Bobotoh Jakarta

Missed the first 20 minutes or so, and with that Cucu Hidayat's scrappy opener, but couldn't believe how unadventurous Persib Bandung were against a side that precisely nul points from their opening games.

Shorn of Christian Gonzales, Hilton Moreira and Eka Ramdani, coach Jaya Hartono went with Atep joining Budi Sudarsono up front and will be probably feel vindicated when the little winger swept home Budi's cross on 52' to put the game to bed.

Persib controlled the middle of the park and in Suchao Nuchnam, their Thai import, they had the best player on the field.

It is difficult to look elegant in the hurly burly world of Indonesian football but Suchao managed that amid the flying studs and elbows. Suchao's slide rule pass sent Budi wide left and the Indonesian international scampered to the byline before pulling the ball back for a grateful Atep.

Personally I'm looking for big things from Persib this season but the way they laboured at times against Persitara would have been disappointing perhaps for Hartono but then again they got the three points. And next up is a trip to Papua to take on Persipura and Persiwa!

Again little positive from Persitara. Another early goal conceded, Prince Kabir Bello didn't have much impact until the last 10 minutes. They won't enjoy facing Arema on Saturday and given the way they allowed Persib defender Nova Arianto to get them riled you can see Noh Alam Shah looking forward to a physical encounter!

jakarta casual

Persib Bandung FC today, Friday 13 November 2009, announced that it has reached a partnership and agreement with Honda, one big Japanese Automotive Company, to take effect from the start of 2009/2010 season. As part of the sponsorship agreement, the Honda brand will feature on the Indonesian famous Persib shirt and another equipment for 1 year.

Announcing the deal, Persib chief director, Umuh Muhtar said, “We have to say thank to Honda with this agreement. It is very valuable and helpful. I hope, the player will be motivated and give the best”.

”Persib is a legend; it is the biggest Indonesian football club. Our company has been operating about 25 years in West Java, We will be proud to help Persib FC. I hope this agreement is able to increase the club spirit to be a winner this season,” said Teddy Ramly, Chief Marketing Division of Daya Adira Mustika, Honda’s franchise company for West Java area.

simamaung.com

The door isn’t closed yet, but Indonesia needs a huge effort to pry it open and reach the 2011 Asian Cup.

A 2-1 loss at Kuwait on Saturday left Indonesia at the foot of Group B with two points from three games, five behind leader Australia and four behind Kuwait. Australia won 2-1 in Oman to stay top of the group.

The Merah Putih must win their remaining three matches, beginning on Wednesday against Kuwait at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, to stand a chance of qualifying.

“Despite the loss, we had a great game in Kuwait, so I still have optimism for the squad to get better results in our next games,” Indonesia coach Benny Dollo said on Sunday.

“Our problem was the players’ fitness. I hope we can overcome the problem before hosting Kuwait on Wednesday,” Benny added, saying jet lag caused his team’s lackluster second half, even though Indonesia had been based in Kuwait since Nov. 7.

“Our chances are still on, but if we want to qualify for the Asian Cup, we must not drop any points in our remaining matches.”

Kuwait applied pressure from the start at Kuwait SC Stadium, forcing 11 corner kicks in the first 11 minutes of the match. Abdulla al-Bura iki nearly scored the opener when his powerful shot from inside the area beat goalkeeper Markus Harris Maulana but smashed against the woodwork.

Indonesia weathered the storm and silenced the home fans in the 33rd minute, when striker Bambang Pamunkas headed in Ismed Sofyan’s corner kick. Ismed nearly doubled his team’s lead five minutes after halftime, but Nawaf Al Khaldi managed to save his free kick.

As the match wore on, Indonesia’s fitness waned and players lost their concentration. Kuwait pulled level at the hour mark when midfielder Muhammad Ilham brought down Walied Ali Jumah inside the penalty area and Bader Al Motawaa converted the spot kick.

Kuwait stepped up the pressure, and its search for a winner was rewarded two minutes before full time. Walied Ali’s neat pass found Al Motawaa, who curled an effort into the net from just inside the area.

Kuwait coach Goran Tufegdzic called on his players to repeat the display that saw them win 1-0 in Canberra on March 5.

“I hope that we can carry on with our good performance, and I’m confident we can get a good result in Jakarta next Wednesday just like we did against Australia,” he said.

jakarta globe

Bandung. Indonesia’s youngsters fought their way to a 0-0 draw with Australia at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on Saturday.

The result did not affect Australia’s chances of advancing to the AFC Under-19 Championship as it had already qualified, but it did leave the host nation with a chance to end qualifying in third place.

“Both teams really wanted to win, and the boys showed a good performance,” Indonesia coach Cesar Payovich said. “It’s the best result we could get. We studied Australia’s style a lot as we considered them a tough opponent.”

Australian coach Johannes Versleijen also praised the Indonesian team.

“I want to congratulate Indonesia. They’re a well-organized and good team,” he said. “I used the match to give my players chances to play, but we still had to give 100 percent to play Indonesia.”

Australia nearly took an accidental lead in the early going when Joshua McVey’s cross forced goalkeeper Tri Windu Anggono into a save, and McVey forced Windu into action again in the 11th minute with a hard shot.

Windu’s Australian counterpart, Mark Birighitti, scrambled to make a save two minutes later after Abdul Rahman Lestaluhu met Syamsir Alam’s cross.

James Virgili was another threat for Australia, and he gave the home fans a scare when he hit the crossbar in the 17th minute.

Indonesia came close to breaking the deadlock twice in the final 10 minutes. Rizky Pellu released Alan Martha behind the Australian defense, but Birighitti managed to push the midfielder’s shot wide. Alan had another chance on a counterattack, but his effort hit a defender and rolled behind.

Indonesia wraps up qualifying when it hosts Hong Kong on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“Playing against Hong Kong is different. They showed good fight when playing Japan and Australia,” Payovich said. “They’re strong, but I’m confident we can end the tournament in third place.”

It’s not just Singapore which must worry about top talent fleeing to play elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Three Thai players joined the growing ranks of Asian talent plying its trade in the Indonesian Super League. Thailand international goalkeeper Sinthaveechai “Kosin” Hathairattanakool and midfielder Suchao Nutnum signed with Persib Bandung, and Persisam Samarinda added Pipat Thonkanya.

“We have agreed to a one-year deal with both players and they will come to Bandung on Nov. 5,” Persib manager Umuh Muhtar said.

“But they will go back to Thailand on Nov. 10 to join their national team training camp before the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers.”

In another deal before the Friday night transfer deadline, Persebaya Surabaya signed Takatoshi Uchida from Albirex Niigata Singapore.

Sinthaveechai and Suchao had just helped new Thailand coach Bryan Robson win his first trophy. The Thais defeated Vietnamese club Hoang Anh Gia Lai in the Kata Cup final in Phuket on Thursday, winning 7-6 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw.

Thailand visits Singapore on Nov. 14 in qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup before hosting Singapore in Bangkok on Nov. 18.

Umuh said Sinthaveechai and Suchao would be back at Persib on Nov. 19 and would likely make their debut against Pelita Jaya two days later.

“I can relax a bit now because we have a complete squad and I’ve managed to find players who suit the coach’s needs,” he said.

Persib, which lost its first two league matches, was in dire need of a goalkeeper after Tema Mursadat suffered a right knee injury in September and was sidelined until late December. Coach Jaya Hartono also asked for a midfielder as the team lacked a playmaker after Lorenzo Cabanas left the club to return to Paraguay.

Persisam, struggling in the top flight with one win in four matches after winning the Premier Division last season, pinned its hopes of survival on Rp 1.2 billion ($125,852) striker Pipat. He trained with his new club for the first time on Wednesday after helping Thai Port win the Thai FA Cup, converting the winning spot kick to beat BEC Tero Sasana 5-4 in a shootout.

“We badly need a good striker and I believe Pipat is a great addition to the club,” Persisam coach Aji Santoso told state-run news agency Antara. “He will need time to adapt with the team, but I think it won’t be long.”

Aji said Pipat, who scored 10 goals in the Thai Premier League last season, would likely make his debut at Persela Lamongan on Wednesday.

The Thai trio joins countryman Phaitoon Thiabma, a midfielder with Persijap Jepara, in swelling the ranks of Asean players in Indonesia.

Persebaya signed Uchida after the Albirex Niigata Singapore captain trained with the club for four days and played two practice matches.

Coach Danurwindo said he was not sure of the Japanese defender’s skill, “But I think he will bolster our defense. He has leadership qualities and can communicate well with other players.”

Terms of the deal were undisclosed, and assistant manager Cholid Goromah would only say the amount “is not that expensive.”