Preview

It was time for the third qualifying fixture for both of Hong Kong and Indonesia, and so far they had both met the same opponents at home. Whereas the Indonesians, today’s visitors, had taken a point off both North Korea and Japan in their two home games so far, Hong Kong had lost to the fancied North Koreans, while held the Japanese to a scoreless draw, with both of their matches also having been played on home soil. 

The table read thus before kick-off, with Japan and North Korea also clashing today: 

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
1	North Korea	2	1	1	0	2	1	3
2	Japan	2	0	2	0	0	0	2
2	Indonesia	2	0	2	0	0	0	2
4	Hong Kong	2	0	1	1	1	2	1

It was still early days, with each participating nation having only played twice. Remarkably, three from four matches hitherto had ended in goalless draws. Most likely, both Hong Kong and Indonesia would’ve realized before the qualification got under way that they were both playing second fiddle to the other two, but regardless of this, they wanted to remain competitive. 

Hong Kong were about to play their third and final home qualifier, and while they likely harboured few hopes of progressing through to the next stage, they wouldn’t wish to suffer a second defeat, having most recently lost 2-1 to the North Koreans. As for the visitors, their two scoreless draws had shown that they were a capable team defensively, and this would be their first test away from home in the ongoing qualification. Indonesia had been very good value for their 0-0 draw with Japan the previous week. 

Hong Kong (4-5-1)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
1 Chan Shu Ming		29
2 Sui Wing Leung (c)		31
3 Kwok Sum Yu		31
5 Ping On Chan		29
6 Kam Fai Ku		28
7 Timothy Bredbury		26
8 Chan Fat Chi		32
10 Leslie Santos		21
11 Wing Cheung Lai	sub h-t	26
14 Chi Tak Cheung		30
18 Loh Wai Chi	sub 78′	23

Substitutes
19 Kin Tak Yue	on h-t	28
20 Kwok On Wong	on 78′	27

Manager: Kwok Ka Ming

Indonesia (4-5-1)

Player	Notes	Age	Club
1 Eddy Harto		27
3 Jaya Hartono		25
6 Robby Darwis		24
9 Ricky Yacobi	sub 88′	26
10 Jessie Mustamu		25
11 I Made Pasek Wijaya		19
12 Maman Suryaman		25
13 Mustaqim		24
14 Rully Nere	ca 15′, sub 36′	32
15 Herry Kiswanto		32
18 Lubis Hamdani		30

Substitutes
8 Agusman Riyadi	on 88′	26
17 Azhari Rangkuti	on 36′	26

Manager: Nirwan Bakrie

Tactical line-ups

 

 

Match report

First half: 

On this occasion we have available to us just over 23 minutes of footage from the opening 45 minutes, and then around 21 from the second half. The total of 44 minutes of action at least provides us with an insight in how the two battled it out between themselves on their way to a point each. 

We’ve covered both Hong Kong’s and Indonesia’s respective goalless home draws with Japan, and they had both acquitted themselves fairly well, gaining their points on merit. This encounter in the Hong Kong national stadium would prove to be a fiercly contested clash between two combative sides, as neither wanted to prop up the qualification table. 

Indonesia’s central defender Jarwis set the tone early when he clattered into Hong Kong’s lively striker Bredbury, and though going through another player from behind was far from a rarity in this time and age, the UAE referee could well have chosen more than just a stern word with the ruly defender. Bredbury wasn’t someone to stay down unless he was in pain, though he would soon brush his woes off and continue. The early passages of play also contain a number of stray passes from either side, and the pitch appears quite bumpy, hardly favouring technical football along the deck. 

The home side look to be on the front foot during the early proceedings, and there is plenty of effort and endeavour, and to go with that they were equipped with a pair of good, old-fashioned pacy wingers who would run directly at the Indonesian defence and cause some uncertainty. Both (Loh Wai) Chi on the right and Lai on the left were small in stature, but they were fast and fairly skillful players. On one occasion Chi had come across the pitch and would dribble his way past two opponents before sending his wing compatriot off down the left hand side. He proved that he had the ability to charge past a man or two, and Indonesia needed to pay attention to these trickeries by reinforcing the back end of their midfield, with both Suryaman and in particular Mustamu sitting deep in the early stages. 

We are also introduced to a number of set-piece situations in favour of the home side, and whether they hit the ball forward from the back or were given the opportunity to swing a corner into the six yard area, they had players capable of sound deliveries, with left-back Yu or said winger Lai doing the honours. In defensive midfielder Ku they had a tall player to aim for, and he would typically try and win the ball in the air to set up team mates in attacking positions. Indonesia had probably their best aerially equipped player marking Bredbury, and so struggled somewhat to get a grip on Ku initially. 

It is the visitors who are first to arrive at a decent opportunity, but only after we’ve seen a first booking of the afternoon for Indonesia’s busy midfield man Nere, who had gone in fairly hard on Hong Kong’s deep-lying playmaker Santos. With Darwis’ earlier challenge on Bredbury having gone unpunished, Nere might have considered himself a tad unlucky to pick up a yellow card. On a brighter note, they would soon switch play to the other end of the pitch, where right-sided midfield man Wijaya would get first to a cross into the centre by right-back Hamdani, and as he spun and sent a shot away from an angle, he watched as the ball went a yard and a half to the left of the upright. 

After Hong Kong had seemingly been the more adventurous of the two teams so far, it is perhaps fitting that it is they who take the lead just beyond the half hour mark. Also, it is hardly a surprise that their goal is conjured up from one of the tricky flank men, and on this occasion it is Chi along the right, who had only a minute earlier won a corner off left-back Hartono, who again makes a nippy run along the right. He quickly stops and checks, something which sends Hartono tumbling to the ground in surprise, and this gives Chi plenty of space to pick his spot as he crosses from the right, finding Bredbury on the near post to head home the opening goal. There are scenes of elation among the enthusiastic home fans in various sections of the stadium. 

A run through the home side

Hong Kong do line up in what we interpret as a 4-5-1 formation, although it must be said that attacking midfielder Chan Fat Chi in the number 8 shirt at times plays in such an advanced position that he resembles a second striker. However, he is certainly not without defensive responsibilities, and so should be seen as a midfielder. 

They’re a decently organized team in which captain Leung leads by example from his central defensive position. He’s a steady figure who battles well, although it is his partner at the heart of the defence, Chan, who will typically fight it out with Indonesia’s lone forward Yacobi. Along the defensive flanks are Cheung to the right and Yu featuring to the left. Neither is particularly adventurous going forward, but then again with two straight out wing players ahead of them their contributions may be less in demand. 

They have a shield in front of their central defence in the shape of Kam Fai Ku, easily their most robust player. He also provides space for pint-sized, deep-lying playmaker Leslie Santos, who appreciates the assistance from Ku so that he can use his delicate close control and fine vision to orchestrate forward moves. Santos may be bundled off the ball with relative ease, although as we had seen, the Indonesians also wouldn’t go out of their way to use physique to dent his approach, as earlier seen through Nere’s rough challenge. While Ku and Santos were both sitting deep in midfield, they had Chan Fat Chi providing attacking runs from the centre of the pitch. This was a welcome feature for lone forward Bredbury, who would often try and stretch the opponents’ defence with his constant running, often seeking the channels. 

The two wide men have already been mentioned, and it must be said that credit should go to the management for their willingness to make use of two small, fast wing players who are designed to create trouble for the opponents’ full-backs, as well as aiming to cause imbalance. Loh Wai Chi on the right flank had provided the assist for Bredbury’s goal, and he was a difficult distraction for visiting left-back Hartono. Not much less so was Lai along the left, who was built in much the same mould and for an identical purpose. The pair certainly added some flair to their side. 

It was the first goal the Indonesian team had conceded in the ongoing World Cup qualification, and they would need to look for ways to threaten the home defence in order not to leave empty handed. However, when they come forward against an established Hong Kong defensive unit, they look stuttering and incoherent, finding little or no fluency in their attacking play. While Hong Kong had profitted from bringing their wide men into play, this was something which the visitors were so far unable to do. Neither Wijaya, despite his early effort just wide, nor Mustaqim had been prominent features in the first 35 minutes. Hong Kong did not mind to sit back a little and rely on transitions. Bredbury would typically provide an outlet up top, and both wingers would also not hesitate to follow suit should the occasion arise. 

The Indonesian team

Again seen in a 4-5-1 formation, like we had done from them in the home fixture against Japan, they looked vulnerable along their flanks defensively, as they had such direct opponents in the two Hong Kong wingers. Neither Hamdani to the right nor Hartono along Indonesia’s left hand side defensively managed to get a grip on their men, and that meant they were also struggling through the centre, where Bredbury would usually look to connect with any cross on the near post, such as seen when the hosts had taken the lead. The Indonesian manager, Nirwan Bakrie, would need to address their defensive vulnerabilities, and he would also hatch out a plan on how they would best unpick the home team’s rear guard. So far there had been little in terms of adventurous attacking play by the team in all red. 

Goalkeeper Eddy Harto could at times be a bit sketchy, as he would prove on a few occasions during the match. Earlier in the first half, he had come out of his goal area to try and pick a Hong Kong right wing corner, only to be left completely stranded as the ball was headed up in the air on the near post, and with Harto left in no-man’s land, the ‘keeper was delighted to see the header drop down just behind goal. He’d have looked a right clown had the ball ultimately ended up in the back of the net. 

With Hamdani and Hartono failing to cope with their direct threats so far, Herry Kiswanto, as the one who led their line defensively, and Robby Darwis were also being asked to cover a lot of ground. Kiswanto would appear to be a typical team captain, but like in the match against Japan, we could find no visual evidence of any player carrying a captain’s armband. He was doing the cover work behind Darwis, who was primarily engaged in the tussles with Bredbury, and Kiswanto would also often be the one who instigated an attack from the back, transporting the ball across the halfway line and into opposition territory. Darwis, not always getting the timing right in his challenges, had not only inflicted early pain on Bredbury, but also on Hong Kong’s centre-back Ping On Chan as he had taken the ball forward. He was walking a tightrope with the referee at this point. 

Their central midfield three had Jessie Mustamu sitting at the rear, although he didn’t lend an impression of being a typically combative player; he more seemed to be someone with ability in possession. It was often through him the ball came as they sought to mount from the back, unless he was being surpassed by Kiswanto, and Mustamu would take a step back. As for Suryaman, he was by far the least influental of the three, typically doing plenty of running off the ball, while Rully Nere was a busy two-way player. His role was the more attacking one among the three, although he was more of an industrious type than someone with playmaking abilities. 

Out wide, Mustaqim along the left hand side was someone who could create much out of little, but so far he’d hardly seen the ball, as Indonesia had mainly been doing defensive work, and rarely made use of their wide men when moving inside Hong Kong’s half of the pitch. Something of a bohemian character, he would soon let his shirt trail outside his shorts, but he seemed rather unwilling to backtrack, preferably sticking to his wide role hoping to be spotted and sought out by a team mate. As for his wide midfield colleague across on the right hand side, Wijaya had also not been brought into play a whole lot.

Ricky Yacobi was living a slightly isolated existence in the opening half hour or more, as Indonesia would rarely move forward with a number of players, unwilling to risk exposing themselves at the back. He was someone who wouldn’t stop running, and seemed fairly unegoistic in his approach, typically willing to provide an option for a team mate on those occasions when they were actually in possession inside enemy territory. His tussles with Hong Kong centre-back Chan were perhaps not of the same proportions as those between Darwis and Bredbury down the opposite end, but Yacobi would still put himself about. His only sniff of goal thus far had been an attempted strike after the ‘keeper had failed to hold the ball being challenged, but the referee signalled for a free-kick as Yacobi hit it, only to see the ball being stopped on the goalline by Yu anyway. 

Towards half time

Indonesia decide to make a change when manager Bakrie opts to introduce Azhari Rangkuti for the booked Nere. There is seemingly no injury worries for the player trotting off. The substitute would prove to step into much the same role as his predecessor had held, although perhaps he had less defensive responsibilities? Yacobi could make use of someone offering him co-presence up top, and Rangkuti would provide more support for the front man. Still, the away side do not pose a goal threat before half time, as the half peters out with Hong Kong a goal to the good. 

Second half: 

There’s been a change during the interval with Hong Kong leaving nippy left-sided winger Lai behind in the dressing room, with #19 Kin Tak Yue coming on in his place. This would prove to be a straight swap positionally, although we would see Yue accepting greater defensive responsibility than Lai, much more an outright winger in the old-fashioned sense. It is fair to assume that this was a tactically motivated substitution by the Hong Kong supremo as the home side sought to preserve their one goal cushion.

The two teams are evenly matched, and we’re watching a seeworthy contest. The home side had been in the ascendancy during most of the first half, but appeared to have become more cautious after taking the lead. This impression remains from the footage available to us from after the break. However, the visitors still struggle to break down the Hong Kong defence, where Leung continues to lead well from his role at the heart of their defence. When Indonesia are trying to make use of width, they will typically be crossing into the area from deep positions, and these are easily fended by the home guard. Only when Hong Kong mount their first counter of the half does it become dangerous, and from substitute Yu’s left wing cross, Loh Wai Chi heads just over. His aerial play is surely not his forte. 

Shortly after, we’re being treated to what is by far Indonesia’s best chance so far in the game. Mustaqim displays some trickeries along the left hand side as he darts past full-back Cheung and pots a shot goalward, only to see his effort saved by Ming. The Hong Kong goalkeeper, however, a bit like his counterpart down the other end, has a tendency to spill, and he ought to have been punished on this occasion for not having either held the ball or at least pawed it away into harmless territory, but his parry goes straight into substitute Rangkuti’s feet, and from three yards out the only reason why he doesn’t equalize is because he’s too close to the ‘keeper to be able to angle the ball to either side of him. Still, Ming makes a fantastic reflex save to deny Indonesia an equalizer. Absolutely top drawer. 

Indonesia do get their equalizer not long after, as they built along the right hand side, to where Mustaqim had now drifted across. He got past Ku, crossed short for Suryaman and then Rangkuti to head it on and into the centre, where Yacobi cleverly laid the ball off for Mustamu, who popped up just inside the area to fire controlledly with his left foot a shot low into Ming’s right hand corner. Hong Kong had perhaps been sitting back too much and invited Indonesia on to them, something which the visitors had gleefully accepted and drawn level from midway through the second half. 

Next is a spectacular error by Indonesia goalkeeper Harto, who is very fortunate that Bredbury’s failed shot which he was just bending down to pick up was going wide, though having taken his eyes off the ball, it comically slipped between his hands, just beyond the upright and out for a corner kick. It should have been entirely routine. 

The equalizer appeared to have made Indonesia content, as it was now they who were soaking up some pressure, with Hong Kong forcing a couple of corners in quick succession, although with no telling results. The crowd were getting value for money in terms of excitement, as neither side was happy just to defend. 

With around 12 minutes left, Hong Kong make their second and final substitution, taking off their other starting winger, Loh Wai Chi. He had hardly been as effective after the break as he had been during the opening 45 minutes, and as he was making his way back to the dug-out behind the goalline, he could be seen limping. On came Kwok On Wong, who immediately went up top, with Bredbury moving into the right-sided role which Chi had held. 

The game has a bit of a see-saw feel to it in its latter stages, with both sides seeking a winner. Hong Kong probably look more coherent, and when they attack along the right with Bredbury so skillfully taking the ball down and past Hartono with just one touch, he almost sets Chan Fat Chi up for a winner with his low cross towards the near post, but for a terrific effort by Hamdani to get to the ball first and clear it away for a corner. When Indonesia are on the attack, they force a late corner after a Mustaqim shot wide via Chan. 

With 1-1 the full-time score, the fight to avoid the bottom place remains on. Hong Kong were good value for their point.