he got injured in the celebration not the play that lead to the goal. I havn't read the article though did someone just slide into him on accident?

[dxjayrock2008]

International Friendly Round-Up: Wins For Bahrain And Iraq As Qatar Hold Iran

Teams continue preparations for 2011 Asian Cup...

Dec 29, 2010 8:59:00 AM







Ismail Abdullateef scored the winner for Bahrain in thr 69th minute, following up from their 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan as they prepare for their Asian Cup campaign next month.

Salman Sharida's side had taken the lead courtesy of a Faouzi Aaish penalty on the half-hour mark before Bahaa Suleiman equalized for Jordan in the 60th minute.

Abdullateef popped up with the winner minutes later though, with his side set to take on Saudi Arabia on Friday and North Korea on January 4 as their preparations for Qatar 2011 continue.

Qatar 0-0 Iran

Hosts Qatar held powerhouses Iran to a scoreless draw, making it four matches without defeat for Bruno Metsu's men.

Pejman Nouri hit the crossbar for the Iranian's with 20 minutes remaining, while Sebastian Soria wasted Qatar's best chance earlier when he failed to beat goalkeeper Syed Rahmati.

Metsu will be sweating on the fitness of captain Yusuf Ahmed, who injured his wrist during the game and is awaiting diagnosis.

Iraq 1-0 Saudi Arabia

Star of the 2007 Asian Cup Younis Mahmoud gave defending champions Iraq a much needed bost ahead of the tournament, heading home the winner in the 24th minute against Saudi Arabia.

[dxjayrock2008]

Football Is More Than Just A Game - Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter is eagerly anticipating 2011 and is looking to show that football is more than just a game.

By Stefan Coerts

Dec 29, 2010 10:06:00 AM





Joseph Blatter, FIFA president (Getty Images)

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is eagerly anticipating 2011 and has made it clear that he's eager to show the world that football is so much more than just a game.

"The outstanding events of the year just gone by highlighted once again the social and cultural dimension of football. The first World Cup on African soil, which saw Spain emerge as new world champions, and the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, at which an African team reached the final for the first time, are just two examples of the universal power of our sport," said Blatter on the FIFA website.

"After such an eventful and exciting year, it is now time to focus our attention and efforts on the future. Football will continue to be at the core of our activities in 2011. The first highlight of the year will be the inaugural FIFA Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich on January 10, 2011.

"There will also be plenty of action at confederation level, including the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar from January 7, the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA and the Copa America in Argentina.

"FIFA’s and my personal mission for 2011 and the years that follow is clear: to show that 'football is more than just a game'. Through its social and cultural dimension, football connects people. Football is a school of life."

[b3lowzro]

Congrats Malaysia!

[dxjayrock2008]

China announce squad for AFC Asian Cup Wednesday, 29 December 2010 17:39


China have named a 23-man squad for next month’s AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ finals.
All except one player, Hao Junmin, plays in the domestic league. Hao turns out for German Bundesliga side Schalke 04.

China have been drawn in Group A alongside Qatar, Kuwait and Uzbekistan in the January 7-29 continental championship.

The squad, coached by Gao Hongbo, features only two players form CSL champions Shandong Luneng – midfielders Deng Zhouxiang and Zhou Haibin.

There are three players each from Beijing Guo’an, Zhejiang Lucheng and Shaanxi Zhongjian.

China squad:

Goalkeepers: Yang Zhi (Beijing Guo'an), Zeng Cheng (Henan Jianye), Guan Zhen (Jiangsu Shuntian).

Defenders: Du Wei (Zhejiang Lucheng), Rong Hao (Zhejiang Lucheng), Li Xuepeng (Dalian Shide), Zhao Peng (Henan Jianye), Wang Qiang (Changsha Jinde), Liu Jianye (Changsha Jinde), Zhang Linpeng (Shanghai Dongya), Li Jianbin (Chengdu).

Midfielders: Deng Zhuoxiang (Shandong Luneng), Wang Song (Zhejiang Lucheng), Yu Tao (Shanghai Shenhua), Zhou Haibin (Shandong Luneng), Yu Hai (Shaanxi Zhongjian), Qu Bo (Shaanxi Zhongjian), Zhao Xuri (Shaanxi Zhongjian), Yang Hao (Beijing Guo'an), Huang Bowen (Beijing Guo'an), Hao Junmin (Schalke 04, Germany).

Forwards: Gao Lin (Guangzhou), Yang Xu (Liaoning Hongyun).

[dxjayrock2008]

Indonesia 2 Malaysia 1 - Malaysia claim first title


29-Dec-2010


Jakarta: Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat saved an early penalty and Safee Sali netted his fifth goal of the tournament as Malaysia claimed the AFF Suzuki Cup title for the first time despite losing 2-1 to Indonesia in the second leg of final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Wednesday.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Indonesia squandered an opportunity to cut the deficit when Firman Utina's weak spot kick in the 19th minute was stopped by Khairul. And the home team's hopes of rescuing the match were effectively snuffed out when Safee scored on the break nine minutes into the second half.

Mohammad Nasuha pulled back a goal with 18 minutes remaining and Muhammad Ridwan scored with a deflected effort two minutes from time to give the home side the win on the night although Malaysia still prevailed 4-2 on aggregate.

The Malaysians had lost their opening match of the tournament 5-1 to the Indonesians but they claimed the AFF Suzuki Cup by allowing only three goals in their last five games. Meanwhile, the Indonesians were left to rue yet another disappointing end to an AFF Suzuki Cup campaign as they lost in the final for a fourth time.

Both sides made two changes to their starting line-ups from the first leg. Arif Suyono replaced the suspended Oktovianus Maniani on the left of Indonesia's midfield while striker Irfan Bachdim was brought back in to replace Yongki Aribowo, who was ruled out with a knee injury.

For Malaysia, right-back Sabre Abu and right midfielder Ashari Samsuddin came in for the suspended Mahalli Jasuli and Amirulhadi Zainal.

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 home side's first real opportunity arrived in the 17th minute when a long free-kick by Zulkifli Syukur was flicked on by Cristain Gonzales to his strike partner Irfan Bachdim, who stabbed his effort from close range straight at the goalkeeper.

The Indonesians were presented with a gilt-edged opportunity to take the lead two minutes later when Australian referee Peter Green awarded pointed to the penalty spot after spotting a handball by Malaysian defender Sabre Abu.

Skipper Firman took responsibility for the penalty but his weak effort was easily saved by Khairul, who dived low to his left.

The Malaysians were a constant menace on the counter-attack and they nearly got the crucial away goal a minute later when Ashari Samsuddin received a pass from Norshahrul Idlan and went past the challenge of Hamka Hamzah before unleashing a fierce low drive that goalkeeper Markus Harison did well to parry.

On 25 minutes, a cross from the right by-line by Ridwan took a deflection off Malaysian defender Asraruddin Putra and looped up to the far post to Gonzales, who failed to put his header on target.

A minute later, a free-kick by Firman found Ridwan and Gonzales unmarked at the far post, but the pair appeared to get in each other's way and Gonzales headed over.

Two minutes before the break, the ball dropped to Gonzales on the left of the box but his effort from a narrow angle flew well over the crossbar.

And right before half-time, the Malaysians had another lucky escape when Irfan outjumped Khairul to meet a corner-kick by Firman. The ball looped up and hit the crossbar before Muslim Ahmad headed it clear.

The Indonesians continued to force the issue after the break but despite dominating play, they were caught on the break in the 54th minute after giving away possession cheaply inside the Malaysian half.

Zulkifli Syukur's misplaced pass went straight to Ashari and the right-back launched the ball forward to Safee, who outpaced the Indonesian defence before lashing the ball with his left foot into the top left corner of the net for his tournament-leading fifth goal.

Needing five goals now to win the tie, Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl threw on Bambang Pamungkas and Eka Ramdani to replace Irfan and Firman.

The Malaysian continued to hold firm but their run of three clean sheets was finally ended in the 72nd minute when Khairul could only parry a shot by Ahmad Bustomi, which allowed Nasuha to put away the rebound, giving the home fans some renewed hope.

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 Muslim Ahmada 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.

[satria_muda]

congrats for malaysia,

although lost the cup, I'm satisfied in our NT in term of game playing, mentality and team spirit, we keep attacking them until the last wistle usually our player barely running in second half,

Riedl is the best Indonesia coach for long time since we had Henk wullems

[dxjayrock2008]

23-man squads finalised for Asian Cup Thursday, 30 December 2010 13:51


The final 23 players for each of the 16 teams taking part in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ have been finalised.

Coaches will be able to choose their 11 starting players and substitutes from the 23 names given to AFC by the December 28 deadline.

Click on each team to see the final player lists.

Group A
China

Kuwait

Qatar

Uzbekistan

Group B
Japan

Jordan
Saudi Arabia

Syria

Group C
Australia

Bahrain

India

Korea Republic

Group D
DPR Korea

Iran

Iraq

UAE

[dxjayrock2008]

Kashima Antlers And Shimizu S-Pulse To Contest Emperor's Cup Final

No joy for relegated FC Tokyo as they are dumped out at semi final stage.

By Cesare Polenghi

Dec 30, 2010 12:37:00 AM







Yuya Osako, Kashima Antlers (Getty Images)


After winning their semifinals, Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashima Antlers will clash on New Year’s Day for the 90th final of the Emperor’s Cup.

Shimizu S-Pulse 3-0 Gamba Osaka

It could have been the last game for S-Pulse manager Kenta Hasegawa after a life in orange for him, first as a player, then as a manager. It was instead Gamba Osaka players Lucas (returning to Brazil) and Michihiro Yasuda (transferring to Holland) who goodbye to their fans after a humiliating defeat.

S-Pulse largely dominated the game played in front of more than 14,000 at the Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka. A tired, uninspired and Yasuhito Endo-less Gamba Osaka had no answer for the home side’s wonder trio of Jungo Fujimoto, Shinji Okazaki and Shinji Ono.

The three toyed with Gamba’s defenders, repeatedly creating opportunities over the 90 minutes. Three times such chances were turned into goals by Norwegian striker Frode Johnsen (who bagged a brace) and captain Akihiro Hyodo.

The dynamism of the Shimizu players meant they often had numerical superiority, and it was only thanks to a great game by Gamba’s goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya that the final result did not resemble that of a set of tennis.

Gamba Osaka's players probably paid for the effort they had to put into the previous game only four days prior, when they needed 120 minutes to beat the Urawa Red Diamonds. They will however be playing Asian Champions League football next season after finishing second in the league.

Kashima Antlers 2-1 FC Tokyo

It was a totally different affair in Tokyo where, at the National Stadium, more than 25,000 spectators witnessed a thriller.

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma decided to leave many of his big guns on the bench, including Masashi Oguro and Naohiro Ishikawa (the latter not completely fit) but his starting eleven tamed the Antlers and took a deserved lead as Sota Hirayama slammed home a spectacular bicycle kick in the 39th minute.

In the second half as well, the freshly relegated Tokyoites were in control, while the Antlers seemed short of ideas, until Takuya Nozawa invented a brilliant heel-pass that brought a cross by Tomohiko Miyazaki. The ball that took a slight deflection and was met by Yuya Osako, whose header gave Antlers an equalizer half-way through the second half.

The game dragged into extra time and FC Tokyo’s Takuji Yonemoto was shown a second yellow card in the 95th minute. Kashima tried to break down their opponents for the following 25 minutes, but without Brazilian Marquinhos, they could do little.

At the other end, there was an almost moving effort by FC Tokyo players to survive until the penalties, frustrated only by a last-gasp goal by Shinzo Koroki, quick to latch onto a flick by Osako and tap the ball into the goal.

The defeat is the last nail in the coffin for FC Tokyo, as the club lived through a nightmarish December. During they were relegated, lost the final of he J.League Youth Cup 4-3 and today saw their dreams of a prestigious final and Champions League football vanish a few seconds before the final whistle.

FC Tokyo will retain most of their stars and are favourites to gain promotion next season but surely will hope for a bit more luck than they had in 2010.

[dxjayrock2008]

Asian Cup 2011 Qatar: Team Profiles - Goal.com http://t.co/Efh50ms via @AddThis