Josue finds Indonesia nine-goal result hard to believe

KUALA LUMPUR: Midfield stalwart Paulo Josue found it "very hard to believe" that Indonesia scored nine goals against Bangladesh, with two late strikes in injury time ultimately sending Malaysia crashing out of the FIFA Asean Cup final race.

The Brazil-born player was particularly puzzled by Indonesia's final two goals, which came in the sixth and seventh minutes of added time after the hosts had already taken a 7-2 lead at the Gelora Bung Karno on Thursday.

Kevin Diks struck in the 96th minute before Mitchell Baker added another a minute later to complete Indonesia's 9-2 win and push their goal tally above Malaysia's.

Malaysia had already done their part at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium by thrashing Singapore 6-0, but the result in Jakarta meant the big win was not enough to secure the top spot in Division 1 Group A.

Both matches were played simultaneously, leaving the Harimau Malaya camp waiting for the final whistle in Jakarta to learn their fate in the race for a place in the final.

"It seems Indonesia scored nine goals, something very hard to believe, that the opponent conceded nine goals in a tournament like that, but that is the reality," said Josue.

The KL City player admitted Malaysia had executed their plans throughout the tournament, including scoring the goals needed in their final group match.

Josue also urged his teammates to put the disappointment behind them and focus on their next assignment.

"I feel the job was done, what we had planned for this match, even for this tournament. We expected a good start against Bangladesh and a difficult match against Indonesia.

"And today was a match where we needed to score goals and win the match, and we scored many goals, but unfortunately it was not enough."

"So we need to hold our heads up and face the upcoming match as well as try to finish it as best as possible," said Josue, who scored his 15th goal in 41 appearances for Malaysia.

Malaysia and Indonesia both finished with seven points and the same goal difference, but Indonesia advanced to the final after scoring 11 goals compared with Malaysia's nine.

National winger Arif Aiman Hanapi, meanwhile, urged fans not to criticise the team, saying the players had given their best throughout the group stage and kept clean sheets in all three matches.

"For me, there is no need to be disappointed as local fans. There is no need to criticise us or anything. We have given our best in these three matches without conceding.

"We are better than the teams present here, and maybe this team will be even stronger in the future, God willing," said Arif Aiman.

The 24-year-old Johor Darul Ta'zim player said the national squad had given full commitment since their opening 3-0 win over Bangladesh before drawing 0-0 with hosts Indonesia.

Although the draw against Indonesia meant Malaysia failed to collect three points, Arif Aiman said the team bounced back strongly by scoring six goals against Singapore.

"We know what has happened. We have given our best tonight and after this we focus on the next match," he said.

Malaysia will next face Vietnam in the third-place playoff at Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta on Oct 5, while Indonesia will meet Thailand in the final on the same day.