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Indonesia hailed as heroes despite exit
JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia's Bulgarian coach Ivan Kolev expressed pride in his players after they bowed out of the Asian Cup in honourable fashion, as local media praised the team as heroes.
The co-hosts were widely expected to be out of their depth in this competition, despite the home advantage, but they shocked everyone by winning their opening game in what was regarded as the tournament's group of death.
That 2-1 group D victory over Bahrain was followed by a cruel last gasp defeat to Saudi Arabia and a narrow 1-0 loss to South Korea, two of the favourites to take home the title.
In the end they missed out on qualification for the last eight by just a single point and Kolev said that he could not have wished for more.
"I feel disappointed because we have not qualified for the quarter-finals but I am also proud," he said.
"They fought to the death, until the end of the game.
"I'm proud of my players because from the first match until the third they played their best, even though we all knew before the tournament that we had very tough opponents like Saudi Arabia and South Korea."
It is a fine line between success and failure, and so it proved for Indonesia. After a dogged second half defensive display, they conceeded a goal four minutes into injury time to lose to Saudi Arabia.
And against Korea, they had a great chance to equalise a minute from full-time, only for Elie Aiboy to lose his footing as he was about to pull the trigger.
"The level between South Korea and Indonesia is different, they have a higher level," said Kolev.
"But I am proud because the Indonesia players, especially in the second half, kept their endurance and speed and kept South Korea to 1-0."
Most newspapers played down the defeat, opting instead to fete the team for its efforts in front of a 90,000-strong crowd in the heaving Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
"We remain proud," read defiant headlines in two national newspapers, the Koran Tempo and Republika.
Media Indonesia's headline proclaimed that Indonesia was "pushed aside, but in a dignified way."
"Thank you, national team, for fighting hard," said the Pikiran Rakyat newspaper.
The media were not alone in hailing the side.
"We are proud, we did our best," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the players, giving a thumbs up sign at the stadium shortly after the match ended, Media Indonesia reported.
The chairman of the national sports committee Rita Subowo was quoted by Koran Tempo as saying, "We lost in a dignified way. I am very proud."
The players were clearly disappointed but they knew they had given it their all in front of fans who even in defeat showed their appreciation of the fine spectacles that were every one of Indonesia's matches.
"It was a hard match. We fought the best that we can but they have more experience than us," said the team's star player Bambang Pamungkas, allegedly the subject of interest from some Korean teams.
Asked if he would consider a move to the K-League he added: "I've already played abroad in Holland and Malaysia, it's a big challenge to play in another country.
"But if I have the chance to move to Korea, I will take it."
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