Oranje Army Too Good to Beat

Jakarta Globe, Katrin Figge, June 8, 2013

Netherlands player Siem de Jong celebrates after scoring a goal against
 Indonesia on Friday. Merah Putih lost 3-0 in the friendly match. (JG
Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

The first football encounter between Indonesia and the Netherlands on Friday night ended in a 0-3 defeat for Merah Putih, with Ajax player Siem de Jong scoring the first two goals for Oranje, and Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben making it three.

Despite the defeat, Indonesia’s new head coach Jacksen F. Tiago was able to see the silver lining of his team’s performance.

“Before the game, I talked to all the players and tried to give a new philosophy to the team,” he said. “I wanted them to give their all, no matter if we win or lose. I am quite happy to see how well they defended in the first half, and it gives me a good basis to work with for our upcoming games. But I also know that we still have a lot of work to do.”

The international friendly, which took place at South Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno, almost began with a shocker for the Indonesian team when a saved header by Robin van Persie was netted in from a short distance by Wesley Sneijder. But he was ruled offside, much to the relief of the crowd of 40,000 people who had flocked to the stadium.

For the rest of the first half, it was Van Persie who proved to be most dangerous, creating several good chances for the guests, but lacking the finishing touch to give his team the lead.

On the other side, Indonesia relied on counterattacks, but wasn’t forceful enough to impose a real threat.

The Dutch came better into the game in the second half, needing 12 minutes to score the first goal of the night, after De Jong was able to head in a cross from Ruben Schaken.

The same two players were involved in creating the 2-0 in the 67th minute. Schaken flicked on a cross from Robben, and De Jong forcefully headed the ball into the net.

Merah Putih, although having shown great determination in the first hour, seemed to have lost its stamina and hardly made it out of its own half anymore. It was the Dutch team that dictated the game and consequently scored another goal in the 89th minute when Robben overran the Indonesian defenders and finished clinically with his strong left foot for the final score, which looks more effortless on paper than it actually was on the field.

Tiago said it was obvious that the players had already become tired in the second half of the game. “When that happened, we created space for the Netherlands, and since they are very good on the wings, they had the opportunity to score,” Tiago said.

Meanwhile, Dutch head coach Louis van Gaal praised Indonesia’s fighting spirit, but also said that the poor condition of the pitch made it hard for his team to play at its best.

“The Indonesian team has run a lot in this game, and they have played with a lion’s heart,” he said. “I see that the people have applauded their coach after a 3-0 defeat. I have never [seen] that before.”

“The pitch was not so good, and we missed too many chances in the first half,” he added. “It was only in the second half that we did much better, and were able to move forward.”

Van Gaal also applauded the good performance by goalkeeper Kurnia Meiga, whose individual effort kept Indonesia in the game during the first half.

“I like him very much, he is like an 11th player on the pitch,” Van Gaal said. “A very talented goalkeeper.”

For naturalized Dutch-born footballer Raphael Maitimo, the match was one very close to his heart.

“Personally, this was one of the best moments in my life, because I grew up in Holland and played with some players of the Dutch team in my youth, so it was a very special day for me,” he said.

Maitimo and Van Persie were teammates in the youth side of Feyenoord Rotterdam, and the 29-year-old also played alongside Sneijder and Robben in the Netherlands U15, U16 and U17.

“It was a very tough match, as we played against one of the best teams in the world,” Maitimo said. “The key for this match was discipline, and I think we should gain a lot of confidence from this game.”

Dutch national coach Louis van Gaal conducted a clinic for 
Indonesian youngsters in Jakarta on Thursday. (JG
Photo/Safir Makki)

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