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All the talk of Indonesia winning its first gold medal in Southeast Asian Games football in 18 years ended up as nothing but words.

Its Under-23 team slipped to its second defeat in three matches, losing 3-1 to Burma at the main stadium in Vientiane, Laos. Indonesia finished bottom of Group B with a solitary point.

“That was the team’s worst performance in Laos,” Indonesia team manager Andi Darussalam Tabusalla said after the match. “We played well against Singapore, then worse against Laos, but that was the worst.”

Indonesia opened with a 2-2 draw against Singapore on Dec. 4, but it followed that with a stunning 2-0 loss to Laos.

It needed to beat Burma by a large margin and hope Laos beat Singapore to stand a chance of reaching the semifinals. The first tiebreaker in the SEA Games is head-to-head record, not goal difference.

Despite their vow to play with more fighting spirit, Indonesia’s players looked battered and bruised against Burma.

Coach Alberto Bica’s squad made an early mistake as defender Ruben Karel brought down a Burma player in the penalty box after six minutes. Burma striker Tun Tun Win took the spot kick and sent goalkeeper Frenky Irawan the wrong way.

Indonesia generated several chances as it chased an equalizer, but none of those shots found the back of the net. Rendi came close in the 35th minute, only to see his effort fly over the bar.

Burma doubled its lead seven minutes after halftime as Pai Soe broke through the defense to slot the ball past Frenky.

Midfielder Stevie Bonsapia pulled one goal back for Indonesia in the 73rd, but Moe Win scored the Burma’s third nine minutes before full time.

“I didn’t know what happened, but they looked nervous throughout the match and let Burma take control,” Bica said.

Burma proved to be Indonesia’s bogey team again. It knocked its regional rival out of the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand, holding Indonesia to a scoreless draw in their final group match.