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Indonesia defeated Japan to emerge winners of the inaugural edition of the AFC eAsian Cup on Monday, February 5.
The tournament, which kicked off last Thursday at Doha’s Virtuocity eSports Arena, witnessed five days of high intensity matches involving 19 teams from the AFC’s Member Association.
The concluding day commenced with semifinal showdowns between Indonesia and Thailand while Japan and Saudi Arabia faced off in the other tie.
The riveting final between Indonesia and Japan saw more than 200,000 viewers tuning in.
Semifinals
Indonesia v Thailand
The semi-finals kicked off with an intense all-ASEAN battle.
A first half goal in the first match gave Indonesia the vital win they needed to stay on course to reach the final. The Rizky Faidan-Elga Cahya Putra duo made no mistake in capitalising on an error from the Thai defenders in the 25th minute and slotted the ball home from outside the box.
With a 2-1 win in the second match, Indonesia secured their place as the first finalists of the event.
Despite netting both goals before the clock hit the 20 minute mark, Indonesia looked shaky and struggled to ward off the barrage of charges from the Thailand team, who got their consolation goal in the 25th minute.
Results
Indonesia 1-0 Thailand
Indonesia 2-1 Thailand
Saudi Arabia v Japan
An equally enticing second semi-final followed when Japan and Saudi Arabia took to the virtual pitch. After two closely fought battles, it was Japan who came out victorious to set up a clash with Indonesia in the final.
Both Saudi Arabia and Japan looked evenly matched in the first meeting where the lone goal came from the East Asians in the 40th minute. The Samurai Blue thought they’d doubled the lead with 20 minutes left on the clock but were denied by the offside flag.
The second match was Saudi Arabia’s chance to force a decider but the West Asian giants squandered numerous golden opportunities to clinch the win they needed and were punished in the 80th minute by Japan, who sealed a 1-0 win to advance.
Results
Saudi Arabia 0-1 Japan
Saudi Arabia 0-1 Japan
Final
Anticipation reached its peak as Indonesia faced Japan in the highly awaited final, a rematch from their earlier encounter in the group stage, where Indonesia experienced their sole defeat in the event.
Japan stayed in control for most of the first match, making it impossible for Indonesia to penetrate their defence, while also making several charges into the Indonesian penalty box. They, however, failed to take the lead with Indonesia scoring in the 80th minute.
Japan were quick to equalise, taking the match into extra time and eventually a penalty shootout where the East Asians lost 3-2 in sudden death.
Determined to keep their hopes alive, Japan refused to let their guard down in the second match, forcing the game to go into extra time once again after 90 minutes of a goalless stalemate. However, Indonesia capitalised on a free-kick situation in the 100th minute and broke the deadlock to finish as champions of the inaugural AFC eAsian Cup.
Results
Indonesia (3) 0-0 (2) Japan
Indonesia 1-0 Japan
