Surabaya. The Indonesian men’s team defeated Timor-Leste 6-2 on Tuesday night, winning all three of their group stage matches to advance to the semi-finals of the ASEAN Football Federation U-19 tournament.
In their final Group A match at Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, Indonesia conceded for the first time in the tournament but maintained their winning streak, with Dutch-born Jens Laven scoring twice, while Figo Dennis, Kadek Aler, Arkan Kaka and Muhammad Kafiatul also got on the scoresheet.
Timor-Leste captain Ricardo Lorinho dos Santos scored from the penalty spot midway through the first half and teammate Alexandro Baquito added another consolation goal five minutes before the final whistle.
In previous matches, Indonesia defeated the Philippines 6-0 and Cambodia 2-0.
The tournament is split into three groups, with the group winners and best runners-up advancing to the semi-finals, with Group B leaders Australia and Group C favourites Thailand and Malaysia also qualifying for the semi-finals.
Malaysia and Thailand have six points each in Group C, but Malaysia sits at the top thanks to better goal difference. The two teams will meet in Surabaya on Thursday in the final Group C match. The group toppers will face Indonesia, while the runners-up will face Australia in the semi-finals.
Timor-Leste, the runners-up of Group A, finished the tournament with three points. Myanmar, the runners-up of Group B, currently have two points with one game remaining and are unlikely to overtake Thailand or Malaysia to become the best runners-up.
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