Just A Few Things: Indonesia Vs. Malaysia - Suma-Boleh!
Credit: FAM
Suma-Boleh!
Malaysia must be thanking fate that Mohamadou Sumareh was fit in time (Though at the expense of Danial Amier) for this match. If he wasn’t, Malaysia perhaps would not have pulled off a wild, astonishing and dramatic 3-2 win that will surely be remembered in an already historically rich rivalry.
Head coach Tan Cheng Hoe (TCH), seeing that the team is not going anywhere, had to make a call on 35 minutes. He took off the ineffective Hadin Azman for Sumareh (More on the change later) and the impact was eye-openingly instantaneous. With so much space on the left, Nor Azam Azih saw Sumareh’s run and the Pahang winger expertly placed the ball inside the post and into the goal just less than a minute after his introduction.
And then, cue the Titanic music on 96 minutes. A low cross came from the right and hesitancy by the Indonesia keeper, Andritany Ardhiyasa to not go in fully allowed the ball to go past him. As a result, the ball reached to Sumareh who made no mistake in front of an open net to send Malaysia into frenzy. This was a performance to remember by fans and a game that the forward will not forget in a long time.
Defence Jitters
Where to begin on the defence? Shahrul Saad & Adam Nor Azlin was tasked to be the main centre-backs with Matt Davies & La’vere Corbin-Ong as the full-backs. But lack of coordination between them allowed Indonesia to score two goals, and they were expertly taken too.
The defence somehow left a gaping hole that allowed Saddil Ramadni to play a beautiful through pass that lead the goal and Davies’ error lead to a certain naturalized striker (More on him later) scoring both the goals.
Not only that, playing a high defensive line was just begging to be exploited by the creative Saddil & the pacey Andik Vermansyah among others where it was taken advantage of a lot of times. How it wasn’t fully punished is probably what Indonesia is thinking now.
However, Davies & Corbin-Ong bounced back where the former regained composure and provided the low cross that lead to the crucial winner while Corbin-Ong proved to be such a handful down on the left and made two crucial recovery challenged. Shahrul & Adam Nor finally got their grip together somewhere along the second half, but everyone in Malaysia would prefer they get in control for the full 90 and not parts of the match.
Weary Hosts
Indonesia understandably got off from the front foot in order to rattle Malaysia early on. And to their credit, got what they wanted after just 12 minutes when they took the lead. As time went on, especially during the second half, it was clear Indonesia is slowly fading while Malaysia continue to keep their tempo going and eventually got the reward. It could’ve been far worse had Malaysia taken their early chances during the course of the second half
Indonesia head coach, Simon McMenemy has already done well to steady the ship since the farcical 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign, but the one thing now he has to think about is how to maintain the fitness of his players throughout 90 minutes. The energy level difference was stark towards the end of the match and it was one of the factors in deciding the match.
Creative Tweaks
TCH also made tweaks using his other two subs that really kept Indonesia guessing. He bought on Akhyar Rashid for Norshahrul Idlan Talaha on 66 minutes. Instead of being deployed on the wings as usual, he directly took Mat Yo’s place as the No. 10, so as a result, the way Malaysia attacked became unpredictable, especially when Akhyar has the option to help whichever winger has the ball.
Entering the final ten minutes when they looking for a winner, TCH opted to bring on Syamer Kutty Abba for Syafiq Ahmad and the impact was immense. Slotting in the no. 10 role, the utility midfielder made sure no one is spared from his pressing with his silky movement, not even Andritany where he made an error that almost was taken advantage by Syamer.
To accommodate Syamer in the middle, TCH made tweaks where Akhyar goes to his preferred wing role and Sumareh is deployed as the false nine in the middle. It was down by the middle where Sumareh converted the winner. TCH’s two changes that involved Sumareh was definitely the key points in rectifying the mistakes he made in his selection.
We all knew Sumareh was going to come on at some point when news broke out he was on the bench. What made the substitution extremely vital was the timing of it as it showed how TCH can be ruthless to try and change the tide when so much is at stake.
Bet On It
Considering how much of a beast he is and a deadly finisher, it’s hard to imagine that Beto Goncalves is about two years shy of reaching 40 years old. He was a menace towards the unsettled Shahrul & Adam Nor and duly took advantage of the shaky start by Malaysia. The striker was always a menace and he got Indonesia the lead when he made a brilliant run from the middle to the right and shot the ball through Farizal Marlias’ legs.
If that goal was excellently played, the next one was astounding. Andik won the ball off Davies on the left when Malaysia was about to commit numbers. That resulted in the defence barely having any time to recover and Beto unleashed a breath-taking shot that left Farizal no chance. You supply the ball and you can bet Beto will likely score. But like his teammates, he too faded within the last part of the match.
Apa Lagi Ya?
The mental fortitude shown by Syafiq Ahmad is getting more and more plaudits. The attacker was all over the Indonesia final third as he looked to get involved in any Malaysia attack and whenever something big is needed, he delivered. He got Malaysia’s second goal when he got his head on Safawi Rasid’s delicious cross from the right that left Andritany no time to react. The player showed heart in trying to help Malaysia to get back in it and it paid off.
Like a few others, Brendan Gan had a slow start, but he eventually grew into the game. The box-to-box traits showed by Brendan proved to be very helpful. If Malaysia had the ball, he was up there and try to help out. If Indonesia had possession, he quickly recovered and helped defend what ever they tried to offer. What a way to cap off your competitive international return with a tireless shift throughout the match.
Lastly, Malaysia was so dominant in the second half, one has to wonder what might have been. There many promising chances galore that Malaysia somehow couldn’t utilize. Safawi, Syafiq, and even Corbin-Ong all were guilty in spurning golden opportunities that could’ve made the tense situation easier on them. A good thing we won, but better safe than sorry. Once the chance arises, they better take it and take it well or it could come back to haunt you. That is what Indonesia’s Stepano Lilipaly probably feeling now had he scored straight after the restart.