Indonesia 2-0 Cambodia: Salossa and Caussy Keep Garuda Muda Level at the Top of Group A
Indonesia's Under-17 national team took another big step towards the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 on Saturday, beating Cambodia 2-0 in their Group A qualifier at the Starcity Sports Club in Thanlyin, Myanmar. First-half goals from Dolvi Salossa and Melki Caussy gave Garuda Muda their second win in as many matches and moved David Nascimento's side level on six points with group leaders Afghanistan.
The young Indonesians started brightly and could have gone ahead even earlier. Salossa saw a strike from the edge of the box take a couple of deflections before crashing against the post, while at the other end Cambodia's Be Cheaming looped a header just over the bar — an early warning that the underdogs had not come simply to sit back.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels. This is a stock illustration, not a photo from the match.
The breakthrough came in the 10th minute, and it was Salossa again. Another effort from the same position outside the area struck a Cambodia player and wrong-footed goalkeeper Karim Romaton, rolling over the line to put Indonesia in front. It was the second time in the match that the forward had troubled the Cambodian defence from that range — and this time the luck went his way.
Indonesia doubled the lead in the 35th minute, and once again Romaton was at the centre of it. The goalkeeper came forward to claim Chico Yarangga's cross and got it wrong, allowing Melki Caussy to ghost in ahead of him and glance a header home. Two goals, both helped by goalkeeping errors, but both earned by Indonesia's willingness to attack the penalty area.
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After the interval Indonesia kept the pressure on. Ichiro Akbar sliced a long-range effort just wide, and Dzaky Muhammad dribbled into the box only to see his strike from a tight angle palmed away by Romaton, who at least kept the score respectable in the second half.
Cambodia thought they had a way back into the game in the 86th minute, when Chhay Chhanat's flicked header found the net — but the flag went up for offside and the goal did not count. Indonesia held firm through the closing minutes to earn their second win of the campaign, and their second clean sheet in a row after the 3-0 victory over the Philippines on Wednesday.
It has been a near-perfect start to the campaign for Nascimento's side. Indonesia sat out the opening matchday, opened with that 3-0 win over the Philippines at Thuwunna Stadium, and have now won two from two without conceding a goal. Afghanistan, though, have been just as impressive: a 4-1 win over hosts Myanmar followed by a 3-0 win over Cambodia means the group will almost certainly be decided when the two perfect sides meet on Tuesday.
The result leaves Group A finely balanced at the top. Indonesia and Afghanistan both have six points from two matches, but Afghanistan sit ahead on goal difference — plus seven to Indonesia's plus five. Hosts Myanmar are three points behind after beating the Philippines 3-1 earlier on Saturday — goals from Thura Hein Htet, Paing Zay Tun and Thet Naing Oo, with Kai Muller replying for the Philippines — while the Philippines also have three points from three matches. Cambodia, beaten in all three of their games, can no longer finish top of the group.
With only the group winner advancing to the finals in Uzbekistan in May 2027, Tuesday's meeting with Afghanistan now looks like the match that will decide the group. Indonesia face the Afghans on Tuesday, 17 November, at 15:30 WIB, before closing their campaign against hosts Myanmar on Friday, 20 November. Win on Tuesday and Garuda Muda will take control of their own destiny with nine points and one game to play; a draw would leave Afghanistan ahead on goal difference heading into the final matchday; a defeat would hand the initiative to the Afghans.
For now, though, this was a job done professionally. Two goals, a clean sheet and a second straight win is exactly the kind of evening Nascimento would have wanted before the biggest test of the group. Salossa and Caussy both have a goal to their name now, the defence has yet to be beaten, and the squad will go into Tuesday knowing exactly what is at stake. The focus now turns to Tuesday, and to a match Indonesia cannot afford to lose.
Follow the build-up to Indonesia's next qualifier and the rest of the weekend's football on the Games Indigo LIVE page.
Source: AFC — Qualifiers - Group A: Myanmar 3-1 Philippines; Indonesia 2-0 Cambodia — https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_u17_asian_cup.html/news/qualifiers-group-a-myanmar-3-1-philippines-indonesia-2-0-cambodia
