Indonesia relies too much on dead balls

Hanoi, Beritasatu.com – Vietnamese Media VN Express said the Indonesian National Team relied too much on set pieces in the 2024 AFF Cup match in Group B against Myanmar, Monday (9/12/2024) evening in Yangon. The Vietnamese media said Indonesia’s narrow 1-0 win over Myanmar was thanks to a dead ball strategy that came from Pratama Arhan’s long throw.

Playing with a majority of young players, the Indonesian National Team had difficulty keeping up with Myanmar’s aggressiveness. In the 4th minute, home player Lwin Moe Aung almost had a golden opportunity who received a pass from Mg Mg Lwin in the penalty box, but poor finishing meant that the opportunity was wasted.

Myanmar continued to dominate the first half with various dangerous opportunities, including Aung Kaung Mann’s volley and Lwin Moe Aung’s header which almost broke through Indonesia’s goal. The mentality of the young Indonesian team was shaken due to Myanmar’s tough playing style.

In fact, a serious incident occurred when Hein Phyo Win kicked the ball at Marselino Ferdinan’s head, sparking tension between the two teams. However, the referee only gave a yellow card in this incident. The first half ended in a goalless draw (0-0).

Indonesian National Team coach Shin Tae-yong made three important changes at the start of the second half by introducing Asnawi Mangkualam, Benjamin Dethan and Rafael Struick. According to Vietnamese media, this strategy succeeded in changing the course of the match. Indonesia began to control the ball and forced Myanmar to play defensively.

Rafael Struick’s relentless movement opened up space for the Indonesian midfielder to try a shot from outside the penalty box. Although several attempts were fruitless, constant pressure made Myanmar lose momentum.

In the 71st minute, Myanmar had a golden opportunity, but Pratama Arhan performed brilliantly by blocking Ye Yint Aung II’s attack and saving Indonesia’s goal.

Just a few minutes after Myanmar’s opportunity, Indonesia scored the decisive goal. Pratama Arhan’s long throw caused chaos in the Myanmar penalty box. The ball fell to Asnawi Mangkualam, who immediately fired a hard shot into the top corner of the goal. The ball hit the crossbar, bounced off goalkeeper Zin Nyi Nyi Aung, and finally went into the goal, giving Indonesia a 1-0 lead.

After this goal, Indonesia continued to create dangerous opportunities, including Kadek Arel’s header and Rafael Struick’s shot. However, the Myanmar goalkeeper performed well to prevent the score from increasing.

According to Vietnamese media, the Indonesian national team started the 2024 ASEAN Cup with full confidence even though they did not set too high a target. Next, Indonesia will face Laos in the second match before meeting Vietnam, the strongest opponent in this group. Meanwhile, Myanmar will try to recover against the Philippines.