Socceroos settle for draw in Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia

January 29, 2009

AUSTRALIA'S hastily assembled A-League outfit registerd a 0-0 draw against Indonesia in Jakarta on Wednesday night to start the country's Asian Cup campaign on a positive note.

In a match which was a 90-minute arm-wrestle with few chances, the Australian team, featuring seven debutants, battled manfully to take a point from their first Group B qualifier.

The squad was thrown together within the past 48 hours with little preparation, and looked solid defensively but lacked cohesion in the final third.

They were without coach Pim Verbeek on the sidelines as he serves a touchline suspension hanging over from South Korea's 2007 Asian Cup campaign.

Indonesia had perhaps the two best chances of the match, while Australia put the ball in the back of the net in the second half only to have it ruled offside.

The home side, ranked 144 in the world - 115 places below the Socceroos - gave the Australians a huge fright in the 35th minute when striker Talaohu Musafri shot just wide after the Socceroos lost possession in midfield.

Then striker Budi Sudarsano found himself in a great position on 62 minutes, but his close-range header from a Musafri cross lacked power.

Socceroos striker Archie Thompson tested goalkeeper Markus Harison three minutes later - his long-range shot spilled by the keeper and just falling short of substitute Matt Simon's despairing boot.

Adelaide United midfielder Paul Reid went close in the 69th minute, bending a free-kick just wide of the left-hand post, before Central Coast's Simon headed home a cross 14 minutes from time which was correctly ruled offside.

In a four-team group comprising the Socceroos, Indonesia, Kuwait and Oman, the top two sides qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup finals in Qatar.

The Socceroos will bring back their European-based stars for their next match - a World Cup qualifier against Japan in Yokohama on February 11.

Their next Asian Cup qualifier is against Kuwait in Canberra on March 5, when Australia are again likely to field an all-A-League outfit.