The much-anticipated reopening the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex brought mixed emotions after the Indonesian national soccer team bowed down to its Icelandic counterpart on Sunday.
Ilham Udin Armayn made history as the first Indonesian goal scorer at the newly renovated Gelora Bhng Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta. However, Indonesia was humbled, suffering a 4-1 defeat in a friendly match against World Cup first-timer Iceland in front of a crowd of 36,220.
The friendly was the first match played following a year and a half of renovation projects that resulted in massive changes to the country's largest stadium. The stadium reopening was inaugurated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo before the match kick-off.
"This afternoon, I announced the completion of major renovations at Gelora Bung Karno and it can now be used," the President said.
A number of high-ranking officials and ministera were spotted attending the match, including Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno was spotted in a VIP seat. There was no explanation behind the absence of Governor Anies Baswedan.
The stadium, one of Southeast Asia's largest in terms of seating capacity, is one of the only sources of pride for Indonesian soccer fans, given the national team's decades-long drought of major titles.
New additions to the stadium include a digital scoreboard, a fully furnished interior and a field track. Furthermore, the stadium was designed to be disabled-friendly.
The goal from 21-year-old forward Ilham, who recently announced his move to Malaysian club Selangor FA, failed to help Indonesia avoid a heavy defeat to the Nordic force. Ilham tucked the ball into an empty net following an error by goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson, who failed to safety collect a cross from Persib Bandung winger Febri Hariyadi.
Iceland leveled the score a few seconds before the end of the firsr half.
Iceland went on a tear in the second half, scoring three goals to end the match with a convincing 4-1 victory. Albert Gudmundsson scored a hat trick for the visiting side.
The Garuda, which relief heavily on its fast-paced wingers, struggled to create scoring opportunities in the second half, despite fielding highly experienced Papuan striker Boaz Salossa and passing wizard Evan Dimas Darmono. Iceland's solid defense forced the home team to take long-range shots, which mostly went over the bar.
Indonesian goalkeeper Anditany Ardhyasa, despite conceding four goals, including a penalty, made some excellent saves, including in the early minutes when he denied a close-range shot with his feet.
Iceland previously won 6-0 over Indonesia's selection team at Maguwoharjo Stadium in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
Iceland coach Helmir Hallgrimsson, who guided his country to a spot in the World Cup for the first time ever, lauded Indonesian fans and the revamped stadium, saying the atmosphere was one of the best he had ever experienced.
"This match is good for many of our young players and the armosphere is exceptional and don't ask me to compare it with the situation in Iceland. Drawing 10,000 spectators is considered good enough in our country," said the coach, who also professed to be a dentist.
Wearing their iconic red-and-white uniforms, Indonesian fans, who thronged the stadium amid drenching rain, chanted for the team across the entire 90-minute match. Every so often, they performed the Viking clap, which was widely practiced by Icelandic fans during their World Cup qualifiers.
Iceland, which has a population of a little more than 330,000, wil be grouped alongside Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in the upcoming World Cup in Russia.
"I will watch the recorded match and make an evaluation of our team. Iceland is not just a team, they are a World Cup participant. This is a good moment, so we can find our weakness," said Indonesian coach Luis Milla, via his translator.
Fachrul Sidiq
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Ilham Udin Armayn made history as the first Indonesian goal scorer at the newly renovated Gelora Bhng Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta. However, Indonesia was humbled, suffering a 4-1 defeat in a friendly match against World Cup first-timer Iceland in front of a crowd of 36,220.
The friendly was the first match played following a year and a half of renovation projects that resulted in massive changes to the country's largest stadium. The stadium reopening was inaugurated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo before the match kick-off.
"This afternoon, I announced the completion of major renovations at Gelora Bung Karno and it can now be used," the President said.
A number of high-ranking officials and ministera were spotted attending the match, including Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno was spotted in a VIP seat. There was no explanation behind the absence of Governor Anies Baswedan.
The stadium, one of Southeast Asia's largest in terms of seating capacity, is one of the only sources of pride for Indonesian soccer fans, given the national team's decades-long drought of major titles.
New additions to the stadium include a digital scoreboard, a fully furnished interior and a field track. Furthermore, the stadium was designed to be disabled-friendly.
The goal from 21-year-old forward Ilham, who recently announced his move to Malaysian club Selangor FA, failed to help Indonesia avoid a heavy defeat to the Nordic force. Ilham tucked the ball into an empty net following an error by goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson, who failed to safety collect a cross from Persib Bandung winger Febri Hariyadi.
Iceland leveled the score a few seconds before the end of the firsr half.
Iceland went on a tear in the second half, scoring three goals to end the match with a convincing 4-1 victory. Albert Gudmundsson scored a hat trick for the visiting side.
The Garuda, which relief heavily on its fast-paced wingers, struggled to create scoring opportunities in the second half, despite fielding highly experienced Papuan striker Boaz Salossa and passing wizard Evan Dimas Darmono. Iceland's solid defense forced the home team to take long-range shots, which mostly went over the bar.
Indonesian goalkeeper Anditany Ardhyasa, despite conceding four goals, including a penalty, made some excellent saves, including in the early minutes when he denied a close-range shot with his feet.
Iceland previously won 6-0 over Indonesia's selection team at Maguwoharjo Stadium in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
Iceland coach Helmir Hallgrimsson, who guided his country to a spot in the World Cup for the first time ever, lauded Indonesian fans and the revamped stadium, saying the atmosphere was one of the best he had ever experienced.
"This match is good for many of our young players and the armosphere is exceptional and don't ask me to compare it with the situation in Iceland. Drawing 10,000 spectators is considered good enough in our country," said the coach, who also professed to be a dentist.
Wearing their iconic red-and-white uniforms, Indonesian fans, who thronged the stadium amid drenching rain, chanted for the team across the entire 90-minute match. Every so often, they performed the Viking clap, which was widely practiced by Icelandic fans during their World Cup qualifiers.
Iceland, which has a population of a little more than 330,000, wil be grouped alongside Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in the upcoming World Cup in Russia.
"I will watch the recorded match and make an evaluation of our team. Iceland is not just a team, they are a World Cup participant. This is a good moment, so we can find our weakness," said Indonesian coach Luis Milla, via his translator.
Fachrul Sidiq
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
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