|
Indonesia are sweating on the fitness of their talismanic captain Boaz Solossa ahead of their AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal against Vietnam. The first leg will be played in Bogor, near Jakarta, on Saturday, with the return game in Hanoi on Dec. 7. The Persipura Jaya forward was on a hot streak in Group A matches, scoring goals in the 4-2 loss to Thailand and 2-2 draw against co-hosts Philippines. But the livewire missed out on Tuesday's training after falling ill. "I'm not sure what he's down with, but he has been vomiting and is unwell. He will be resting until he fully recovers. The other players are fine and have all reported for training," Indonesia assistant coach Wolfgang Pikal told Detik.com. Besides Boaz, Indonesia chief Alfred Riedl will also miss the services of both his centre-backs Fachrudin Aryanto and Rudolof Basna due to suspension. The defenders collected their second cautions of the tournament in the 2-1 triumph over Singapore in the final group game last week. Indonesia will, nonetheless, be on a mission to consolidate their tag of second-half specialists, having scored five of their six goals in the final 45 minutes of games during the tournament. The delayed start worked like charm, as Riedl's men went on to secure only their third semifinals' berth in the history of the regional showcase. The Merah Putih will host the first-leg semifinal at the Pakansari Stadium in Bogor, instead of Jakarta's cavernous Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which is undergoing renovation ahead of the 2018 Asian Games. But Vietnam are bound to receive a hot reception, nonetheless, with all 30,000 seats at the stadium sold out. The Indonesians are also carrying a strong sense of patriotism after returning from a year-long ban from international football in May, following the Indonesian government interference with the national body in 2015. Indonesia marked their return from exile with a 3-0 win over Malaysia in a September friendly.
|
