The victory was made after the team suffered a loss against Palestine 1-2 on Wednesday (Aug 15), opening an opportunity for the team to proceed to the next Round of 16.
The goal for the team was scored by Irfan Jaya in the 23rd minute. It was a proud moment for him as it was his first international goal and first made with a national team in an official event. Although the team finally lost, the game must have been very special for Irfan and would have given him more confidence.
Indonesia was ranked third in the Group, with six points from three matches. It won 4-0 against Chinese Taipei in the first match on Sunday (Aug 12) before it lost to Palestine.
Coach Luis Milla expressed happiness over the victory against Laos, hailing it as a gift for the Republic of Indonesia as it happened while the country was celebrating its 73rd independence anniversary.
At the same time, he also saw it as an encouragement to continue to fight to qualify for the next Round of 16.
The win was clinched after goals made by Alberto Goncalves in the 14th and 47th minute and Ricky Fajrin in the 75th minute, which had placed the country in the third rank in Group A after Hong Kong and Palestine.
Indonesia has to play against Hong Kong and beat it to advance to the next final elimination round in Group A.
Indonesia must be able to win the match against Hong Kong, scheduled on Monday at Chandrabaga Stadium, or have its hope dashed.
Hong Kong has been ranked second, with seven points from three matches, while Indonesia scored six and Palestine scored eight points from four matches to confirm a ticket to the next round.
According to Laos national team coach Mike Wong, the national team of Indonesia is the strongest in Group A.
He made the remark after his team`s defeat against the Indonesian team.
"From the beginning, I knew that our toughest opponent team in the group was Indonesia and not Palestine, Chinese Taipei, or Laos," he revealed, after the match against Indonesia on Friday.
He noted that the game against Indonesia was very difficult for his team.
Hong Kong`s coach Kenneth Kwok Kar Lok has said that his team would play the best against Indonesia in the next match against Indonesia on Monday.
"Indonesia must be able to defeat us to proceed to the round of 16. We have been prepared for it. I could assure that Hong Kong would give its best performance against Indonesia," he said on Friday.
He revealed that Indonesian supporters were already looking forward to the match. He believed that thousands of spectators would pack the stadium on Monday.
He added that it would not be a problem, adding that he would not see it as a pressure. "Our players have been prepared for it.
Milla explained here on Saturday that Alberto "Beto" Goncalves and Stefano Lilipaly are two important players in his squad.
"The two are important players in our team`s attack scheme," he stated here on Friday evening.
The two players have been sharp during the high intensity play, as proven in the last three matches at the 18th Asian Games. Beto has scored three goals, while Lilipaly has scored two, in the elimination round matches.
With a total of eight goals scored in three matches, Beto and Lilipaly have contributed to 62 percent of the goals made by the national team.
Unlike Lilipaly, who played in all three matches, Beto has played in only two matches. Beto played in the match against Chinese Taipei, in which Indonesia won 4-0 on Sunday (Aug 12), and against Laos on Friday (Aug 15), when he scored two out of three goals during his team`s victory.
Milla noted that it would be difficult to field both players together throughout all the matches, due to the tight schedule.
He noted that it was not a problem for 28-year-old Lilipaly, but adifficult for Beto, who is 37 years old.
"We must look after Beto, so that he will always be fit to play. We must know how to exert his best capabilities. If he plays well today, it will be impossible to field him in a match held two days later, for example. That was why I did not field him on Wednesday (Aug 15) against Palestine, so that he could play against Laos," Milla revealed.
Lilipaly has often been ordered to not run too much. "During the match against Laos, I did it so that he could save his energy for the match against Hong Kong," he noted, adding that he hoped Beto and Lilipaly would remain fit to be fielded in the upcoming matches.
People will see on Monday if the three will again show their good performance to lead their team to the next round.
EDITED BY INE
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/B003) 18-08-2018 20:34:49
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
