Brave Harimau douse Indonesian fire with penalty shootout victory

FOOTBALL passion burned in Indonesia long before the SEA Games final match between Malaysia and Indonesia even kicked off, with local fans setting fire to the ticketing booth at the Senayan Stadium when they failed to get tickets to the game.

A mad stampede also left two fans dead while several others fainted.

The brave Malaysian lads, however, snuffed out Indonesian hopes when they beat the hosts by the narrowest of margins, winning a shootout 4-3 after coming back from behind to force a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

At 3-3 in the shootout, the last Malaysian penalty shot was stopped by the Indonesian goalkeeper. Then, it bounced behind him and trickled into goal. Indonesian hearts sank. And the Harimau along with all Malaysians roared.


THE STAR