SURABAYA (15 Sept 2013) – Laos, who have already qualified for the semifinals, suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands Timor Leste in a AFF Under-19 Championship Group A match at the Petrokimia Gresik Stadium here this evening. Laos struck the first goal but Timor Leste bounced back with three after the break to bag three crucial points and virtually secure their place in the semifinals.
The first half saw splendid performances from both sides but the behaviour of several Timor Leste officials, who were unhappy with the referee, marred the game when they turned unruly. The police had to be called in to protect the referee as he walked in during the break.
The behaviour of the officials aside, both teams battled all the way. But while Laos had a good start, Timor Leste upped the pace after the break to emerge winners and strengthen their position in the group.
Despite the loss, Laos remain top of the group with nine points with Timor Leste second with seven points. But this will likely change as Timor Leste have one more match against bottom placed Philippines. Should they win, Timor Leste will take over as leaders and probably avoid Vietnam in the crossover semifinals.
Singapore are third with four points and still have a mathematical chance of advancing. But for this to happen, Timor Leste must lose to the Philippines, and Singapore must defeat Cambodia by a big margin. “I don’t want to say that we are already in as anything can happen. At this point, we don’t want to say anything about the semifinals,” said coach Norio Tsukitate.
He added that his team did not play to his instructions in the first half but it was better in the second half. “While we played better, I also felt the Laos players performance dropped in the second half.”
Laos coach Chandalaphone was upset with his players. “They did not play their best, but this could be because they had already won the three earlier games. We also rested a few key players.”
Laos scored in the 36th minute when Lembo Saysana converted a penalty after he was brought down in the box by Jorge Victor. Frangcyatma Kefi turned hero when he scored twice in the 70th and 83rd minutes. With Laos pushing up in search of an equaliser, Timor launched a quick attack and hit a third through Januario Jesus in injury time.
RESULT – Group A
Laos 1 Timor Leste 3
Group A Current Standings
Teams |
P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
Laos |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
9 |
Timor Leste |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
Singapore |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
-1 |
4 |
Cambodia |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
-3 |
0 |
Philippines |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
-4 |
0 |