Indonesia Coba Akhiri 'Kutukan' Gajah Putih

VIVAnews - Thailand menjadi musuh bebuyutan Indonesia di pentas SEA Games. Tim Gajah Putih acap kali merepotkan langkah Indonesia sejak multievent olahraga terakbar se-Asia Tenggara ini digelar pada 1977.

Sejauh ini, rekor pertemuan kedua tim di SEA Games masih berpihak kepada Thailand. Dari 16 kali pertemuan, Indonesia hanya mampu menang sebanyak 3 kali. Dua pertemuan berakhir dengan hasil imbang. Sedangkan sisanya dimenangkan Thailand.

Anehnya, saat berada satu grup dengan Thailand di babak penyisihan, Indonesia selalu kesulitan melaju ke semifinal. Dari enam kali kedua tim berada satu grup, Indonesia hanya mampu lolos ke semifinal sebanyak dua kali saja.

Pertama terjadi pada SEA Games 1979. Saat itu, Indonesia kalah 1-3 di babak penyisihan, namun tetap melaju hingga ke final. Di babak play-off menuju final, Indonesia menang 3-1 lewat adu penalti setelah di babak normal bemain 0-0.

Selanjutnya, Indonesia juga sukses melewati hadangan Thailand di SEA Games 1987. Saat itu, Indonesia bermain imbang 0-0 di penyisihan Grup B. Di babak final, Indonesia mengalahkan Malaysia dengan skor tipis 1-0.

Pada SEA Games 2011, Indonesia kembali satu grup dengan Thailand. Kedua tim akan bertemu di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno (SUGBK), Senayan, Minggu malam, 13 November 2011.

Langkah Tim Merah Putih kali ini lebih mulus dari Thailand. Pasukan Rahmad Darmawan sukses merebut dua kemenangan beruntun yakni atas Kamboja 6-0 dan Singapura 2-0.

Thailand boleh dikatakan kurang beruntung. Di laga perdana, pasukan Prapol Pongpanich menyerah 1-2 dari juara bertahan Malaysia. Sedangkan di laga kedua, Thailand berhasil bangkit dan mengalahkan Kamboja dengan skor telak 4-0.

"Tidak ada yang berubah dengan kekuatan Thailand. Mereka merupakan tim yang solid dan pintar dalam memainkan ritme, baik dalam menyerang maupun bertahan. Ini yang harus dicermati anak-anak," kata RD, Sabtu 12 November 2011.

Dengan mengantongi dua kemenangan, duel dini lawan Thailand memang bukanlah partai hidup mati bagi Indonesia. Pasalnya, kegagalan masih bisa ditebus Patrich Wanggai dan kawan-kawan saat bertemu Malaysia di pertandingan terakhir grup.

Namun, Rahmad tak ingin berspekulasi. Mantan asisten pelatih timnas senior itu berharap pasukannya bisa segera mengamankan tiket menuju semifinal. Caranya, dengan memetik kemenangan dalam pertarungan melawan Tim Gajah Putih.

Tak ingin kecolongan, Rahmad pun mengumpulkan setiap informasi mengenai tim Thailand. Bahkan, mantan pelatih Persija Jakarta, Persipura Jayapura dan Sriwijaya FC itu, tidak melewatkan dua laga Gajah Putih di SEA Games 2011.

"Saya tidak lagi mengumpulkan data mengenai Thailand, tapi saya sudah menyaksikan mereka bermain di dua laga sebelumnya. Mereka masih tim bagus," beber Rahmad.

Menghadapi Thailand, Garuda Muda kembali tanpa Stevie Bonsapia. Pemain Persipura Jayapura itu masih menjalani pemulihan usai menderita penyakit lambung, Selasa lalu.

Selain Stevie, kondisi pemain Papua lainnya, Titus Bonai yang sudah mengoleksi dua gol juga masih tanda tanya. Pasalnya, Tibo menderita demam dan tidak bisa mengikuti sesi latihan Sabtu, 12 November 2011.

Beruntung, cedera yang menimpa Patrich Wanggai tidak terlalu parah. Pemain Persidafon Dafonsoro yang telah mengoleksi tiga gol itu hanya mengalami memar seusai berbenturan dengan pemain Singapura, Jumat 11 November 2011.

Sementara itu, Thailand juga sudah siap tempur. Dengan koleksi satu kemenangan dari dua laga, Gajah Putih juga mamatok target poin penuh saat bertemu Indonesia.

"Kami harus meraih kemenangan, karena hasil imbang mungkin belum cukup untuk meraih tiket ke semifinal,” kata manajer Thailand, Kasem Jariyawatwong.

Kasem juga menambahkan, timnya sudah siap tampil all out meski Indonesia akan dibantu oleh pemain ke-12. "Kami akan bermain menghadapi kerumunan suporter dalam stadion. Namun, saya rasa para pemain mampu mengontrol emosi mereka,” tuturnya.

Rekor Pertemuan Indonesia vs Thailand di SEA Games
1977Semifinal: Indonesia kalah setelah wasit menghentikan laga di menit 60

1979Penyisihan Grup B
Indonesia vs Thailand 1-3
Play off ke final
Indonesia vs Thailand 0-0 (3-1)

1981Semifinal: Indonesia vs Thailand 0-2

1983Penyisihan Grup B
Indonesia vs Thailand 0-5

1985Semifinal: Indonesia vs Thailand 0-7

1987 (Indonesia Juara)Penyisihan Grup B
Indonesia vs Thailand 0-0

1989Perebutan Perunggu
Indonesia vs Thailand 1-1 (9-8)

1991Final: Indonesia vs Thailand 0-0 (4-3)

1993Semifinal: Indonesia vs Thailand: 0-1

1995Penyisihan Grup A
Indonesia vs Thailand 1-2

1997Final: Indonesia vs Thailand 1-1 (2-4)

1999tidak bertemu

2001Semifinal: Indonesia vs Thailand: 0-2

2003
Penyisihan Grup A
Indonesia vs Thailand: 0-6

2005
Semifinal: Indonesia vs Thailand 1-3

2007
Penyisihan Grup A
Indonesia vs Thailand: 1-2

2009
Gagal lolos grup B, posisi paling buncit
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Blue-sky thinking

Banned from bringing banners to the ground, Blackburn supporters are sufficiently resourceful to take to the air. Freedom of speech still exists at altitude. And yet, whatever the merits of their new vantage point, past judgments were being applied to current events. While Kean's record deteriorates - with three wins in 25 league games, he is in greater need of a bailout from the super-rich than the Greek government - Blackburn's displays have improved. The corner may have been turned, in performances if not results, but minds have been made up. For many, Kean cruised past the point of no return. He cannot win a popularity contest; his side, even when performing well, struggle to win a game.
A typically clinical Frank Lampard condemned them to defeat and, in the process, averted a third successive league loss for Chelsea. A wonderfully efficient footballer delivered the decisive touch in what used to be Chelsea's signature scoreline. No longer - this was their maiden 1-0 of the league season and a first clean sheet since the opening game at Stoke - and it represented a triumph of pragmatism, rather than the purism Andre Villas-Boas was supposed to espouse.
But as the Portuguese himself admitted: "We had to suffer a little bit." Petr Cech's suffering was physical as well as mental, the goalkeeper sustaining a suspected broken nose when he, Ashley Cole and Yakubu collided after the striker shot wide.
After seven minutes of treatment on the pitch, Cech carried on. "We asked him at half time and he wanted to continue," Villas-Boas said. "It shows the bravery and the commitment." It was required, too, as Cech denied Yakubu, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Grant Hanley before Branislav Ivanovic headed against his own bar.
"I don't think you can continue to play like that without going on a very, very strong run," Kean said but, after insisting his side played well after poor showings in the past, more reasonable assessments somehow seem less creditable. "We are confident we can climb the table." They need to and Rovers' recent run, against Tottenham, Newcastle and Norwich, has indicated an upturn may be on the horizon for a manager who insisted he did not turn his gaze skyward when the plane circled above Ewood Park.
Chelsea have a greater taste for heights and are unworried how they get there. "It was important to win, no matter what," Villas-Boas said. Of almost equal importance, after Robin van Persie's evisceration of their defence in last week's demolition derby, was to keep a clean sheet.
 The moment Blackburn's beleaguered manager had been awaiting arrived 25 minutes in. "Steve Kean," came the chorus from the Darwen End. "We want you to stay." There was only one slight problem: the ones chanting were Chelsea fans. Their cue? The plane that flew over Ewood Park proclaiming: "Steve Kean out."
It was achieved, albeit awkwardly, after a rethink and a reshuffle. Villas-Boas' back four appeared to be stationed a little nearer their goal and, if the right half of the defence still seems fragile - both Yakubu's chances came from openings fashioned there - there was an added benefit to the manager's tinkerings.
Ivanovic was shifted to full-back where he delivered some enticing crosses before one brought the breakthrough. The Serb's ball in was struck with unexpected expertise with the outside of his right foot. Lampard, plunging forwards, headed it in. "It was a good goal," Villas-Boas added. "The cross from Ivanovic is inch perfect and Frank has found his timing to arrive in the box, like the old days."
Reminders of the past extended beyond the scoreline. This was the sort of result Chelsea specialised in producing when Villas-Boas' duties were confined to scouting the opposition: hard-fought 1-0 wins away from home. It was a blast from their past.
He is expected to bring some blue-sky thinking to a familiar question: how do Chelsea move on into a new era? Kean, a manager staring at a precipitous descent into the Championship, believes things are looking up for Rovers. But pigs, rather than planes, might fly before Blackburn supporters draw up banners and pay for aircraft pronouncing "Steve Kean in".
MAN OF THE MATCH: Frank Lampard. He illustrated his continuing importance to Chelsea with another vital goal. Nothing spectacular apart from that, but he was the epitome of reliability.
BLACKBURN VERDICT: Ewood Park used to be a fortress but with five defeats in six home games - albeit after welcoming Manchester City, Tottenham and now Chelsea to Lancashire - they are in desperate need of a result on their own turf. It helps that more winnable games are coming up and that, with Mauro Formica influential, a younger side are beginning to gel. But they cannot keep a clean sheet, and their profligacy in attack bodes badly.
CHELSEA VERDICT: They remain a work in progress. Fernando Torres was left on the bench for the first half before replacing the ineffectual Florent Malouda, but his troubles continued, the striker missing a gilt-edged chance in injury time. Before then, Daniel Sturridge was granted the opportunity in the role he covets, as the main striker, but he couldn't make the most of it; that Juan Mata had perhaps his poorest Chelsea game hardly helped him. With the limited John Obi Mikel preferred to the promising Oriol Romeu as the midfield anchorman, Villas-Boas opted for conservatism in midfield. On this occasion, it paid off.

Import From: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/980442/jolly:-chelsea-edge-out-blackburn-rovers-at-ewood-park?cc=4716

PSV, Bilbao, Legia Warsaw advance in Europa League

ROME (AP)—Dutch clubs PSV Eindhoven and Twente each advanced to the next round of the Europa League on Thursday, along with Anderlecht, Athletic Bilbao and Legia Warsaw. Meanwhile, Lazio revived its chances and Tottenham fell from first to third in its group.

Also, 2010 winner Atletico Madrid took over top spot in Group I with a 4-0 rout of Udinese, which left home Serie A scoring leader Antonio Di Natale.

Trailing by two goals shortly after the break against Hapoel Tel Aviv, PSV— which won the tournament when it was called the UEFA Cup in 1978—fought back for a 3-3 draw that secured the point it needed to make the last 32.
Ola Toivonen pulled one back for PSV in the 59th minute and Kevin Strootman equalized three minutes from time after Roei Gordana’s 72nd-minute red card reduced Hapoel to 10 men.

PSV leads Group C with 10 points and Warsaw is next with nine after beating Rapid Bucharest 3-1 in a match in which both sides finished with 10 men. Bucharest and Hapoel trail with three and one points, respectively, and were both eliminated.

In a 3-2 win over Danish side Odense, Leroy Fer came off the bench to score the winner with a header in the 82nd for Twente, which also got an own goal from Daniel Hoegh and another score from Denny Landzaat.

Twente leads Group K with 10 points, followed by Fulham with seven and Odense and Wislow Krakow with three each.

Fulham beat Wisla 4-1 in the other group match.

With two rounds of games remaining, Anderlecht maintained the only perfect record in the group stage following a 3-0 shutout of 10-man Sturm Graz in Group L.

Bilbao edged Salzburg 1-0 with a first-half strike from Ander Herrera, stretching the Basque club’s unbeaten streak to nine games in all competitions under former Argentina and Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Bilbao, which next faces Barcelona on Sunday, leads Group F with 10 points. Paris Saint-German moved into second with seven points following a 1-0 win over Slovan Bratislava, as the French club’s ?42 million ($60 million) signing Javier Pastore proved his worth by scoring a 63rd-minute volley through the goalkeeper’s legs. Salzburg trails with four points and Bratislava was eliminated with one point.

Lazio beat FC Zurich 1-0 with midfielder Cristian Brocchi scoring from beyond the area in the 62nd after taking a backheel pass from Djibril Cisse, who replaced Miroslav Klose at halftime.

“This victory came from our hearts,” said Lazio coach Edy Reja. “In the second half we also had chances to make it 2-0 and if we had been slightly more lucid we would have closed the match out. Instead we suffered a bit.”

It was Lazio’s first win in this season’s competition.

“You’ve got to play these matches with maximum intensity,” Reja said. “In Europe no result is easy, and even with today’s victory qualifying won’t be easy. We’ve got to win at Vaslui.”

Sporting Lisbon, which had already advanced, remained atop Group D with nine points despite losing 1-0 to Romania’s Vaslui, which earned its first group stage win. Lazio and Vaslui are next with five points each and Zurich trails with two.

In Russia, Tottenham’s reserves fell 1-0 at Rubin Kazan.

Bebras Natcho scored for Kazan in the 55th with a splendid free kick to snap Tottenham’s 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki moved atop Group A with a 3-1 win over Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.

PAOK has eight points and Kazan and Tottenham have seven each but Kazan has the edge on goal difference.

Also, Birmingham was held to 2-2 at home by Club Brugge and last season’s runner-up Braga routed Maribor 5-1 to leave Brugge, Birmingham and Braga each level on seven points, while Maribor was eliminated with one point.

In Group E, Stoke moved four points clear with a 2-1 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv thanks to second-half goals from Dean Whitehead and Peter Crouch.

Atletico and Udinese are level with seven points each in Group I, although the Spanish club has the edge on head-to-head goal difference. Celtic is next with five points following a 3-1 win over Rennes, which trails with two.

Import From: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-europaleagueroundup

Manchester City-Queens Park Rangers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Manchester City are dominating opponents in all competitions, and seem to be especially unstoppable in the Premier League.

Despite being unbeaten and atop the league, manager Roberto Mancini would like to lower some of the expectations.

City look to win an eighth game in a row Saturday when they visit Queens Park Rangers in the first Premier League match.

Manchester City (9-1-0) lead the standings by five points from second-place Manchester United, and hold an astounding 36-8 scoring advantage in league play. They’re also finding success elsewhere, reaching the quarterfinals of the Carling Cup while sitting on the brink of the knockout stage of Champions League.

City’s combined record in those competitions is 13-2-1, and they’ve won seven straight by outscoring opponents 27-6. That includes a 6-1 thumping of neighbours Manchester United in the high profile derby Oct 23.

“It is impossible to score four or five goals every game,” Mancini told the team’s official website. “We cannot do that every week. After the Man United win I don’t want us to think that games will be easy because that kind of game doesn’t exist especially in the Barclays Premier League.

“In every moment a game can change … there has to be total concentration.”

Concentration and goals don’t appear to be an issue for City, who followed last week’s 3-1 win over Wolverhampton in the league with a dominant 3-0 thumping of Spanish side Villarreal in the Champions League.

“We want to play as well as possible, but every game is hard,” Mancini said. “We’ll change some players, but if you want to play at this level that’s what happens.”

Mancini has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, especially at forward as Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero lead the team with 12 and 10 goals, respectively.

Dzeko was rested midweek, while Aguero was used to replace Yaya Toure in the second half after he recorded a brace.

Dzeko has five goals in three games, while Mario Balotelli has scored all of his seven goals in his last seven games.

The mercurial Italian forward scored from the spot against Villarreal, giving him four goals in three road matches.

QPR (3-3-4) have won once in five matches (1-2-2), but that was a stunning 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Loftus Road on Oct. 23. They failed to turn in another upset last weekend, falling 3-1 at Tottenham.

“Manchester City will be a very difficult game, and we have to be realistic,” midfielder Alejandro Faurlin told the team’s official website. “Maybe from these three games, no one expected us to get anything, but we’ve already got three points.

“It’s 11 against 11 and anything can happen on the day.”

Scoring continues to be a problem for Rangers, as they’ve found the net eight times on the season with three coming in five home matches.

They’ve scored more than one goal in just one of 11 total matches, beating Wolves 3-0 on Sept. 17.

Jay Bothroyd got his first goal of the season against Spurs after scoring a career-high 18 with Cardiff City in the Championship last season.

Import From: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=txeplmanchestercityque

Morales and Johnson on US soccer roster

CHICAGO (AP)—German-born defender Alfredo Morales and midfielder Fabian Johnson were among 22 players selected Thursday for the U.S. roster for upcoming games at France and Slovenia and could make their national team debuts.

Morales, a 21-year-old with Hertha Berlin, also is eligible to play for Peru, where his father was born. His father became a U.S. citizen, and Morales holds an American passport. He made his debut for Hertha Berlin last December and can play right back or defensive midfield.

“We are excited to introduce Alfredo Morales to the U.S. team,” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “I have spoken with his coach at Hertha Berlin and he is full of compliments. He is on the way to being a starter there.”

Johnson, a 23-year-old with Hoffenheim, started for Germany in the final of the Under-21 European Championship two years ago and switched allegiance to the United States in August. He didn’t play in September while awaiting FIFA clearance and missed October exhibitions because of a neck and back injury.

“He’s been getting back into a flow of playing games,” Klinsmann said.

They join fellow German-Americans Timmy Chandler, Jermaine Jones and Danny Williams on the roster, the fourth announced by Klinsmann since he replaced Bob Bradley as coach in July.

The Americans play France at Saint-Denis outside Paris on Nov. 11, then face Slovenia at Ljubljana four days later in a rematch of their meeting in the first round of last year’s World Cup.

Players involved in the MLS Cup final will be allowed to return to their clubs after the game against France.

Forwards Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury were bypassed and will train with the Under-23 team as it prepares for Olympic qualifying.

“Both right now are in a challenging position with the full team because of players ahead of them,” Klinsmann said. “Our thought is that if they are not in the starting lineup for us, this is a great opportunity to get an introduction with the Under-23 team. … It’s a good message to Juan and Teal that this is your age group, and they can now be challenged in different ways.”

The roster:

Goalkeepers: Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg, Germany), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Clarence Goodson (Brondby, Denmark), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis, Mexico), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona, Italy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim, Germany), Jermaine Jones (Schalke, Germany), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Brek Shea (Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim, Germany)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Aklmaar, Netherlands), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla, Mexico), Edson Buddle (Ingolstadt, Germany), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles)

import from: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-usroster