AFF Suzuki Cup final begins today
First leg of the finale to be played in Bogor
THE 2016 edition of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup hits the homestretch today with final protagonists Thailand and Indonesia playing the first leg of their two-leg, homeand-away championship at the Stadion Pakansari in Bogor.
Both emerging from Group A in the group stages, Thailand and Indonesia proved themselves to be a cut above the rest, besting six other teams in the region in two previous rounds of competitive play in the biennial tournament.
The Thai War Elephants, the defending champions, are out to underscore their supremacy in the Cup by winning their fifth title, breaking a tie with Singapore for most championships with four.
They are also angling to keep their unblemished record (5-0) intact in the current tournament, which has seen them demolish Myanmar, 6-0, on aggregate in the semifinals along the way.
Indonesia’s Garudas, meanwhile, look to extend what has been an impressive run so far coming off a two- year ban of FIFA.
To recall, the suspension of Indonesia, handed down in June of 2014, stemmed from the failure of the country’s sports ministry and football association to resolve the issue on has control over the game. When informed by the Indonesian government that the issue has been resolved early this year, the FIFA council accordingly lifted the ban.
In the ongoing tournament, the Indonesians have grown stronger at every phase, finishing strong in the group stages in games played at the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan to book a spot in the semis before upsetting Group B top seed Vietnam, 4- 3, on aggregate in their two- leg, crossover semifinal encounter.
Thailand beat Indonesia, 4- 3, in their lone encounter in Group A.
CAUTIOUS
While they are considered prohibitive favorites to win the title anew, Thailand coach Kiatisuk Senamuang is being cautious, believing that Indonesia, particularly at home, is very dangerous and can easily swing things in its favor.
“Indonesia are very strong when they play at home. This game (first leg) is very important because Indonesia have very good supporters and they are an attacking side,” the Thai coach was quoted as saying by the official ASEAN Football Federation Web site as saying in the lead-up to the final.
He also advised his players to play it smart so as not to make their path more difficult.
“The one thing that I told the players is that they must be careful in the game and not to get a yellow card or even worse a red card playing in Indonesia. That will make the return game a lot trickier,” Mr. Kiatisuk said.
For Indonesian midfielder Stefano Lilipaly, their winning ways of late have set them up well for their encounter with Thailand.
“Thailand are a good team and they play really well but I believe in our team that we can win this one,” Mr. Lilipaly, who has two goals in the tournament so far, was quoted by www.aseanfootball.org.
“We will win the finals against Thailand as we always set our mind to win every game that we play. We don’t really think who is our opponent, if it’s Thailand, then so be it. We will play more than 100% to win the game,” he added. In a recent interview with BusinessWorld, local football analyst Ryan Fenix said with the way the protagonists have performed as the tournament progressed, the final will be tough call and can potentially go down the wire.
Following today’s game, the second leg happens on Saturday, Dec. 17, in Bangkok. —