It wasn’t pretty but South Korea scraped into the last eight of the Asian Cup with a 1-0 win over Indonesia in Jakarta. Saudi Arabia gave a big helping hand as they thrashed Bahrain 4-0 in the Sumatran city of Palembang. The atmosphere in the Korean camp after the game was one of relief, not surprising when one considers that the team were bottom of Group D when Australian referee Mark Shield blew his whistle to signal the start of proceedings. One point from the previous two games had left Korea needing to win and hoping that the other result wasn’t a draw. In the Korean camp prior to kick-off, there was a general expectation that the West Asian clash probably would end all-square. There was no bitterness just an awareness that such a thing could happen and it was Korea’s fault for putting themselves in the situation. The Saudis were having none of it and, on a dry Palembang pitch, made sure that their West Asian neighbours were heading back home. The scoreline was harsh on Bahrain who had a number of good chances before the game got away from them midway through the second half. 90,000 fans packed in the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium didn’t care. It is sad that the special atmosphere created in the arena will not be experienced again in this Asian Cup. The chances of more than 5,000 turning up for what looks to be a fairly unglamorous quarter-final between the Saudis and Uzbekistan are about the same as seeing a good word about the Indonesian FA printed in the nation’s media. Like the previous game against Saudi Arabia, the president and his wife were in attendance and this time there were a good number of soldiers to go with the legions of security.. The Premier League may be the most popular in the world but their yellow-bib wearing spotty stewards aren’t a patch on Indonesia’s machine gun-toting, gum-chewing, mean-looking crowd control cadets. The Korean embassy had warned fans not to wander around in the colours of the Taeguk Warriors but, except the tearing down of a banner proclaiming friendship between Indonesia and Korea, I saw few problems. Even at the end of a game that saw the team defeated by the narrowest of margins when a draw would have seen them through, the disappointed fans applauded both teams off the pitch. “A hell of an atmosphere wasn’t it?” coach Pim Verbeek said to me after the game. The Dutchman was hoarse obviously from shouting at his players in frustration. Korea had good chances to kill the game, especially in the second half, and really should have added to Kim Jung-woo’s 34th minute winner. Korea’s wastefulness led to a final period that was tenser than it needed to be but the visitors deserved the win to set up a fourth successive Asian Cup quarter-final with Iran in Kuala Lumpur. It is 2-1 to Iran who took the lead in the mini-series with a thrilling 4-3 win in the Chinese city of Jinan three summers ago. Korea will not be too sorry to leave Jakarta and its poor training pitches – there will be no such problems in Malaysia. Team Melli will pose a few however and the Taeguk Warriors will need to improve if KL is not merely to be a stop-off on their way back to Seoul. The team’s interpreter told me that they “will definitely be back” in Jakarta for the final on July 29. That remains to be seen. A victory over Iran will see a semi against Iraq or Vietnam and suddenly Korea are dreaming of continental glory. ‘Tis a funny old game. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings

It is easy with hindsight to say that it was coming but it was. Even the combined wills of 90,000 partisan Indonesian fans couldn’t stop Saad Al Harthi’s header crashing high into Pitoy’s net three minutes into injury time. The free-kick was taken right in front of the press box – one which seemed to have more supporters than reporters – and the location was an inviting one with several tall Saudis waiting in the middle just one good cross away. So, instead of 1-1 it was 2-1 to the three-time champions. Instead of a draw against South Korea next Wednesday, Indonesia will almost certainly need to put the Taeguk Warriors to the sword and relieve the visitors of all three points, though in an Asian Cup full of surprises, such a thing is not beyond the realms of possibility. Earlier the same evening, Gelora Bung Karno wasn’t a stadium stunned into silence by Haarthi’s header - it had been rocking. Buoyed by the team’s thrilling 2-1 win over Bahrain four days previously, the locals had responded by snapping up all tickets more than 24 hours before kick-off. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur may be resistant to the delights of the Asian Cup but Jakarta has been coming down with a full-blown fever and it was contagious. To say the atmosphere was deafening would be an understatement. Even 45 minutes before kick-off, it was special. In such surroundings it is easy to get carried away and believe that anything is possible – the fans certainly did. They had been told to come early as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had decided to pay his first ever visit to the national arena to see the team. Security was tight and the khaki of the uniformed security guards was a sharp contrast to the strangely attractive green and white shirts that the liaison officers sported. It was Saturday night with the Saudis. Unlike the fans, most of whom were sporting ‘unofficial’ national team shirts, the local scribes were not confident of keeping out the visitors. “You saw our defence against Bahrain, it is not good,” said one. That may be but the hosts have buckets of pride and passion and while the three-time continental champs had more of the possession in a lively opening period, it was Indonesia who had the chances. Elie Aiboy missed a sitter from three yards after ten minutes and will still shaking his head when Saudi striker Yasser Al-Qahtani was sticking his on a great cross from Ahmed Al Bahri to put his team ahead. The crowd barely missed a beat and continued to roar on the reds and they were rewarded five minutes later as Aiboy made up for his earlier miss by rounding the goalkeeper and coolly slotting the ball home. Indonesia finished the half with a couple of good chances and hopes were high at half-time. There was still a sneaking suspicion that another goal was necessary to secure the point that would have satisfied every spectator –from the legions of security guards who never took their eyes from the action to the president himself. As the second period progressed, the Saudis took control and started to make chances. The crowd were quieter than they had been all night; they were nervous, the local scribes were nervous and I was nervous. The referee may have been over-fussy during the game but was correct to award a free-kick just outside the right side of the Indonesian penalty area. As the Saudis lined up the kick, and crowded the six yard box with their tallest players, it was not difficult to predict what was going to happen. That cross found the head of Saad Al Harthi. Haarthi missed a sitter during injury time against Korea and had been vilified by the Saudi press. Redemption was his as he headed the ball firmly into the net - the Saudis’ second aerial goal of the game. While the goal was probably deserved, it was cruel as all last-minute winners are. You didn’t need to be an expert in the local language to understand the general sentiments that were being expressed by those in the press box and outside. The Saudi scribes were on their feet though. One of them seemed to be hit by a missile. I had been warned that Indonesians fans don’t take defeat very well and are prone to fighting after losing. Outside the stadium, that didn't seem to be the case - the atmosphere outside was calm and slightly sad. There is still one game left though and it should be a cracker. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings

The problem with the Asian Cup being held in four countries is that it is hard to shake the feeling that you made the wrong choice and that people are having a better time elsewhere. Imagine being invited to four different parties on New Year’s Eve – all great, potentially but all but one practically impossible to attend. Was Jakarta the right choice? Having the underside of your taxi at the airport checked for bombs when arriving at the hotel is better than stretching for banishing any travel-induced weariness but then again, after a day involving three airports; it wasn’t really a big deal to put bags through an X-ray machine one last time before receiving a room key. The next day, the one before the opening game in Jakarta, there seemed to be a distinct lack of Asian Cup atmosphere around the sprawling city. Indonesians will tell you that no other Asian country loves football like they do but actions would speak louder than words when they faced Bahrain in the opening game of Group D. Around 90,000 seats were waiting to be filled in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, one of the world’s largest arenas. Built by the Soviets in 1962, it has lasted longer than the communists and is still in good nick. Truly cavernous, only a running-track prevents it from being a perfect arena. The local FA’s (named PSSI) office is inside the stadium -an easy target for the fans and media who don’t have a good word to say about them. One journalist I enjoyed a few ‘bintangs’ with even spat on the floor when mentioning their name. I didn’t follow suit but agreed that not opening the ticket booths around the stadium in the two days prior to the game was a little strange. On game day itself, fans complained about waiting for three hours to buy tickets. Perhaps around 60,000 of them were inside when the game started. Some who didn’t want to wait broke down the barriers and raced in the wrong way through a large emergency exit. They were blocked by a phalanx of policemen, a not-so-thin blue line soon reinforced by riot police. There they stayed the whole game. It was hard to know how much of the action they saw but at least they experienced the atmosphere. “We have the most passionate fans in Asia,” I had been told the previous night. Hearing the wild cheers for every throw-in, corner, decision and tackle against Bahrain, it was difficult to disagree. The smoky, sweet south-east Asian evening air added to the feeling of excitement and exoticism. There was nothing exotic about the guy sat to my right in the press box. He was from Swindon. “I’m still a fan,” said the AP man. “I took my Indonesian wife to watch Swindon – Mansfield a while ago.” After the inevitable question as to her feelings about her County Ground day out came the reply. “Well, she liked the chips.” Chips! No such luck at the Bung Karno, not even a goreng, mie or otherwise. Plastic bags full of water were de rigueur and most of them were thrown in to the air in the 12th minute as Budi Sudarsono rounded the ‘keeper to put the hosts ahead. Fans, press box and AFC Liaison Officers went crazy. “In-do-ne-sia” came the cry from all parts of the stadium. 14 minutes later however, it was the proverbial pin-dropping time as Sayed Mahmood Jalala equalized for the visitors. It was an entertaining game and at times, genuine end-to-end stuff as play moved forward from defence to attack quickly on both sides. Bahrain had more chances but with rusty-looking strikers, they were destined to fail. Indonesia may have created few clear-cut openings in the second-half but it was no surprise when star striker Bambang Pamungkas, a headline writer’s dream, got what proved to be the winner in the second half to send the Soviet-designed roof the way of Sputnik. For Indonesian and English alike, it was a tense last few minutes and Bahrain didn’t help by hitting the bar but it was Indonesia’s night and a thoroughly enjoyable one. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Hotels in Bangkok - Bookings Hotels in Kuala Lumpur - Bookings Hotels in Jakarta - Bookings Hotels in Hanoi - Bookings Hotels in Ho Chi Minh - Bookings