Socceroos draw in Jakarta
Updated
The ability of Australia's soccer team, the Socceroos, to win in Asia was given another reality check last night when Pim Verbeek's rookie side of A-League players struggled to a draw against Indonesia.
It's the first time in 28 years that the Socceroos have played a competitive match in Jakarta.
Presenter: Geoff Thompson
Speakers: David Stanford, socceroos fan; Risdianto, former Indonesian striker; Pim Verbeek, socceroos coach
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(Group of people chanting "Australia".)
GEOFF THOMPSON: If there's a travel warning against appearing conspicuously Australian on Jakarta's bustling streets, this busload of Socceroos supporters were ignoring it last night.
(Sound of cheering and banging of drums.)
When David Stanford joined a crowd of up to 60,000 overwhelmingly Indonesia fans inside Jakarta's imposing Bung Karno Stadium, he was full of guarded enthusiasm for a win by a side dubbed "Australia's A-league B team."
DAVID STANFORD: They will certainly struggle given the away crowd and in the humidity and given they haven't had a chance to train together for very long. But I am very hopeful of a Socceroos victory this evening.
(Crowd cheering.)
GEOFF THOMPSON: It was a scrappy match from the start for a disorganised side made up of nine first-time Socceroos. Indonesia had the best chances on goal and for a while it looked like the match could be a repeat of Australia's last competitive outing here in 1981 when a striker named Risdianto secured Indonesia's one-nil victory.
(Risdianto speaking)
"Sure I was proud but not too much," Risdianto says, "because as the striker it was my job to make that goal."
This time round the defences of the rookie Australians held fast enough but when the Socceroos' chances came, the goal clinching skills of the team's European stars were sorely missed.
The scoreless draw was welcomed by coach Pim Verbeek who says his team didn't deserve to win.
PIM VERBEEK: I think this is the best result. I don't think we deserved to win this game. I also think Indonesia made it very difficult for us, especially in the first half, by playing very compact and waiting for us and trying to come out very fast. So I think if you look for the chances over the whole game I think 0-0, or at least a draw was the best result.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Australia's top players were absent because last night's match was played on a non-FIFA day when Football Federation Australia has no power to demand an appearance by the Europe-based stars. The FFA's John Boultbee says he doesn't expect another quarter century will pass before Australia plays Indonesia in Jakarta again.
JOHN BOULTBEE: But the reason why we haven't played them more often than that is that we were on two different courses. We were on a course through Oceania to the World Cup and they were on an Asian course. And our paths just didn't cross in qualification matches.
Now they do in all of our national teams - men, women and youth - and we'll be playing them more and more.
GEOFF THOMPSON: A far more experienced Australian side will be available to play Japan in Yokohama's World Cup qualifier in two weeks' time.
