
MEDIA RELEASE
SMASHING START FOR AUSTRALIA IN OPENER AGAINST INDONESIA
Although the first goal of the tournament was not forthcoming until the latter part of the first half, the drama which ensued immediately after Angga Suryasaputra had given Indonesia the lead in the 18th minute, saw Australia coming back to score twice within two minutes for a well-deserved 2-0 lead at the break.
The Aussies, under the steady hands of coach Scott Gilligan, scored off Danny Henry in the 18th minute and Trent Russel a minute later.
"I was a little concerned after the first fifteen minutes when it was scoreless but Indonesia dropped their guard after taking the lead and it was a good thing that we could score twice after that for the win," said Gilligan afterwards.
"We will have a break tomorrow which will be good for us as we prepare to play Malaysia in two days."
A minute after the restart saw Greg Giovenali slotting home past Indonesian keeper Yos Adi Wicaksono for the third Australian goal before Moraes Fernando added the fourth five minutes later.
The combination of Socrates Matulessy and Angga attempted to get back into the game for Indonesia but Australia stood firm at the back to frustrate several of their attempts.
Two minutes to the end, the Aussies made sure that the game was beyond contention with the final goal of the morning with Simon Keith Robert providing the lay-up for Giovenali to slam home his second of the game and Australia's fifth and final goal.
"We failed in the physical aspect of the match today. Australia played better than us and they deserve to win," added Indonesia head coach Justinus Lhaksana.
"But we have picked up some things from this game and we will be better in the match against Malaysia next."
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