Paju: Indonesia continued their winning streak, picking up three more points after beating Timor-Leste 5-0 in an AFC U-19 Championship 2018 Qualifiers Group F tie on Thursday.
The first half was dominated by Indonesia’s incessant attacks, with Timor-Leste resorting to occasional counter-attacks.
Indonesian midfielder Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar came close in the 16th minute when his shot struck the post from close range, giving Timor-Leste an early scare.
Timor-Leste reacted with their counter-attacks but their best attempt in the 34th minute swerved off target.
After the break, Indonesia were rewarded for their constant efforts in the 51st minute with Saddil Ramdani breaking the deadlock from a distance.
Nine minutes later, Hanis Saghara Putra doubled their lead with a sublime finish.
After that, it was time for super-sub Egy Maulana Vikri to shine, pulling off a hat-trick (84th, 88th, 90th minutes), giving Indonesia their second successive 5-0 win, having beaten Brunei Darussalam by the same margin on Matchday One.
Indra Syafri: Indonesia Head Coach
“We struggled to pierce Timor-Leste’s defence in the first half. It cannot be denied that they were great at defending. Fortunately, we managed to score early in the second half, and it brought us consecutive goals.”
Kim Shin-whan: Timor-Leste Head Coach
“Indonesia were better than us, in terms of both technique and mentality. We need to strengthen our ability to win in our final two matches.“
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com