Feature Stories

Pavkovic: Red card ruined strategy

Posted : 12 Nov 2011 22:12:56

Jakarta (UR): The coach of the Singaporean under-23 football team at the 26^th SEA Games, Slobodan Pavkovic, conceded that the 2-0 loss to Indonesia on Friday was partially due to the red card received by striker Nevin Neil Vanu in the first half of the match at Jakarta’s Bung Karno Stadium.

He said he believed the red card affected his team, which caused them to lose concentration.

“Patrich Wanggai’s quick goal and Nevin Neil’s red card made us lose. Not only that, we have to admit that Indonesia played well. We had watched them play in their 6-0 win over Cambodia. We tried, anyway, and that’s what happened in the game. Regarding the red card, I do not want to comment,” he said.

Pavkovic said that in the second half of the match, he had instructed his players to recover their spirits.

The coach also looked adjusted the formation to 4-4-1.

“In the second half, our game was actually getting better. We could regain and had many chances, but it was a shame that we did not succeed in converting them into a goal,” he said.

Pavkovic complained of the change in the match schedule from 7 p.m. to 2 p.m., but admitted it did not have a large effect and refused to blame it for the loss.

“We cannot blame the condition. We did have a short time for recovery. We finished playing at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and took to the field again at 2 p.m. on Friday. This is not good but it is also not a reason. We only want to state the fact that [Indonesia] had a longer time to recover” he added.

Indonesia’s two goals came through Patrich Wanggai and Titus Bonai.

Indonesia went on the offensive right from the start, which resulted in lightning quick goal by Wanggai, who score only one minute into the game. The second goal came ten minutes before the break.

This was Indonesia’s second win in Group A, the first victory a six-goal rout of Cambodia. With six points, Indonesia tops the group, two points ahead of Malaysia.

Indonesia’s next match will be against Thailand at Bung Karno Stadium on Sunday. UR-11