Surakarta: Indonesia will look to make it two wins from two in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 when they host Laos at Manahan Stadium on Thursday.
The Garuda opened their Group B account with a narrow 1-0 victory over Myanmar in Yangon on Monday but they were made to work hard for the three points and survived a number of first-half scares, including the home side striking the crossbar.
Head coach Shin Tae-yong was swift to act on the warning signings, bringing on captain Asnawi Mangkualam and Rafael Struick at the interval and it was a move that paid dividends.
Struick was lively throughout, causing the Myanmar backline plenty of problems as Indonesia took control of the tie after the restart and pushed for the win.
And it was Asnawi who was largely responsible for the winning goal with a little under 15 minutes remaining when his strike came off the woodwork and ended up in the back of the net via the head of the unfortunate goalkeeper Zin Nyi Nyi Aung.
While far from their best, the three points now leaves Indonesia in a good position ahead of their Matchday Two encounter with Laos in Surakarta, knowing that they will be strong favourites to pick up back-to-back wins.
Like Myanmar, Laos put in an impressive showing in the first half of their opening game against two-time champions and 2022 runners-up Vietnam on Monday.
For almost an hour, Ha Hyeok-jun’s side kept the Golden Star Warriors off the scoresheet at National Stadium KM16 as they began to dream of a famous result in front of home support.
However, once the Vietnamese broke the deadlock through Nguyen Hai Long in the 58th minute, the floodgates opened and they were four up by the 82nd minute.
Bounphachan Bounkong slots in the penalty❗️#MitsubishiElectricCup #ASEANUtdFC pic.twitter.com/XXu01ILp35
— ASEAN United FC (@aseanutdfc) December 9, 2024
Captain Bounphachan Bounkong netted a late consolation from the spot and, despite Vietnam’s second-half goal spree, the Laotians can take heart from holding a full-strength Vietnamese side goalless for so long.
Back in 2012, Laos picked up one of their best results ever in the ASEAN Championship when they drew 2-2 with the Indonesians in Kuala Lumpur.
And the scoreline could have read even better after they had twice led their more illustrious opponents, only for a last-minute Vendry Mofu equaliser to salvage a point for the Garuda and break Laotian hearts at the last.
Unsurprisingly, however, the head-to-head record in the ASEAN Championship weighs heavily in Indonesia’s favour. The Garuda have won on the other six occasions the teams have met, most recently a 5-1 victory at the 2020 edition in Singapore.
Indonesia vs Laos
Venue: Manahan Stadium, Surakarta
Kick-off: 12 December, 8PM (Local Time)
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