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Indonesia’s players react with despondency after seeing their chances of qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup go down the drain with a 1-1 draw to Kuwait on Wednesday night. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

Indonesian National Football Team Ties Must-Win Match

After 90 emotional minutes against Kuwait on Wednesday, Indonesia looked exhausted in body and mind.

Players collapsed to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium turf at the conclusion of their 1-1 Asian Cup qualifying draw, a result that all but eliminated Indonesia from reaching the finals in Qatar.

It had all looked so much better 45 minutes earlier. Bambang Pamungkas found a streaking Budi Sudarsono just before halftime, and the out-of-favor Budi scored to give Indonesia a 1-0 lead at the break.

Just as it did in Kuwait City four days earlier, though, fatigue and indiscipline caught up with the Merah Putih. Ismed Sofyan was sent off one minute into the second half for a second yellow card, and Ahmad Ajab took advantage of a scrambling defense to equalize and deny Indonesia the three points it desperately needed.

“I would like to say sorry if the result disappointed the fans,” Indonesia coach Benny Dollo said. “I know it is hard to qualify for the final round, but the door isn’t shut yet.”

Whether Benny will lead the team on that final push remains to be seen. His contract with the Indonesian Football Association expires at the end of January, and underwhelming performances in Asian Cup qualifying and the AFF Suzuki Cup could leave the door open for a change at the top.

In addition to Budi’s return, Boaz Solossa and Firman Utina started for Indonesia after passing fitness tests on Wednesday morning. Both players missed the qualifier in Kuwait City with injuries. Benny said he had to play the duo despite their shaky fitness because Indonesia needed their attacking talent to break down Kuwait.

Kuwait started brightly, with Abdullah Al Buraiki missing a free header after two minutes.

Mesaed Nada banged an 18-yard free kick off the left post in the 14th minute, the first of four shots the visitors saw strike goalkeeper Markus Harris Maulana’s woodwork.

In contrast, Indonesia looked hesitant to shoot. Boaz found himself played behind the defense in the sixth minute, but he dawdled over the chance and allowed Ahmad Al Eidan to slide in and win the ball.

Budi broke clear seven minutes later, but he skied his one-on-one opportunity high and wide. He atoned for that four minutes into first-half injury time, running onto Bambang’s pass and beating Nawaf Al Khaldi to his near post.

The goal was the highlight of an otherwise frustrating first half for both teams. Emotions briefly boiled over in the 26th minute after Maman Abdurahman’s foot appeared to catch Bader Al Motawaa in the face after the two got tangled in a tackle. The Kuwait forward rolled on the ground in agony, and his teammates ran to confront Maman.

Firman also hit the ground and began clutching his face during the heated exchange. Both players showed remarkable recuperative powers, though, and the end result was a yellow card for Maman.

“It was a very important match for both teams. Our players wanted too much to win and keep getting good results, but it was very difficult,” Kuwait coach Goran Tugfedzic said. “Players are not 100 percent professional. They should have emotion. Our staff told the players to stay calm and control themselves.”

Ismed’s sending-off turned the match on its head. All the momentum Indonesia earned by going in front vanished as Kuwait began pouring forward and peppering an increasingly frantic Indonesian defense.

It did not take long for Indonesia to show its hand. A free kick in its attacking end had only three players waiting in the box, and Benny substituted Bambang for defender Rachmat Latif in the 55th minute.

The host got away with lax defending when Ajab missed an empty-net tap-in in the 65th minute, but he made no mistake six minutes later.

Needing a goal to keep its Asian Cup hopes alive but playing a man down, Indonesia offered little in reply. It stayed bottom of Group B with three points while Kuwait pulled level with group leader Australia on seven points.

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